Connecticut Association of Conservation & Inland Wetlands Commissions, Inc. (CACIWC) Annual 2022  Conference

“Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Connecticut’s
Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act”

Saturday, October 29, 2022 (from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM)

For our 45th Annual Meeting and Environmental Conference, CACIWC returns to an in-person conference, our first since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic! This in-person format will again provide informative displays in an arrangement that will promote open discussions and networking opportunities among our members and other conference attendees. While the pandemic risks have subsided, we strongly encourage all attendees to be fully vaccinated and up to date for both their COVID and influenza vaccines. Don’t forget to bring your masks for use when sitting close together! Our conference is being hosted at a new site for us, the Scarlett’s Fine Events at Best Western Plus North Haven Hotel, located at 201 Washington Avenue North Haven, CT 06473 (off I-91, Exit 12, see below).

Be certain to arrive early to pick up your badge and registration materials in time to be in your seats for the 8:45 AM business meeting. We have a full agenda with several of our workshops will address the impact of climate change and the major theme of our 2022 conference, Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Connecticut’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act.

Scarlett’s Fine Events at Best Western Plus North Haven Hotel 201 Washington Avenue North Haven, CT 06473 (off I-91 Exit 12)

Registration & Breakfast 8:00 – 8:45 am

Welcome & Business Mtg. 8:45 – 9:00 am

Keynote Speaker 9:00 – 9:45 am

Break 1 9:45 – 10:00 am

Session 1 Workshops 10:00 – 11:00 am

Break 2 11:00 – 11:15 am

Session 2 Workshops 11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Break 3 12:15 – 12:30 pm

Luncheon 12:30 – 1:30 pm

Session 3 Workshops 1:30 – 2:30 pm

Final display viewing 2:30 – 2:45 pm

Conference Ends 3:00 pm

Workshop A1

Invasive Aquatic Plants in Connecticut Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers

Workshop A2

Renewed Threats to Hemlocks: Responding to Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Resurgence with Collaborative Biological Control

Workshop A3

Vernal Pool Monitoring and Education: Updates from CAWS

Workshop B1

Panel: Reflections on 50 years of the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Law in Connecticut

Workshop B2

2022 Wetlands Law & Regulations Update with Question & Answer Session

Workshop B3

Rivers & Watercourses: The Importance of Riparian Zones

Workshop C1

The Bear Reality

Workshop C2

Managing for Water Resources in a Changing Climate

Workshop C3

Talking Trash: Rethinking Municipal Waste Systems

Workshop D1

Pollinators in My Backyard

Workshop D2

Landscape Planning for Mental Health

Workshop D3

Leveraging Systems Thinking and Geospatial Technologies for Advanced Sustainable Watershed Management

Session 1 (10:00 – 11:00am)

A1. “Invasive Aquatic Plants in Connecticut Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers”

Gregory J. Bugbee, Associate Scientist, Department of Environmental Sciences, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES)

Invasive aquatic plants have become an increasing management problem for many local communities. This workshop will review the results of recent surveys conducted in Connecticut lakes and rivers that document the persistence and distribution of various invasive plant species. The biotic and abiotic parameters governing why invasive aquatic plants occur in certain sites are reviewed along with methods for controlling these species with minimum impacts on the aquatic ecosystem and human populations. The importance of proper seasonal timing of control methods, as well as the use of physical control methods and biological control agents, will also be discussed.

B1. “Panel: Reflections on 50 years of the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Law in Connecticut”

Attorney Gregory A. Sharp
Mark Brande, Hallo ran & Sage, LLP
Janet Brooks, Attorney at Law, LLC
Michael Klein, Senior Wetlands Scientist, Davidson Environmental, LLC
Patricia Pesto, Director of Environmental Affairs, Town of Greenwich
with Darcy Winter, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), as moderator

Following upon Attorney Sharp's keynote address, this diverse panel of experts will take up the baton and look backwards on the first 50 years implementing the Connecticut Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act (IWWA), offering what has worked, what hasn’t, and suggestions of what might be improvements. The panel will share their perspectives on commission activities throughout the past five decades.

C1. “The Bear Reality”

Felicia A. E. Ortner, Connecticut Master Wildlife Conservationist

The population of black bears has been increasing in Connecticut over the last four decades making it important now to educate Land-Use Commissions with insight to help promote the reduction of conflicts with our wild bear neighbors.

Bears, like so many animals, have become victims of misunderstandings which have been fueled by media, literature and word of mouth. On one hand we think of them as vicious predators. On the other hand, we see them as cuddly teddy bears. Both these images can mean trouble for bears.

