Connecticut Association of Conservation & Inland Wetlands Commissions

Highlights - 2009

Connecticut Commissioners and Staff Attend Successful Conference
Numerous conservation and inland wetlands commissioners along with municipal staff and other professionals attended CACIWC’s 32nd Annual Meeting & Environmental Conference held on Saturday November 14, 2009 at MountainRidge in Wallingford. This year’s conference, entitled “Working Together to Preserve Connecticut’s Key Habitats,” provided important new information relevant to both novice and experienced commission members and staff. We again thank all those who provided information and the many attendees who spent their Saturday with us to learn and share ideas on behalf of their community and our state.

Keynote Speaker:
Patrick M. Comins, Director of Bird Conservation, Audubon Connecticut addressed the lunch portion of the conference with his talk, entitled “The Role of Municipalities in Preserving Threatened Bird Habitats in Connecticut.” Patrick, who has worked in the bird conservation arena for the last 15 years and also serves as Vice President of the Connecticut Ornithological Association, displayed his deep personal commitment to conserving the habitats and character of the state throughout his talk. He discussed ways that municipalities can safeguard key habitats while reviewing the various birds who remain listed as endangered threatened or of special concern. His beautiful photographs and informative graphs emphasized the conservation needs of our state and the value of a proactive approach, using state and regional partners to help maintain efforts in this era of diminishing resources. The many questions and comments that followed his talk emphasized the relevancy of his message to Connecticut commissioners and staff.

Workshops & Displays:
Twelve informative workshops were provided by various experts in fields of interest for conservation and wetlands commissioners and their staff. These covered a variety of topics relevant to Connecticut commissioners including beaver and deer ecology, the latest invasive plant species, wetlands law and procedures, and land conservation. We thank all the workshop leaders for their time spent preparing and presenting these well-received forums. A total of 25 commercial entities and non-profit groups provided a rich array of displays to further inform visitors of current issues relevant to their work and volunteer efforts. The newly expanded CACIWC Board of Directors has begun a detailed review of the evaluations forms submitted by participants of this conference. In addition to informing us of their opinions of the educational sessions, the participants also provided valuable suggestions for workshop topics for next year’s conference. To allow other members the opportunity to submit ideas for workshop topics and other suggestions, the CACIWC Annual Meeting Committee has decided to maintain the AnnualMtg@caciwc.org email throughout the year. Please keep those suggestions coming. We thank the staff at MountainRidge for hosting the conference again this year and extend our sincere appreciation to our 2009 conference sponsors! See you at our 2010 Annual Meeting and Environmental Conference!

Awards:
Eight CACIWC awards were given at the Saturday November 14, 2009 ceremony.

Alden W. Ringklib, Chairman of the New Hartford Inland Wetlands Commission received the 2009 award for Wetlands Commissioner of the Year. Mr. Ringklib was recognized for his two decades of outstanding leadership to his town. Mr. Ringklib has been a member of the New Hartford Inland Wetlands Commission for over 20 years and seated as Chairman for much of that time. In his role as chair, he ensured that all proceedings were conducted in a civil and professional manor, treating both applicants and concerned residents with equal respect. Under his leadership, the commission carefully followed state regulations and procedures and served as a model for others in the region. Mr. Ringklib has always been a respected resident of New Hartford and served his town, state and country with honor starting with his Korean War tour with the U.S. Air Force through his years as a Connecticut State Trooper. His assignments as supervisor of the State Police detachment at Bradley Airport and as the New Hartford Resident Trooper gave him a deep appreciation for the both the people and natural habitats of Connecticut and the Town of New Milford.

Gwen Marrion, Chairman of the Bolton Inland Wetlands Commission was honored with the 2009 Commissioner of the Year award. Ms. Marrion has recently retired from the Bolton Inland Wetlands Commission after her continuous service for 20 years since it separated from the Bolton Conservation Commission. In her service as Chair for all but two years of the commission’s two decades of independent existence, Ms. Marrion has directed numerous improvements to the commission’s procedures and regulations. Gwen leadership inspired her fellow commissioners with her knowledge of wetlands regulations. Her understanding of Bolton’s environment, history, and people is widely recognized throughout her town. Gwen Marrion is an attorney and active civic leader with in Bolton including service on the town’s Charter Revision Committee, which recently completed a 2009 Charter Update. In addition to her work as Chair of the Inland Wetlands Commission, Ms. Marrion led the Bolton Land Trust since its creation and serves as Chair of the Bolton Open Space Acquisition and Preservation Committee where she is currently leading a volunteer effort to fill the remaining gap in the local greenway. In her final meeting as Wetlands Chair, she was recognized by town officials, other commissions, and representatives of the DEP who thanked her for her contributions to their wetlands training program and their DVD.

