2024 Plans
C4R will continue our sampling program at an expanded level, maintain our Blue Trails and sponsor a number of paddling & river events. We welcome volunteers to help with Blue trail care. What do these rivers mean to you?
See our events page for schedule. We also welcome people who would want to help our team grow our mission! Contact us!
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2023 in Review
C4R Concludes another successful bacteria sampling season! Check out our Monitoring report page! Thanks to Country Bank, LWPA, QQLA, and many local towns for the support of this program!
C4R kept water chestnut a bay at the Oxford Marsh & Red Bridge!
We paddled our river, including the NEW Ware River Blue Trails.
We are planning a new trail on the lower Quaboag River too!
We are looking at broader water quality monitoring in 2024.
Look for 2024 plans in mid winter! If you want to help, contact us.
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September 16 – Chicopee River Blue Trail Paddle! Due to the Red Bridge canoe access closure, this event postponed. We had tried to find options, but no luck.
Upper Ware River Blue Trail Paddle -August 19 – 9 AM – We had a great morning on the river, flow was nice, the river beautiful!
July 22 – Upper Quaboag Paddle: Rt 148 state launch/Brookfield to 67/9 West Brookfield – Great day on the River!
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LOWER WARE RIVER BLUE TRAIL – Inaugural Paddle Saturday May 27.
A great day on the water – on this NEW BLUE Trail! Thanks to all who came out, it was a fun run… the 200+ cfs flow rate was just right.
——— See map on blue Trail page!
Reading Stream Flow on-line: https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&r=ma Click on a dot to see flow data at that site. The dot near the east corner of Hamden/Hampshire counties is the Ware River at Gibbs Crossing. The other dots nearby are the Swift and Quaboag sites. Click on “hydrograph ” tab to see graph, click again on graph to see detail. The thin dotted line is the mean flow.
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Bacteria Sampling Begins June 8! We need volunteers in Ware and Belchertown/Swift, Thursdays, 730-8 AM. Interested? Contact: chicopeewatershed@gmail.com
See Events Calendar page (updated May 28)
Many joined C4R on Thursday April 20 @ 7 PM at the Palmer Historical Cultural Center to learn about our 2023 plans. We have posted our events and monitoring plans, check them out!
C4R Needs you!
In 2023 a major goal will be to strengthen our core team, our resources, and outreach. From there we can connect more people to these great local rivers. Do you love these rivers? Do you have skills that can help a small team of dedicated people better communicate and engage local residents? Environmental protection skills? Organizational Skills? If so and you Care 4 Rivers – contact us! Keith Davies – chicopeewatershed@gmail.com
On the 4Rivers in 2023 – the place to be!
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C4R 2022 mission accomplished!!
Late Fall 2022: C4R Has completed another successful season on the rivers in water quality monitoring and invasive aquatic plant control, river clean ups, and finished up the Ware River Blue Trail. We will be reporting details soon, see initial links on those pages.
C4R will be looking for an even more productive 2023 season and will spend the winter reaching out to strengthen our leadership team, programs, fundraising, and volunteer teams. We hope to have a few “Trail Opening” events too! Contact us if you wish to be a part of this.
June – River Sampling begins!
Bacteria sampling began June 9 with results to be posted y the afternoon of the 10th. See https://connecticutriver.us/it-clean for results. C4R continues to provide this important information to help people enjoy recreation on their local rivers
C4R leads the charge on invasive plant management!
On June 5 C4R volunteers with AMC conservation group began the 2022 efforts to manage invasive water chestnut (WC). A great job was done! more pulls to come, see events.
C4R in Action …..
River Access Improvements! Ware River Blue Trail advances…
C4R’s WRBT project advances: site work to improve and create access locations is off and running! The Gilbertville site added a delineated landing site and an improved path is coming soon. At Upper Church St, we opened a path to the river on town land to ensure future access. If you want to help on future work, please let us know! See events too.
2022 PLANS C4R has outlined an active year to reboot-reengage people across the 4 rivers. We hope to strengthen our leadership team, monitor, build/maintain blue trails, and have fun! You are invited to support C4R and join in! Sign up for our contacts roster.
Program Events are now posted on our events page, take a look!
Lower Ware River Blue Trail DRAFT MAP Link
Take a look at this draft, then give us some feedback! chicopeewatershed@gmail.com
An upper trail map updated draft will be out soon too!
We will be holding a number of volunteer work parties to help finish access points of the WRBT this spring/summer.
Thank you!
Our 2021 year end fundraiser was the best we ever have achieved! It will help us begin plans for some new projects.