The Bear Reality is a comprehensive program created to share information and knowledge of bears. This presentation is designed to be smooth and flowing without being just a regurgitation of logical and biological facts.

There’s a focus on the American black bears, our resident species and a review of data from results of the bear research conducted by wildlife biologists in the state. The hope is, through outreach and education a coexistence of humans and bears will be a reality.

D1. “Pollinators in My Backyard”

Victor DeMasi, lepidopterist, curatorial affiliate, Peabody Museum of Natural History

Victor will take you on a sunny day walk through his pollinator meadow in Redding, Connecticut. Along the way you will view some of the rare and common species he has seen there in 40 years of stewardship.

Victor, who also served as the Redding wetlands conservation officer for 20 years, will explain life histories of some of our species and how a butterfly garden promotes a diversity of pollinators.

Comments will include a discussion the importance of insects to our well-being and butterflies in our changing environment with issues such as climate change and invasive plant species. The complex problems of the Monarch Butterfly will receive particular emphasis.

In addition to serving as a curatorial affiliate with the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Victor’s field work with butterflies contributed almost a thousand citations to the recently published Connecticut Butterfly Atlas. He has also contributed articles to scientific publications and his mark-recapture studies with Swallowtail butterflies was recently cited in the book Swallowtails of the Americas. During the Pandemic he has been conducting a pollinator survey of two meadows in Redding CT.

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Session 2 (11:15 am – 12:15 pm)

A2. “Renewed Threats to Hemlocks: Responding to Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Resurgence with Collaborative Biological Control ”

Carole Cheah, PhD, Research Entomologist, Valley Laboratory The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES)

A string of recent warm winters region wide is responsible for the current and alarming surge in hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae (HWA) in our hemlock forests. The adelgid was first confirmed in Connecticut in 1985. Connecticut has managed HWA and protected our hemlock forests with an environmentally friendly strategy using Sasajiscymnus (=Pseudoscymnus) tsugae, the introduced specialist predatory ladybeetle, native to southern Japan, since 1995. Long term tree data indicate the efficacy of this strategy with many original hemlocks surviving for over 20 years in many Connecticut state forests and parks where the ladybeetle was first introduced 21-24 years ago. In recent years, biological control with S. tsugae has expanded to other private and municipal hemlock stands through collaborative partnerships with towns, land trusts, water companies, nature preserves, residential communities, and homeowners. This strategy is particularly important after mild winters and will be the focus of this presentation.

B2. “2022 Wetlands Law & Regulations Update with Question & Answer Session”

Mark Branse, Halloran & Sage, LLP
Janet Brooks, Attorney at Law, LLC
with Darcy Winther, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), as moderator

These wetlands attorneys have been brought back again by popular demand to keep you current with the law. Bring your questions and your suggestions of improvements to the implementation of the Connecticut Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act (IWWA) the in the next 50 years. Let’s discuss! Come ready to pose questions as you try to stump the attorneys!

C2. “Managing for Water Resources in a Changing Climate”

Denise Savageau, Chair, CT Council on Soil and Water Conservation
Alicea Charamut, Executive Director Rivers Alliance
A speaker from Aquarion Water Company

Climate change is impacting Connecticut resources throughout the state and this includes changes in precipitation patterns. Even though we are a water-rich state, we are experiencing drought conditions on a more frequent basis. This is having a significant impact on our drinking water supplies and groundwater and surface water resources. Learn from Aquarion Water Company staff how they monitor precipitation throughout the year, plan for water distribution, educate consumers and instill water conservation. This will be followed up with a discussion on the State Water Plan and the Drought Preparedness and Management Plan and what is being done to ensure that we have an abundant and safe drinking water supply and maintain adequate stream flow. Discussion will include public supply and private wells.

D2. “Landscape Planning for Mental Health”

Susan A. Masino, PhD, Vernon D. Roosa Professor of Applied Science, Trinity College

Mental illness is on the rise. Perhaps most disturbing, it has been declared an epidemic by the American Association of Pediatricians. Most of the focus and funding is on much-needed increased services, but prevention is urgent. It is also a chance to achieve multiple goals. Research shows that children who spend time in nature, particularly forests, have improved cognition, emotional regulation and life-long mindfulness. This workshop will share practical strategies for ensuring and integrating nature experiences, even in small “Urban Wilds,” to connect children to the land while also protecting clean water, mitigating climate change, and protecting biodiversity

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Session 3 (1:30 pm – 2:30 pm)

A3. Vernal Pool Monitoring and Education: Updates from CAWS”
Edward Pawlak, MS, Certified Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS)

While we celebrate the 50-year anniversary of Connecticut’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act, it is important to remember that in 2003 the protections offered by the Act to vernal pool-breeding amphibians were significantly weakened in the Avalon Bay State Supreme Court decision.

