FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 8, 2022
Funds will help keep the Housatonic clean, safe, and accessible for all
The Housatonic Valley Association was awarded $6,500 by the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation and the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation to support the work of four interns in helping keep Housatonic River access sites clean, safe and accessible in Northwest Connecticut.
As participants in HVA’s River Information and Outreach (RIO) Program, the interns will be HVA RIO Stewards for the 2022 summer season and focus on high-priority Housatonic River access sites along Route 7, serving as a resource to help ensure safe, enjoyable experiences for all river visitors. This includes answering questions, giving out trash bags to promote clean site usage, talking with them about their experience, and getting a better understanding of how river sites are being used.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a large increase in demand for outdoor recreation areas in Northwest Connecticut along the Housatonic River, overwhelming many river access sites and contributing to site closures. Last year, HVA’s RIO Stewards played a key role in helping to ensure all priority river recreation areas but one remained open and clean over the entire summer.
“Engaging with Housatonic River visitors in the northwest corner is critical to building stakeholder trust, promoting sustainable site usage, and building relationships within the community,” said Lindsay Larson, HVA’s Connecticut Watershed Manager. “Ensuring outdoor areas can accommodate all of the different ways people enjoy the Housatonic River is so important, not just for individual and community health, but to foster a love and appreciation for the Housatonic among future river stewards.”
HVA will partner with the Housatonic River Commission, Eversource Energy, FirstLight Power, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), and the towns of Salisbury, Sharon, Kent, Cornwall, Canaan, New Milford, and North Canaan in these efforts.
Now in its fifth year, the RIO Program continues to seek multilingual staff and representative staff from communities across the watershed who visit and enjoy the river sites.
About Housatonic Valley Association
HVA is uniquely committed to achieving climate resilience and environmental health across the entire Housatonic River watershed, for this and future generations. HVA works with key partners to restore and protect lands, waters, and wildlife. Spanning just under 2,000 square miles, the Housatonic watershed stretches from the Berkshires in western Massachusetts and the Taconics in eastern New York through western Connecticut and south to Long Island Sound. Learn more at hvatoday.org.
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Contact: Kelley Hall, Communications & Engagement Manager
Khall.hva@gmail.com
203-671-7981
