Date: Fri 08-Mar-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

ealges-CL&P-DEP-Conservancy

Full Text:

CL&P Plans Logging Project Near Housatonic Eagle Habitat

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

The Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P) is seeking town approval for

logging on land it owns along the Housatonic River, near the Shepaug Dam bald

eagle wintering area.

In a logging application pending before the Conservation Commission, CL&P is

seeking approval to harvest 73,000 board feet of lumber on 30 acres it owns

between the west bank of the Housatonic and Alberts Hill Road, said David

Thompson, the town's environmental official.

CL&P wants to remove about one-third of the timber in that area. The stand

contains various hardwoods and hemlock. The logging would be done this summer

or in the summer of 1997, when the bald eagles are out of the area for the

summer. Action on the logging application is expected at an upcoming

Conservation Commission meeting.

CL&P has hired Ferrucci and Walicki Land Management of Madison to log the

property. The loggers plan to haul the cut timber up a steep slope and off the

site. The logs will then be milled into lumber.

If an existing property easement at McLaughlin Vineyards is used as a route

for hauling the timber out to Alberts Hill Road, the hauling would be done on

a shallower slope, making the logging operation simpler and also creating a

new accessway to the vineyards, according to Mr Thompson.

So far, the development of the vineyards as a tourist attraction has been

stymied by the difficult access to the property posed by a narrow winding

driveway extending from the intersection of Walnut Tree Hill Road and Alberts

Hill Road.

Morgen McLaughlin, the vineyards' proprietor, said she has been working to

design a new accessway to the vineyards.

Ms McLaughlin said she may reach some agreement with CL&P on the construction

of a dirt road which could be used both for the logging operation and for

access to the vineyards. "It's a possibility...We're working on the details,"

she said.

A town wetlands construction permit would be needed to build a dual-purpose

accessway, Mr Thompson said.

In recent years, the vineyards have been embroiled in a zoning controversy

concerning access to the property from Alberts Hill Road. A new accessway to

the property could resolve some of those conflicts.

DEP Recommendations

In an review of the loggers' plans to harvest timber near the Housatonic

River, Julie Victoria, a wildlife biologist for the state Department of

Environmental Protection (DEP), states that about 30 bald eagles are known to

use the Housatonic River as a wintering site.

"The bald eagle is listed as a state-endangered and federally-threatened

species. Arriving in December and leaving in March, this year approximately

128 bald eagles are utilizing Connecticut's waterways," she wrote in response

to the foresters' notice to DEP that they plan to log timber near Shepaug Dam.

She added, "The perching, feeding and daytime loafing areas are typically

trees close to the river near the Shepaug Dam. Leaving a strip of tall trees

along the river's edge within a (50-foot) setback will enhance this waterfront

habitat. Leaving a strip of trees with a (75-foot to 100-foot) setback will

further screen the effect of human activity."

"Preferably the trees should be of varying heights, have a dense understory

and easily-accessible perches for the large wingspan of the bald eagle. Old

snags left in this area are ideal for the birds," Ms Victoria writes.

The eagles linger in the area just downriver of the dam, waiting to eat fish

that have passed through the dam to pop up to the water's surface.

The Nature Conservancy, an environmental group, owns property in the vicinity

of the river, between McLaughlin Vineyards and the Shady Rest section.

David Gumbart, preserve steward for The Nature Conservancy, said Wednesday the

logging firm hired by CL&P has shown a willingness in the past to log with the

interests of animals in mind. If the loggers follow the recommendations made

by Ms Victoria, the environmental impact of the logging on the bald eagles

should be minimal, Mr Gumbart said.

The Nature Conservancy provides volunteers who assist visitors at Northeast

Utilities' (NU) bald eagle observation post in Southbury on the east side of

the Housatonic, just below Shepaug Dam. CL&P is an operating company of NU.

The conservancy is an international group working to preserve natural habitats

for all species, including endangered and protected species.

In another logging matter, the Conservation Commission has given CL&P an

approval to harvest 60,300 board feet of lumber on 35 acres CL&P owns between

Hanover Road and Parmalee Hill Road, Mr Thompson said. The property is in the

vicinity of CL&P's high-tension electrical transmission lines that cross above

Hanover Road.