Events & News
Events Calendar
News
Relicensing Fife Brook Dam
On November 26, 2025 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ordered the relicensing of Fife Brook Dam and Bear Swamp Pumped Storage to Bear Swamp Power Company (BSPC) owned by Brookfield Renewable and Emera. Click here to download a pdf of the order. An agreement, which representatives of DRWTU helped to negotiate during the final…
Keep readingAdvancements in Science & Technology: Trout Habitat
Tim Paul, from the US National Forest Service Northern Research Station in Wisconsin spoke with the DRWTU chapter members in May of 2025 and his topic was Advancements in Science and Technology Lead to Better Tools to Manage Trout Habitat. Tim shares how breakthroughs in technology and science have impacted field research techniques and tools…
Keep readingJoe Goodspeed’s Spill Point Approach to Big Wild Trout
At our October chapter meeting, Joe Goodspeed from Diamondback Rods (generous donor to DRWTU) shared his approach to finding and approaching big wild trout.
Keep readingVideo – Dan Shears, Abenaki Historian on the Deerfield River
On September 18 at the Zoar Outdoors pavilion in Charlemont MA, Dan Shears, historian for the Abenaki tribe talked to members of DRWTU about the relationship of native Americans to the Deerfield and the Connecticut Rivers. Watch the video for Dan’s eloquent and fascinating perspective on his people and rivers and waterways of the region.
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Video – Flow Photo Explorer with Jenn Fair
Watch the video to learn about an exciting new paradigm for sampling and analyzing dynamic data from the natural world. Jenn Fair hydrologist from USGS addressed our members at our March chapter meeting to explain the model and how it is evolving to meet the needs of researchers in many fields. The Flow Photo Explorer…
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Video – February 2025 – Three Chapter Meeting
Watch the YouTube video below for February’s combined three chapter meeting. The Deerfield River Watershed, Southern Vermont, and the Connecticut River Valley chapters all shared updates on their activities and accomplishments impacting local cold-water fisheries. The CRV chapter invited Erin Rodgers to present on Dam Removal in Southern Vermont, VT Fish & Wildlife Fisheries Biologist…
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The Flow of Water, Money & Politics in Pump Storage Hydro
Watch the YouTube video below for “The Flow of Water, Money & Politics in Pump Storage Hydro” with Eve Vogel from UMASS Amherst Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences Department. Learn more about the complexities of pumped storage and how it fits into the clean energy puzzle. Is it necessary? Is it green? Is it clean?…
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Update on Climate Change w/ Art DeGaetano
At the DRWTU chapter meeting on November 21, 2024, Art DaeGaetano PhD, Director of the NOAA Northeast Regional Climate Center, presented an update on Massachusetts’s Changing Climate. Watch the video recording from his presentation over Zoom (on YouTube) here.
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The Deerfield in a Nutshell
Watch the YouTube video below for “The Deerfield in a Nutshell” with Jonathan Bunker, owner and head guide of Square-Tail Anglers, where he presents his insights at the DRWTU January 2024 Chapter Meeting on fly fishing for trout in the Deerfield River.
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Wild Trout on the Deerfield
Wild Trout on the Deerfield at the DRWTU October 2022 Chapter Meeting by Adam Kautza Watch the YouTube video below to find out more about the fascinating results from three years of studying wild brown trout on the Deerfield.
