The Eightmile River

                             Wild & Scenic Coordinating Committee

Meeting Minutes – March 5, 2007,  Lyme Town Hall

Present: Eric Belt, Linda Bireley, Roger Dill, Gloria Fogarty,  Nathan Frohling, Bernie Gillis, Damon Hearne, Meghan Hearne, Anthony Irving, Parker Lord, Sue Merrow, Linda Schroeder, Sally Synder and David Wordell.    

1.       Call to Order – 5:00 PM 

2.       Acceptance of  January 22^th,  Meeting Minutes – Linda Bireley suggested that the minutes of the previous meeting should list the full name of Dr. Piotr Parasiewicz rather than simply citing his first name. She also noted that she is inviting any one from the Eightmile River Coordinating Committee to submit presentation proposals for the 40^th anniversary party of the Old Lyme Land Trust. Anthony Irving moved to accept the minutes as amended; Linda Bireley seconded the motion . Motion carried unanimously.

3.       The next Committee meeting will be held Monday, March 26, 2007 at 5PPM at the East Haddam Grange Hall.

4.       As Dr. Parasiewicz had not yet arrived, the Committee proceeded to deal with Old and New business. For New Business, Roger Dill asked for a discussion of whether this Committee had an official position regarding permitted use of pressure-treated wood to construct boating docks. In his work on the Lyme Inland & Wetlands Commission, he anticipates the need for some direction on this topic in the near future. Tony and Damon both indicated they are currently unaware of any research offering guidelines for this subject, though generally speaking, it would be preferable to encourage the use of inert or natural products or composite recycled plastic treated woods whenever feasible. Sally Synder agreed to check DEP guidelines for additional information; Damon will research the Internet to check for any relevant reported research. Under Old Business, Nathan Frohling reported that the Nature Conservancy has a verbal commitment to purchase the Patrell property consisting of approximately 42 acres with ½ mile of frontage on the main stem of the Eightmile River. Linda also reported that the Lyme Land Trust is continuing its efforts to obtain a conservation easement on the Ingersoll parcel which is in the 40-60 acre range. Linda Schroeder indicated that the Salem Land Trust is exploring funding options to raise the monies needed to complete purchase of the Litsky property in Salem. They are hopeful that the local Dominion company will provide a sizeable grant to facilitate the process.

5.       Damon also described a recent conversation with Jim Ventras from East Haddam regarding the scheduled review of their Plan of Conservation and Development. He indicated there are individuals considering  the construction of either a hotel or a large bed & breakfast establishment at the Fox Hopyard Golf Course; said construction would take the place of 9 approved housing lots. There are questions as to the adequacy of the water supplies to support such a proposal,  and zoning changes will be necessary to facilitate the plan.   

6.       Dr. Piotr Parasiewicz arrived at 5:35PM and proceeded to give a summarization of his Phase 2 Final Report. Several complete copies were made available to interested parties, as were draft copies of an Executive Summary he had prepared. The report is titled “Assessment and restoration of instream habitat of the Eightmile river in Connecticut – Developing MesoHABSIM model. Dr. Piotr discussed several of the charts and graphs included in the report. He also explained the relevance of the maps he has provided. (See report for details). He offered the following 10 conclusions for Phase 2 of the Eightmile Assessment:

1)   The Eightmile River offers high quantities of physical habitat for native fish           fauna.

2)   The greatest declines in habitat quantity are at flows lower than 0.3cfsm.

3)   The flows in the river are occasionally very low, which could severely damage     the fish community and could be responsible for the relatively low observed fish      density.

4)   Habitat deficits were identified for Atlantic salmon and American Eel.

5)   Increased summer water temperatures alter the structure and composition of fish             fauna.

6)  The MesoHABSIW model allows for simulations to more specifically identify        future threats and protective measures. It can particularly help in developing:

                  a. Specifications for target fish fauna

                  b. Analyses of future water use scenarios

                  c. Impacts of climate change

                  d. Channel modifications for habitat improvements

7)  The development of surface and groundwater flow models for the watershed        would further improve and facilitate future decision-making processes.

8)   Expansion of the MesoHABSIM model to incorporate freshwater mussels,           macro-invertebrates, and spawning life stages of fish will allow for a more       comprehensive ecosystem analysis.

9)   Dr. Piotr also recommends expansion of the investigation to encompass impacts   of the Eightmile River on habitat conditions in the Hamburg Cove.

10)  He also indicated it is important to closely monitor thermal conditions in the                       Eightmile River.

       Dr.  Piotr said that this report requires some fine tuning when applied to water flow conditions and indicated there are software courses available which could be run by our normal technical staff. When responding to a question about Actograms, he stated they are usable now, through an Excel spreadsheet, in planning for habitat modificationspredicting impact on habitat by low flows. He believes the time series analysis in the most complex part of the work and would probably required collaboration with his staff.       

Meeting adjourned, 7:30PM.

                                                                                    Respectfully submitted,

                                                                                    Gloria Fogarty,

                                                                                    Secretary