Renowned Nature Photographer Featured at FRWA Annual Meeting

The Farmington River Watershed Association (www.frwa.org) will hold its 54^th Annual Meeting on Thursday November 1^st featuring Tim Palmer, award-winning author of 16 books on the environment, rivers, and adventure travel. Tim was named one of the nation’s “top ten river conservationists” by Paddler Magazine, and received a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from American Rivers. Tim will present a slideshow from his travels and from his most recent book, Rivers of America (2006), with pictures and a talk that will inspire.

In addition to sharing his art, Mr. Palmer will help celebrate the accomplishments of the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA). The Upper Farmington River was the first (and still only) Wild & Scenic River designated in Connecticut in 1994. Today, FRWA is leading the charge to add the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook to the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System. A Wild & Scenic Study Committee with representatives from 10 towns, FRWA, the Salmon Brook Watershed Association, the CT DEP, and the National Park Service has been meeting since April to identify the most outstanding resource values associated with those waterbodies, and to develop a Management Plan that would protect some of the Farmington Valley’s most special resources.

The Annual Meeting will be held at the Tower Ridge Country Club, 140 Nod Road in Simsbury, from 6:00 until 9:00 p.m. Admission to the Annual Meeting is open to the public at a cost of $35 for non-members and $30 for members. Social hour and silent auction bidding begin at 6:00 p.m., dinner and program begin at 7:00 p.m. FRWA asks that prospective attendees RSVP by October 26^th at 658-4442, extension 0.

The Farmington River Watershed Association, founded in 1953, is a private, non-profit, conservation organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the 81-mile long Farmington River and its

609 square mile watershed that spans 33 towns in CT and MA.

A photo of the Farmington River from Rivers of America with permission from Tim Palmer.