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A Step Toward a Premier Wild Trout Fishery
Tireless, science-based effort by TU volunteers leads to an agreement for higher flows during spawning season Carefully picking his way up the Deerfield River, the angler suddenly stopped at a trout redd. The sight of the trout spawning nest in this river, which supposedly did not harbor wild, reproducing trout, wasn’t entirely surprising. Eric Halloran…
Keep readingOctober 2022 Chapter Meeting with Adam Kautza
Wild Trout in the Deerfield River at the DRWTU October 2022 Chapter Meeting by Adam Kautza Greetings DRWTU Members and Friends, This serves to remind everyone of the meeting tomorrow at the Crazy Horse Bar and Grill at Berkshire East. This is our first indoor face-to-face meeting since early 2020, but you can also attend via…
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Fly of the Month – October Caddis
Trout’s last big meal before Winter – A closer look at the October Caddis When the first leaves fall off the deciduous trees at the beginning of fall, fly anglers should begin preparing for the arrival of the giant tent winged caddisfly. For it will become a major player on the trout’s food menu from…
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April 2022 Chapter Meeting
Magnificence, Mysteries, and Death: Geostories from Western Mass at the DRWTU April 2022 Chapter Meeting by Professor Richard Little An exploration of the unique geology of Western Massachusetts with Professor Richard Little of Greenfield Community College. This presentation was part of the April 2022 meeting of the Deerfield River Watershed Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Professor…
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May 2022 Chapter Meeting
Brook Trout Resilience at the DRWTU May 2022 Chapter Meeting by USGS Matthew O’Donnell Matthew O’Donnell, ecologist from the USGS Silvio O. Conte Research Lab in Turners Falls MA, reported on his laboratory and field research on survival of Brook Trout in warming streams. This is all very exciting and cutting edge in the field.…
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March 2022 Chapter Meeting
Greg Hoover – Fly Fishing Entomology: Conversations Overheard Greg Hoover, a longstanding fly fishing entomologist from Penn State, spoke to the Deerfield River Watershed Chapter via Zoom on March 17, 2022. He provided insights into the tiny (and not so tiny) details that can make a big difference in the success of a day on…
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January 2022 Chapter Meeting
A NEW BEGINNING: Our Fight for Wild Trout and River Ecology on the Deerfield Chris Myhrum is a lawyer practicing in Springfield, MA. He is a member of the Pioneer Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited. He specializes in Environmental and Land Use compliance and litigation. He became involved in the Bear Swamp Power Company Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license…
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December 2021 Chapter Meeting
Andy Danylchuk is Associate Professor of Fish Conservation, University of Massachusetts. His research spans both marine and freshwater systems around the globe. He is an award winning educator and public spokesperson for fish conservation. He was a cofounder of Keep Fish Wet, an organization that promotes science-based best practices for catch and release. Dr. Danylchuk…
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Update: Barnhardt Manufacturing Co. in Colrain to pay $1.5M for 2019 acid spill
LINK from Greenfield Recorder: COLRAIN — The cotton bleaching company allegedly responsible for the deaths of more than 270,000 fish, including rare species, after an acid spill at its Colrain facility in 2019 has agreed to pay nearly $1.5 million in settlements. Barnhardt Manufacturing Co., based in North Carolina, allegedly spilled dozens of gallons of…
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November 2021 Chapter Meeting
At the DRWTU Chapter Meeting held over Zoom on November 18, 2021, Randy Prostak, Weed Specialist at UMASS Extension, was the featured presenter. Randy provided an overview of the Invasive Plants in the Deerfield River Watershed in Western Massachusetts and talked about how Deerfield River Watershed Chapter of TU might be able to support intervention.…
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Chapter Meeting – March 2021
Joellen Lampman will present ‘Don’t Get Ticked on the Stream’ at March 18 DRWTU Meeting. Avoiding Lyme and other tick-borne diseases requires avoiding a tick bite! Join the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program’s Joellen Lampman as she talks about the different ticks in our area and their biology, the diseases they carry, and…
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Chapter Meeting – June 16th 2021
Our next Chapter meeting will be held Thursday June 17, 2021 at 6:30 PM over Zoom. We’ll have updates on the Brown Trout Telemetry Study and the Rice Brook Project. After a brief business meeting Tim Flagler will present “What Trout Like to Eat and Flies to Feed Them”. This presentation will include amazing underwater…
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Benches Installed at Bridge of Flowers
On Friday the 25th of June, 2021, we unveiled the three Trout Unlimited benches at the Buckland-Side entrance to the Bridge of Flowers. The cut and polished Ashfield Stone for the benches was donated by Johanna Anderson in honor of her father, Ken Anderson, who was an avid fly fisher and served as president of…
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