Pootatuck Watershed Association, in collaboration with the Candlewood Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited, is seeking volunteers for Saturday, September 24, from 9 am to 3 pm. The day's work will include planting a riparian buffer along Deep Brook, installing spawning gravel in a tributary of Deep Brook, and improving the pool structure for fish in this same tributary.

This work will be done in anticipation of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) bringing brook trout to Deep Brook in early October, in an attempt to restore the normal population levels of brook trout in this Wild Trout Management Area. The trout populations there declined severely following oil spills in 2003 and 2004.

Past volunteer days this summer resulted in greatly improved habitat for the fish, as well as the restoration of connectivity between the Pootatuck and Deep Brook, necessary for the annual spawning migration of the brook trout. After touring the projects completed this summer, CT DEEP was so pleased with the results that they offered to bring in the new trout this fall.

This is the third such volunteer day this year sponsored by PWA, as a result of a grant for restoring the wild trout habitat in the Wild Trout Management Area, which includes stretches of the Pootatuck River and Deep Brook.

For more information and to sign up, contact Michael Fatse at 203-650-1359 or tfm2013@aol.com.