In an attempt to identify development designs that allow for the conservation of pool-breeding amphibians, the Connecticut Association of Wetland Scientists (CAWS) sponsored a vernal pool monitoring program from 2007-2020. More than 50 vernal pools, located in 15 towns (four counties) in Connecticut, were monitored by CAWS volunteers. Important conservation lessons learned from the CAWS monitoring of several pools will be presented. A new CAWS vernal pool education program will also be introduced.

B3. “Rivers & Watercourses: The Importance of Riparian Zones”

Moderated by: Denise Savageau, Chair, CT Council on Soil and Water Conservation
Panelists: Alicea Charamut, Executive Director Rivers Alliance
Sean Hayden, Executive Director Lake Waramaug (invited)
Charles Vidich, Senior Project Manager Western Connecticut Council of Governments (invited)

Protecting riparian zones is important to maintaining the health and water quality of our rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, and other water bodies and is essential for source water protection. This session will focus the functions and value of riparian zones in protecting water quality and discuss buffers and upland review areas and the role of local land use agencies in protection of these critical areas.

C3. “Talking Trash: Rethinking Municipal Waste Systems”

Sherill Baldwin, Sustainable Materials Management Environmental Analyst, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, who will present on Sustainable Materials Management 101 and Welcome to the Waste Reduction and the Reuse Economy
Jennifer Heaton-Jones, Executive Director, Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority, will discuss How Municipalities can Share Responsibility of Materials Management through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
Kim O’Rourke, Recycling Coordinator, City of Middletown, who will present Municipalities in Action: Real Life Examples of Local Reuse, Refilling, and Waste Reduction Programs.

The State of Connecticut is currently experiencing a serious waste crisis. We produce more waste than the state has capacity to manage. The waste to energy facility in Hartford, one of the largest in the state, has closed, and now a larger portion of our waste is being exported to out of state landfills and incinerators. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has estimated regional landfill capacity will decrease by 40% in the next five years, resulting in increased financial costs and environmental impacts, if we don’t change our current systems. What are the solutions?

Join this panel of creative and energized government leaders to learn about ways to rethink our waste and recycling systems. Solutions must involve not only individual behavior changes, but also updated government policies and improved business practices. Our panel will discuss innovative programs to manage waste and designing an economy for waste reduction and reusing, how extended producer responsibility (EPR) can play a significant role in the solving Connecticut’s waste crisis and also ensuring better management of recyclables and waste materials, including the illegal dumping of tires in our streams and wetlands, and local examples of reuse, refilling, waste reduction and EPR programs. Find out how to get your town involved. Questions are encouraged!

D3. “Leveraging Systems Thinking and Geospatial Technologies for Advanced Sustainable Watershed Management”

Alicia Tyson, MA., MS., PhD Candidate, Assistant Extension Educator, UConn CT Sea Grant
Emily Wilson, MS, Geospatial Educator, UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR)

This workshop takes participants through the exploration of the critical need to identify, develop, and implement solutions for effective watershed management that address the socio-ecological systems interactions and dependencies. Within the interactive session, participants will examine what is meant by spatial thinking and its role in responding to climate change impacts. Critically engaging in activities that blend risk perception with upstream/downstream hydrological and ecological processes offers participants the opportunity to gain an appreciation of the value of incorporating different forms of knowledge when developing sustainable solutions. The workshop also features the application of CLEAR (UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research) tools and resources available to CACIWC members and stakeholders for tangible application and enhancement of resilient communities and landscapes.

Continuing Education Credits:

• CT DEEP Pesticide Recertification: 1 Hr. for Cat. 3 (arborist); up to 3 Hrs. for Cat. 5 (aquatic)
  
  
• CT DEEP Forest Practitioner: 0.5 CEUs each for workshops A2, B2, A3, and B3 (up to 1.0 total)
  
  
• AICP: Up to 3.75 CM Credits including 2 Legal CM Credits and 1 Sustainability and Resilience Credit (self-reported)
  
  
• CT-licensed Landscape Architects: Subject matter appropriate for up to 3.75 continuing education credit hours (self-reported)
  
  
• SWS Recertification: 0.3 points (self-reported)

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