If you would like to get involved with the SBCC project, the best thing to do is contact your local partner organization. Links to each organization's website can be found on the "Partners" page. There are always ways to help and each organization is working on a variety of projects, many of which directly benefit the Sandy Brook region.
STREAM CONTINUITY PROJECT
One project in particular that many partners are participating in is the Stream Continuity project:
Maintaining the integrity of rivers and
streams within the Sandy Brook region is of highest priority to the SBCC partnership.
Road stream crossings often pose a significant threat to these
interconnected aquatic passageways.
Unsuitable crossings not only disrupt wildlife movement, but alter
natural hydrology and sediment transport.
Connectivity is crucial to these natural processes and poorly designed
stream crossings can act as barriers.
Ecologically unsuitable crossings also often correlate with the
potential for culvert structure failure, posing a threat to public safety. Properly designed crossings not only provide important
wildlife corridors, but maintain safe roadways, and minimize expenses
associated with more frequent repair and replacement due to washouts.
Depending on the site, a replacement or
retrofit of an incompatible stream crossing can provide a viable alternative to
an existing structure, though many crossings will not need any improvement at
all. To determine what action must be
taken, information about the present environmental conditions and social needs
must be acquired.
The first step in maintaining healthy stream
environments is understanding what currently exists. Professor Scott Jackson of UMASS Amherst has initiated an inventory of all existing stream crossings throughout NewEngland. By utilizing Jackson’s
established procedures, all data collected by participating organizations are
added into the regional online database.
Data are analyzed to produce a suitability score for each crossing. This information can then be accessed by the
public via the Stream Continuity website.
The SBCC Stream Continuity Project will
first survey the area lying within the Sandy Brook watershed in the towns of
Colebrook and Norfolk, CT. These towns
hold the majority of land and crossings within the SBCC region. Once these two towns are surveyed, inventories
in the other five SBCC towns will begin.
Some of these data have been independently collected by other
organizations (Housatonic Valley Association in Sandisfield, MA) and added to
the online database.
Once the inventory has been completed,
data collected can be used to influence policies and procedures regarding the
replacement and repair of stream crossings at the town and state levels.
WE ARE NOW LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP CONDUCT THESE SURVEYS, IF INTERESTED PLEASE CONTACT:
Ryan Williams via contact@sandybrook.org