Housatonic Valley River Trail Promises To Be A ‘Paddler’s Delight’

By Jan Howard

Canoeing and kayaking enthusiasts are now able to paddle from New Milford to the Stevenson Dam via the Housatonic Valley River Trail (HVRT), and south to Long Island Sound. The route is part of a 38-mile waterway the Housatonic Valley Economic Development Partnership (HVEDP) is in the process of creating.

“I’m thrilled that the River Trail from New Milford to Monroe is open,” said Peg Daley of Newtown, director of the HVRT project for the Housatonic Valley Economic Development Partnership. “There is access to it in Newtown, New Milford, and Bridgewater.” In Newtown, the River Trail may be accessed at the state’s Pond Brook ramp and the residents only ramp located at the end of Hanover Road.

Work is progressing in the Danbury to New Milford section of the Still River through regional cooperation between Newtown and Brookfield. Michael McCarthy of Newtown, the Lake Lillinonah Authority’s representative on the HVRT Advisory Committee, is volunteering his time, equipment, and his helper, Rob Olak, to help clear the river of fallen branches and trees and other debris, using Mr McCarthy’s 14,000-pound skidder and winch.

Mr McCarthy had a problem, though, and that was getting the skidder and the winch to the Brookfield section of the river. Because the Town of Brookfield doesn’t own a trailer large enough to transport the skidder and winch, but Newtown does, Mrs Daley called Newtown First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal, who approved the use of the town’s trailer. He referred Mrs Daley to Public Works Director Fred Hurley, who arranged for a truck and driver, Anthony Capozziello, to haul the skidder to the river. When that site was cleared, Mr Capozziello transported the equipment to the next debris site.

Mr Rosenthal said this week that he approved Mrs Daley’s request because the River Trail is a regional project. “All the towns are doing various things,” he noted.

“We hope to have the Danbury to New Milford River Trail open by the end of summer next year,” Mrs Daley said. “Once cleared, the municipalities have agreed to keep the river clear of debris.”

The debris removal will not only make the Still River passable for safety reasons but will also help prevent riverbank erosion and flooding, she said.

Someday it will be possible to put a canoe or kayak in the Still River in Danbury, paddle to its confluence with the Housatonic River near Harrybrook Park in New Milford, continue past Lover’s Leap and through Lake Lillinonah and Lake Zoar to a portage area at the Stevenson Dam.

The river trail in the Danbury to New Milford part of the river would pass the Danbury Greenway Trail, the Still River Preserve, and several other parks and open space areas.

The projected plan is to put boat launches every five miles. The HVEDP has applied for grant money and is seeking private donations.

Northeast Utilities recently provided funding to produce and install canoe and kayak portage signs around the Shepaug and Stevenson dams.

The Shepaug portage area offers grills, picnic tables, Port-a-Potty, nature trails, bird watching, and parking. The park is open from 8 am to 8 pm during the summer.

The portage at the Stevenson Dam connects with steps down to the lower river and the Shelton Conservation River Trail. Signs clearly mark where to safely exit Lake Lillinonah and where to safely put in again below the dam. The portage is fairly long, but is downhill, according to Mrs Daley.

The large trees that have fallen in the river not only block its flow but also collect other debris that is washed into the river, according to Mrs Daley. Besides causing potentially dangerous snags for canoe and kayak paddlers, the debris increases the possibility of flooding and riverbank erosion.

On August 9, a day that registered 110 degrees on the bank thermometer on Federal Road in Brookfield at 3 pm, Mr McCarthy and Mr Olak worked from 7:30 am to 3 pm clearing large trees and debris, Mrs Daley said. The HVRT had obtained permits from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the Town of Brookfield to remove the debris. Only trees that had fallen across the river were removed.

“One of the most important details to a job like this is to determine the logistics of which log to pick up first,” Mr McCarthy said, sort of like a giant pick-up sticks challenge.

All natural materials were deposited far enough away that they would not end up back in the river after a severe storm, Mrs Daley said. Garbage debris was removed.

“Logs will decompose and provide shelter for wildlife,” she said, adding that some of the trees were over three feet in diameter.

“Mike is a professional logger,” Mrs Daley said. “Volunteers could not have done this job.”

Several of the largest blockages were behind the White House Plaza on Federal Road in Brookfield.

“A canoe/kayak trail is good for the community,” owner Richard J. Clark said. “It is also a betterment of the river as it will help control erosion. It is beautiful along here. There are pheasant, deer, turkey, and cranes.”

“Removal of the blockages may prevent some local flooding,” he said. “There is benefit to the individual residents along the Still River as debris causes changes in the riverbank through erosion.”

For many years, the Still River was very polluted, Mr Clark said. “You could tell the color of hats that were being manufactured by the color of the water in the Still River. There were only muskrats, carp, and snapping turtles. Now there are pickerel, minnows, and the state has stocked trout. The river is alive with so many birds and animals.”

Volunteers are still needed to help pick up trash and remove small branches. To volunteer, contact Peg Daley at 203-775-6256.