Paddlers sought for water chestnut removal effort

MIDDLETOWN — Volunteers are being recruited for an effort this weekend removing emerging water chestnut plants from a city waterway.

On Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon, canoe and kayak paddlers will return to the Floating Meadows to remove water chestnut plants.

This invasive species endangers local freshwater marshland, according to a press release from the Jonah Center for Earth & Art. Canoes are especially helpful for carrying the plants back to shore. The outing will start and finish at the Phil Salafia Canoe and Kayak launch at 181 Johnson St., which is adjacent to the city’s transfer and recycling center.

Removing the invasive water chestnut can be a satisfying and fun activity, according to John Hall, executive director of the Jonah Center. In addition to saving the waterway, viewing wildlife, and enjoying the freshwater marshland, it’s a great way to enjoy the comraderie of other paddlers.

“This may be the last scheduled water chestnut pull for the season, so please make an effort to join us. Paddlers are also encouraged to organize their own work parties and to remove plants while out on recreational paddles,” Hall said in a prepared statement.

The Jonah Center is grateful to its partner, the Connecticut River Conservancy, for staffing this event, providing gloves and bags, and covering it with their insurance policy, Hall said. All participants will need to sign CRC’s liability waivers and paddle at their own risk. Life jackets are required.

“We also thank Middletown’s Public Works Department and Director William Russo for upgrading the boat launch this year, adding a portable restroom and a significant quantity of finely crushed stone to the driveway and the path down to the water,” Hall added. “This makes the area safer and more comfortable for walking in sandals and water shoes. Public works crews also dispose of the many bags of plants that we deposit in the parking area,” he said.

For information, call Hall at 860-398-3771 and visit thejonahcenter.org.

File photo A biology intern with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge paddles down the Sudbury River with a canoe full of water chestnut.