Peg Daley Honored For River Trail Project

By Jan Howard

Peg Daley of Newtown, project director for the Housatonic Valley River Trail (HVRT) Project, recently received the Conservation Project of the Year Award from King’s Mark Chairman James Sipperly.

King’s Mark is the US Department of Agriculture, Resource and Conservation Agency in Western Connecticut. Mrs Daley was presented with the award at the annual King’s Mark picnic awards ceremony in Litchfield.

She accepted the award on behalf of members of the HVRT Advisory Committee. These members represent conservation commissions, land trusts, economic development commissions, chambers of commerce, businesses, Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials (HVCEO), Housatonic Valley Tourism District, Housatonic Valley Economic Development Partnership, and Housatonic Valley Association.

“The Housatonic Valley River Trail will be a paddler’s delight,” Mrs Daley said. “When it is completed, someone will be able to leave Danbury in a canoe or kayak and be able to paddle all the way to Long Island Sound.”

Members of the King’s Mark Council last spring unanimously approved assistance with the river trail project, which was requested by Mrs Daley through the HVCEO. The HVCEO has been a member and strong supporter of King’s Mark since it began in the early 1970s.

The project goal is to provide canoe or kayak access to the Still River.

Currently, the trail is open from New Milford to Monroe, beginning where the Still River empties into the Housatonic River in New Milford and continuing through Lake Lillinonah and then into Lake Zoar.

The first launch proposed in Danbury is located off Newtown Road at the site of an abandoned theater, which is to be replaced by a Marriott lodge. Marriott has given permission for the property to be utilized as the initial launch for the project.

“This ramp should be completed by the end of September,” Mrs Daley said.

The second launch is to be located several miles downstream behind Stew Leonard’s.

Work is currently taking place in the Brookfield area to rid the river of debris. When completed, the 38-mile stretch would begin in Danbury where Lime Kiln Brook meets the Still River and end at the Stevenson Dam in Monroe. In theory, the trail could continue to Long Island Sound.

King’s Mark is assisting with the installation of the first two launches, helping with engineering for ramps, clearing of trails, grant applications, and permits, among others.

Other launches are planned at about five mile intervals along the Still River as it winds through Brookfield and into New Milford. Mrs Daley is working with the Housatonic Area Regional Transit for bus transport from various points on the river so people would be able to return to their cars. She is also looking for outfitters so people can rent canoes and kayaks.

The water trail would be linked with hiking trails along the route.