Clesson Brook in Buckland flows beneath a decommissioned bridge along Route 112. STAFF FILE PHOTO
BUCKLAND — Community members are invited to learn about river corridor mapping and work being done along the Clesson Brook Watershed during an open house on Saturday, June 28.
Karro Frost, a plant restoration specialist with the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, will lead a stream table demonstration and a plant identification walk that will start from the Buckland Recreation Area on Ashfield Road at 10 a.m. Simultaneously, an open house will be held at the Buckland Public Library on Upper Street, where attendees can learn more about river corridor mapping and flood modeling.
Alison Cornish, Buckland’s climate change coordinator, said the town is in its third round of Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grants, having gotten its first grant in 2018, and has since been working to study and plan for the future impacts of climate change.
“After Tropical Storm Irene, it was decided that the Clesson Brook Watershed needed to be the focus of our work,” Cornish said. “One storm down the pike means another storm will come down the pike eventually.”
Cornish said that after seeing significant flooding, erosion and damage following the storm, the town decided it needed to prepare for the next big weather event. The open house will give residents a chance to learn about the work that has been done to map the watershed, create condition reports, and develop ways to slow down currents and allow for Clesson Brook to flood more safely.
She added that for the next round of MVP grants, the town hopes to secure funding to engineer erosion controls along the banks of Clesson Brook.
“It’s a good opportunity for people to see seven years of work,” Cornish said. “We really want to hear from people, particularly people who live on the watershed, [about] what questions they have and how we can support them.”
Most of the property along the watershed is privately owned, Cornish said, meaning it is difficult to get grant funding to pay for erosion control and other work there. Therefore, Cornish said, one of the most important things the town can do is educate residents on changing weather patterns and how they can protect their properties from flooding and watershed changes.
The open house will provide “a local look at a global phenomenon,” Cornish noted. The event is free, open to the public and family-friendly.
A rain date has been set for Sunday, June 29.
Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.
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