NRWA River Stewards

River Steward Proposal to the Naugatuck Borough

Name: River Steward Partnership
From: Bob Gregorski president --Naugatuck River Watershed Association, Inc.
Date: 8-4-09

The River Steward Partnership (RSP) is pilot project that I wish to initiate in the Borough. Essentially RSP would have one or two volunteer River Stewards from the Borough who would be the stewards of the waters in Naugatuck. The River Stewards would be the leaders who would solicit help to conduct river clean-ups from various Borough organizations. Note: There could be a River Steward for each of the tributaries e.g. Cotton Hollow, Fulling Mill and Longmeadow brooks.

The Partnership component would involve “users” of the river who were not Naugatuck residents. I will help organize those partners to work in concert with the River Stewards and the Borough volunteer groups. Any group may initiate a river clean-up activity. For example, prior to the Kayak Race volunteers who are kayakers and/or canoers may want debris and hazards on the riverbanks and in-river debris removed. Or prior to the Rubber Duck Race, various groups may want to clean up the river near the Maple Street Bridge. Or a group of anglers may choose to do a clean up in October prior to the Naugy being stocked with salmon.

My background includes: one of the founders of the Naugatuck-Pomperaug Chapter Trout Unlimited (chartered in 1976), a founder of NRWA (incorporated in 1995); supervising three paid Naugatuck River Stewards (1998-2004), assisted in organizing more than 50 river clean-ups on the Naugy and some of its tributaries, and have worked on improving the water quality and river riparian habitat of the Naugy since 1984.

I believe the most effective stewardships are the ones that people have an invested time and/or money to accomplish; I call it “ownership”. And ownership can be contagious and long lasting.

TU N-P & NRWA websites have some of the history of work done to restore the Naugy—www.naugawatshed.org and www.tunaugpomp.org

If you wish more information about a River Steward Partnership for any town, contact Bob Gregorski Email naugybob@hotmail.com.