Talk Will Focus On Preserving Newtown’s Resources

By Kendra Bobowick

From a comfortable seat beside a picture window overlooking her backyard, longtime resident Pat Barkman sips tea and watches birds alight on feeders and then spin into the sky above Taunton Lake. She also sees a danger that she hopes to make clear to others in coming days.

Mixed into the serene lake water bordering her backyard and nestled below a skyline of uninterrupted treetops is a conservation issue she believes is a threat to both her rustic backyard landscape and to the environment.

“I am working to preserve anything that I can preserve,” she said.

What once provided her painter’s eye with a rural vista has changed during the years she has lived in town.

Time has also honed discussions regarding the town’s resources and water supply. “What is an Aquifer?” is a scripted slide presentation that Ms Barkman has developed specifically to share with both likeminded conservationists and the public. The campaign’s next push will be on January 31 at the C.H. Booth Library at 7:30 pm in the meeting room.

“People don’t think we’re in trouble, but we’re in trouble,” she stressed. “Any scientist will tell you we’re in trouble, opposed to the people who don’t know and who don’t go to lectures etc, they think we’re just fine. It’s a paradox.”

She hopes her presentation will educate.

 “I want to make Newtowners aware, to be conservationists…to get to those who are unaware,” she said.

She fears that people may not realize the impacts on the water supply coming from run-off, flash flooding, development, fertilizers, and more, she said. “Most people think we have an endless supply of water, but we don’t.”

Ms Barkman encourages residents to attend “What is an Aquifer?” sponsored by Roots for Newtown and the Pootatuck Watershed Association. Roots is comprised of several groups that have come together in the past year to form a coalition united in the effort to preserve the beauty and environment of Newtown.

The groups are The Newtown Forest Association, The Conservation Commission, Candlewood Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited, The Pootatuck Water Association, Inlands and Wetlands, Al’s Trail Inc, and the Newtown Tree Project.

“What is an Aquifer?” guest speakers include James Belden, president of both the watershed association and the Candlewood Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited, landscape designer Sarah Middeleer, Newtown Conservation Official Rob Sibley, and Land Use Enforcement Officer George Benson. The guests will join Ms Barkman to discuss topics including how to manage run-off and erosion, pollution control, storm drains, and establishing a rain garden.

Coming into the discussion from the landscape design standpoint, Ms Middeleer explained, “Whatever [landscaping] you do you have to be happy with the results and how it looks, and how watercourses can be made appealing as well.” She will focus on watercourse buffer plantings, which are essential to both the wildlife and stream life, she said.

With an emphasis on design, she will focus on how to create successful residential settings.

“A lot of times people and even municipalities make the mistake of keeping things too neat and that can lead to the degradation of the stream banks,” she said. Ms Middeleer explained that the more erosion and silt in the water, the more damage results to the habitat. She and the others will offer their insights.

“Some times changing habits individually even a little bit helps,” she said.

Mr Benson will talk about alum treatments. He explained that the treatment is intended to control the nutrients in Taunton Lake, and algae specifically. The alum is just one among several options, he said. Mr Sibley will speak about the future state regulations and how they affect the aquifer.

Mr Belden will discuss the importance of preserving the aquifer and watershed waters and rivers and streams, including Deep Brook. Mr Sibley will address the importance of his role in town, while Ms Barkman will talk about the aquifer.

Ms Barkman also promises a surprise, saying she has good news regarding a prior preservation initiative, which she will reveal at the meeting.

“I have excellent news,” she said.

Also on the January 31 agenda are, “The beautiful artistic places in town and why they are in need of protection,” and, “What are local groups doing and what can we do as individuals?” Ms Barkman noted the relationship between environmental conservation and protecting views like the one outside her window. Also worth preserving are views in town. including the scenic panorama glimpsed from Castle Hill Road looking down upon the town’s center, past the flagpole, and toward a distance where the land rolls into Lake Zoar and defines the northeast edge of town.

Guest speakers will be available to meet with residents after the discussion. Upcoming talks in March are also open to the public.