Conservation Commission to Continue Tankerhoosen Survey

The Vernon Conservation Commission is looking for volunteers to help identify invasive aquatic plants along the Tankerhoosen River.

Commission chairman Tom Ouellette said it is part of a major survey of the area. 

The commission has scheduled a volunteer training session, followed by a river walk, for Saturday, Aug. 24. The training will be conducted at the red barn at Valley Falls Farm on Valley Falls Road from 8:30 to 10 a.m. The walk walk is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon. 

It is the fourth year of continuing watershed surveys, Ouellette said.

"Concentrations of variable-leaved milfoil and fanwort, invasive plants that degrade wildlife habitat and water quality and impair recreational use of lakes and streams, were removed from Walker Reservoir East and Valley Falls Pond in 2010," Ouellette said. "The plants have returned to the ponds and will be removed again. This volunteer survey will assess whether they have spread downstream within the Tankerhoosen River, where they could potentially affect the health of other waterbodies and the river itself." 

The Aug. 24 training session will feature, "the identification of a number of invasive aquatic plants that may be of concern in the Tankerhoosen River watershed," Ouellette said. 

He said survey teams will be formed, and will be assigned to walk designated segments of the river. The individual river segments will vary from about a half-mile to a mile-and-a-half in length. Participants should wear long sleeves and pants, and boots or shoes that can get wet. Volunteers should bring a backpack or waist pack, a cell phone, insect repellant, sunscreen, a hat, and A water bottle. Snacks will be provided. 

The survey rain date is Sunday, Aug. 25, but the training will still take place on Saturday, Ouellette said. 

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, and must sign a waiver of liability that will be provided at the training.

Volunteers must register by Wednesday, Aug. 21. Those interested can contact the Vernon Conservation Commission by email - conservationcommission@vernon-ct.gov - or through the Vernon Planning Department at 860-870-3635. 

"By participating in this project, you can help to protect Vernon’s natural habitats and native species," Ouellette said.