Kathleen Holland, Director of the New Canaan Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Department received the 2009 award for Wetlands Director of the Year. Ms. Holland was recognized for her development and implementation of a comprehensive multiple objective plan to improve the organizational efficiency and visibility of her department and its role within town government and the community. As part of this plan she reorganized the department into two separate conservation and wetlands units and instituted monthly meetings with Planning & Zoning, Public Works, Park & Recreation and other relevant municipal departments. Ms Holland developed an Applicant Check List for new permits, extensions, transfers, and modifications that has been widely complemented. She works with the town attorney to review state regulations and was instrumental in creating and establishing a Wetlands Enforcement Ordinance that enables the town to analyze, assess, and collect fines. Ms Holland also ensures that her department is readily available to assist the Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission with its activities including site walks, conducting an average of 3-4 per month. The Commission can always count on Ms. Holland and her department to provide comprehensive background and analysis on all applications to enable them to make sound and binding decisions. Ms. Holland first joined the town in 1989 as the Assistant Inland Wetlands Agent before becoming Department Director in 2001. She has a BS degree in Environmental Health, previously worked with the Westport/Weston Health District, and takes pride in having attended all major DEP training programs offered since 1989.

Stephen Lowrey, Zoning/Wetlands Agent for the Town of Tolland received the 2009 Wetlands Agent of the Year award. Mr. Lowrey was recognized for his work in the development and implementation of comprehensive low impact development (LID) regulations. Working with the town’s consultant, a set of LID regulations were developed and incorporated into the town’s Zoning and Wetlands regulations. These new regulations fulfill all LID objectives while meeting the town’s stormwater treatment challenges. Mr. Lowrey was also a significant factor in the implementation of these regulations from his efforts to educate wetlands commissioners in their use to explaining their role to local developers and engineers. Mr. Lowrey also played a vital role in local implementation of the Tankerhoosen Watershed Management Plan (TWMP) developed by The Friends of Hockanum River Linear Park, Inc. He conducted an in-depth analysis and reviewed of the TWMP data and provided this information to the Tolland Inland Wetlands Commission for their oversight and action. Stephen Lowrey earned a masters degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Science and has worked with the Town of Tolland since 1996. In addition to serving as the Zoning/Wetlands Agent, he oversees the town GIS mapping unit and serves as a natural resource and wildlife advisor to all town land use boards and commissions.

The Tolland Inland Wetlands Commission received the 2009 CACIWC award for Commission of the Year. Under the guidance of their chairman Lee Lafountain and the support of Zoning/Wetlands Agent Stephen Lowrey, the commission implemented one of the most comprehensive low impact development (LID) regulations among municipalities in the region. Working jointly with the Planning & Zoning Commission and other municipal agencies and departments, the Tolland Inland Wetlands Commission incorporated LID approaches into existing town regulations. These joint efforts were recognized by the Connecticut Planning Association with a chapter award and gained Tolland national recognition. The Commission has also utilized these regulations as a model in providing early feedback to applicants to help them achieve LID goals that benefit the region. Using this approach, a major applicant was able to incorporate a considerably improved local stormwater management plan into its proposal. In granting this award, CACIWC also recognized the Commission’s significant work in promoting the Tankerhoosen Watershed Management Plan (TWMP) developed by The Friends of Hockanum River Linear Park, Inc. The Commission has been working closely with landowners within the watershed to identify and prioritize drainage structures that are in need of improvement and to seek funding to support modifications.

