Projects

BEAVER DAMAGE CONTROL:

Beavers are rightly admired for their engineering skills, their persistence, and family life. They create wetland habitat at a time when wetlands are disappearing. In recent years their numbers have skyrocketed to the point where they may pose and health hazard, and their habit of "ringing" mature trees has become very noticable. They can destroy a specimen sized tree overnight, leaving the riverbank lined with dead snags, and depriving the river of shade needed by fish and other aquatic life. There are now hundreds of such trees along the French and thousands threatened.

One solution is to place a 3-4' woven wire fence around selected trees, a few inches from the truck. We have started a pilot project for this using wire donated by Home Depot. Ultimately, a partnership with riverside landowners and more volunteers can make a big difference.

SHORELINE SURVEY:

A shoreline survey is an activity designed by Massachusetts Riverways to characterize a river as a guide to action. The French River Connection is nearing completion of a multi-year project to survey approximately six miles of the French from Greenbrier Park in Oxford to the Connecticut border. All the data has been collected and summarized. What remains is to map our findings using the Google Maps tool, and to use this to establish awareness of the river's assets and liabilities and to set priorities for action.

VERNAL POOL CERTIFICATION:

Vernal pools are fish-free habitats that can be protected under the Wetlands Protection Act if they are "certified", that is, meet one of several criteria. One way to certify a pool is to prove the presence of animals known to need vernal pools for breeding and development. Another is to prove the presence of animals that use vernal pools and other wetlands, and that the pool is free of fish. There are many certified vernal pools in the French River watershed, and many more identified as potential vernal pools, known to physically exist, but with the necessary biological conditions as yet unproven. The French River Connection has underway a program to certify selected potential vernal pools.

PADDLING ACCESS:

There are no legal cartop access points between Agutteback Pond below the Hodges Village flood control project in Oxford and the Connecticut. There are informal access points known to a few, but this is one reason why the French River is so underappreciated. In 2007, the French River Connection, the Oxford Open Space Committee, and the University of Massachusetts conducted a study to identify and rank potential access points. One site in Oxford was chosen for implementation with funding from the Massachusetts Office of Fishing and Boating .Access. Another site in Webster has been identified which we will seek permission to clear for use.

The French River Blueway Study is presented as produced by the University of Massachusetts. Readers should note that:

It is an academic study by students, which, while valuable, misses some practical considerations which may have had a bearing on the recommendations.

All maps and "paddling guides" are notional; they show what could be, not what exists today, and they should not be used as guidance by paddlers.

FRENCH RIVER REVITALIZATION CONCEPTS STUDY:

In 2006, the French River Connection and the University of Connecticut completed a study identifying opportunities to improve the riverfront in Dudley and Webster, through the development of trails (the French River Greenway), viewpoints, parks, and paddling access points. This would add to the quality of life for residents and serve as a catalyst to downtown revitalization, as it has for many other deteriorating mill towns. The process began and ended with public meetings, and the concepts were converted to a report with current ("before") and "after" depictions of each site.

In this example from the study, a small park includes a viewpoint on the 1868 stone arch bridge between Webster and Dudley, where now there is only a tangle of invasive plants.