Wind company to fund wetland restoration effort

NEW BOSTON — Iberdrola Renewables Inc. is paying for part of a forested wetland restoration project along the Deer River in the town of Montague.

Iberdrola is the owner of Maple Ridge Wind Farm and developer of the proposed Roaring Brook Wind Farm.

"We were made aware of the project and we consider the restoration project important to the area and recreation and tourism in the community so we wanted to be a part of it," Iberdrola spokeswoman Jan Johnson said.

The wind farm developer will pay for the labor to plant and install protection materials for 550 trees. The cost has not yet been determined. The trees, planted Tuesday and Wednesday, line the banks of Deer River at Sears Pond.

The Lewis County Soil and Water Conservation District is coordinating the project. The entire project includes stream restoration, a public parking lot, access trail and fishing area accessible for the handicapped.

Improvements will be along 4,000 feet of the river in between two bridges on Sears Pond Road.

"Above and below the bridges, it is considered a trout stream but this section isn't," said Nichelle L. Billhardt, district manager. "This will make it suitable once again as a trout stream."

The stream restoration includes installing j-hook structures to improve trout habitat. The stone structures help direct water toward the deeper part of the channel, protecting the river bank and creating slower-moving pools for the fish.

"We're going to put a couple in and see if they function the way we expect," Mrs. Billhardt said.

Part of the project will be supported by Habitat/Access Stamps, which can be purchased for $5 from licensed sales agents who sell fishing licenses for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Most of the project should be completed this year. The district is awaiting permits from DEC and the Army Corps of Engineers to install the j-hook structures.

The trees planted this week include a variety of water-tolerant species from DEC's tree farm. The ash, silver maple, river birch and others will shade the water, protecting fish from predators and cooling the water.

While the project is a show of good will for the community, Ms. Johnson said the project could help the proposed Roaring Brook Wind Farm with permitting. If wetland mitigation is needed for wetlands damaged or destroyed as part of Roaring Brook's construction, the grant for Deer River could be considered part of a mitigation plan.

Jenny L. Burke, business developer for Iberdrola, said in a release, "Around the country, we work with communities on a wide range of local interests, so to help with an environmental project that creates tourism value for an area is an exciting partnership that we hope to build on in the future."