A drizzly morning could not deter members of Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited and Pootatuck Watershed Association from coming out to conduct the annual Trees for Trout Christmas Tree Collection on January 4.

Within the first hour, roughly half a dozen natural Christmas trees were dropped off at the designated Deep Brook kiosk behind the Newtown Park & Bark on Old Farm Road, and by the end of the day, the group collected around 70 trees. (Synthetic trees or trees with tinsel were not accepted.)

The total number of natural trees yielded from this year’s collection will increase as Boy Scout Troop 270 is anticipated to drop off more trees over the next two weeks.

“The Christmas trees will be used for a habitat/river restoration technique called ‘Conifer Revetments.’ They are used to stabilize the bank and provide [an] ecosystem for all that lives in the stream,” Neil Baldino said. Mr Baldino is the vice president of the Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited, as well as the director of the Pootatuck Watershed Association.

The trees act like a net — collecting sticks, debris, leaves, and silt in high water conditions — and create a new bank along the waterway in multiple spots. The process helps stop the river’s edge from eroding, which would cause the water level to decrease.

“Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited and Pootatuck Watershed Associate [are] local organizations that focus on restoring our local waterways, improving habitat for the water ecosystems, and bringing awareness to the importance of a clean, healthy aquifer,” Mr Baldino said. “We are volunteer-based organizations, so getting our community involved and educated is very important for us.”

Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited and the Pootatuck Watershed Association partner with a variety of local groups throughout the year to achieve its eco-mission, including the Newtown High School environmental science students, community volunteers, and the Housatonic Valley Association.

The trees that are donated now are utilized in the late spring/early summer each year.

For more information visit cvtu.org, or pootatuckwatershed.org.