At its 32nd Annual Meeting & Environmental Conference CACIWC will begin a new tradition of acknowledging statewide educational efforts to promote environmental conservation and habitat protection. A Special Recognition Award was given to Steve Grant. Many Connecticut residents were first introduced to Steve during his nearly 30 year career with The Hartford Courant where he served as environmental writer and politics editor along with numerous memorable articles on natural habitats, outdoor recreation, travel, the green movement. One of Steve’s favorite topics, writing on rivers and related environmental issues, became a major educational opportunity for Courant reader during his 17-part article documenting his five week, 410-mile-long Connecticut River journey from its source on the Canadian border south to Long Island Sound. He received more than three dozen awards from various organizations for distinguished journalism along with six Pulitzer Prize nominations while reporting for The Courant. In addition to his newspaper and free lance writing, Steve promotes environmental education as member of the Society of Environmental Journalists, the New England Travel Writers Network and the Thoreau Society. He is also a founder and former president of the Capitol Bird Club in Connecticut.

A Special Recognition Award was also given to Peter Marteka for his efforts to promote hiking and conservation in Connecticut through his columns in The Hartford Courant. Peter started his journalism career writing for The Regional Standard in Colchester and the Middletown Press before coming to The Hartford Courant in 1996. His first hiking column, entitled “The Path Less Traveled,” ran from in local and regional editions from 1997, and appeared statewide as “Nature’s Path” in 2006. During 2008, Peter reached out to additional readers with his Sunday “Way to Go” columns in iTowns. With each column, Peter prompts his readers to discover the many wonderful hiking opportunities that can be found throughout Connecticut, while inspiring a deep appreciation of our state’s varied natural habitats.

In closing the 2009 awards ceremony, President Alan Siniscalchi presented a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award to honor the memory of Allan Noam Williams who died June 26, 2009 of pancreatic cancer. Allan Williams worked closely with CACIWC for many years while at the DEP Natural Resources Center on various publications ranging from The Habitat to The Handbook for Conservation Commissioners. His lifelong passion for environmental education led him to open the DEP Bookstore to help his agency’s efforts to promote Connecticut’s natural environments. He even took his store on the road by starting a tradition to bring his favorite selection of books and other publications to the CACIWC annual meeting and environmental conference each year. Allan environmental career did not end with his retirement from the DEP. His consulting practice was retained in 2007 to facilitate the development of the CACIWC strategic plan, which the board completed in May 2008. This CACIWC award honoring Allan’s decades of service in the promotion of environmental conservation in Connecticut was accepted by his brother Robert Williams, sister-in-law Laura Williams, and niece Lynn. Please see following letter from Robert Williams.

To everyone at CACIWC

Please accept my sincerest thanks and deepest appreciation for affording my daughter, wife and myself the opportunity to be there today when Allan was awarded the CACIWC 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award and dedication of the 2009 Annual Meeting in Allan’s memory were a wonderful tribute. Seeing that this tribute came from one of the most sincerely caring group of folks that we have ever encountered made the day even more special and gave us a cherished memory that will always be there. The beautiful plaque, Alan Siniscalchi’s kind words during the presentation, Allan’s picture in the program, the delicious (and healthful I may add) meal, and the very appropriate setting (the natural themed buildings and grounds, the nearby working agricultural land and woodlands) and the way everyone there made us feel welcome meant so much to us .

The day was also memorable in that we had the opportunity to learn so much about what the attendees and presenters are doing as environmental stewards and the challenges they face in their endeavors. Seeing that this was CACIWC’s 32nd Annual Meeting certainly amplifies the tenacity and dedication of this organization and its membership.

There is a saying that “Managers Do Things Rights and Leaders Do the Right Things.” Based on the technical expertise that permeated the Meeting, we were undoubtedly amongst a group of professionals who had the scientific, engineering and regulatory skills to carry out their mission and were unquestionably quite proficient at employing those skills. Seeing how sincerely all those in attendance recognized the significance of environmental preservation is to their respective communities, the State of Connecticut and our Nation for generations to come, left no doubt in our minds we were also amongst a very special group of leaders.

In the memorial ceremonies we hold for those I served with in another part of the world a little over forty years ago, we include the quotation ”If you are able, save a place inside of you – and save one backward glance – when you are leaving- for the places – they can no longer go.” With that in mind, we want you to know how much it means to us that even though Allan’s life was ended much too soon, the environmental leadership of all those in CACIWC will continue towards the places Allan so cherished but can no longer go.

With my deepest gratitude,

Bob Williams

Home :: CC :: IWC :: Tools :: About CACIWC ::Publications :: Support CACIWC :: Links :: Legislation :: Events