2021 in review:
- sampled 15 sites as part of our ongoing bacteria sampling program to inform recreation, posted all results (report below)
- conducted a study of main stem Chicopee River and tributaries, 8 sites (report pending)
- Bacteria REPORT
- successfully removed and managed invasive water chestnut at 2 sites on the main stem river
- over 2 dozen active volunteers in all programs
- continued development of Ware River Blue Trail
- held a handful of fun paddles
River Chatter 2021 …
Support your Local Rivers
The past 18+ months have done a lot to disconnect us and derail much of our lives. For Chicopee 4 Rivers (C4R), these times have made it more challenging to connect communities to their local rivers. Now as we turn a corner, it’s time to reboot our efforts and make 2022 a year to reconnect with your rivers and watershed!
You can be a BIG part of that.
End of year contribution
C4R is reaching out now to ask for an end of year donation to help us establish a base of resources to help plan the full scope of 2022. Funds help make BIG things happen!
So please contribute by December 31st to help C4R enter 2022 ready to plan and make BIG things happen. DONATE
Sampling Season Concludes
Thanks to both financial support and volunteer samplers, C4R carried out another successful sampling season. We also added a lower Chicopee River study. Summary results can be viewed here: C4R-2021-Bacteria-Summary … A full report will be issued later this fall.
Ware River Blue Trail project moving forward!
Review the draft trail map!!
Take a look at the draft map and give us feedback. Please respond by November 11th. Thanks!
DRAFT MAP: WRBT-upper-8-10-21-02
EMAIL us chicopeewatershed@gmail.com
July Rivers flows at historic levels!
Mid July flows after the heavy rains brought river flows to some of their highest recorded July levels.
Is it clean? C4R sampling off and running!!
Paddle season begins!! See Events… 
C4R begins invasive Water Chestnut management
C4R teams have begun to assess the 2021 season and field work needs at both Oxford Marsh and Red Bridge on the Chicopee River. Volunteers will be helpful at events to remove this problematic invasive species. See events for dates.
Special Event-Thanks PHCC!
A good crowd joined C4R and the PHCC, Palmer Historic Cultural Center, on THURSDAY MAY 6 for a Zoom presentation on Knowing our Local Watershed and what C4R does for our rivers.
If possible, we hope to post a link to the video.
2021 Spring Events
See our events page for our spring event line up. We will add more details as certain events get closer. We have a mix of service and fun, so please join us!
Support C4R
As we head into 2021, C4R is looking to further our work in connecting local people to their local rivers in a spirit stewardship. We hope to expand our Blue Trail system, strengthen our water quality monitoring, advance river restoration and invasive control, and have good clean fun on these rivers!
In 2021, we hope things open up so that we can reach out, visit towns, engage more people. We plan to distribute trail maps, hold community paddles, introduce more people to our 4 Rivers. We want to make more connections in Chicopee and Springfield, Ludlow, Wilbraham. Our Ware River Blue Trail project will engage folks from those communities. It’s a tall order, but you can help…
To make this happen, your financial support is needed. Dedicated action needs dedicated resources. Your donations make a BIG difference! Go to our updated Join page and make a contribution today!
Thank you. C4R = Care 4 Rivers…
Fall 2020
C4R just completed another successful river sampling season. After a late start due to Covid, we sampled at 16 sites thanks to generous donors and dedicated volunteer samplers! Thank you! See results at: https://connecticutriver.us (our sites run below the Quabbin, E Brookfield to Springfield)
2020 sampling summary table. C4R 2020 WQ Bacteria Sampling Results
S2S Clean Up: for 2020, it is a month long (Sept) on your own clean up at river sites. In C4R territory, we encourage volunteers to pick up trash at our sampling sites (Blue Trail access sites) and other places along our 4 rivers. Send us a note of what you find, pictures. Sites: Indian Orchard, Putts, Collins, Red bridge, First St, Gilbertville, Old Furnace, 67-9, Quaboag Pond, Stevens Rd, & more…
Water Chestnut work: C4R teams helped collect invasive water chestnut at the Oxford Marsh and Red Bridge areas. This helps preserve native waters from harmful invasive plant growth which can harm fish and native plant life.
Ware River Blue Trail: C4R made some progress on planning for the 2 section Ware River trail. Draft Maps are in development, partners are planning access improvements, the pandemic has slowed us down, but we have continued. 2021 will be a busy year for this project – stay tuned!
Support: C4R continues to need financial support for all these projects, so join us, contribute.
https://c4rivers.org/membership-join-c4r/ Thank you.
July
C4R began its bacteria sampling season on July 2, look for results at Is it Clean? We will sample every two weeks and post results. Round 2 bacteria sampling was taken 7/16, to be posted afternoon of 7/17, take a look!
June-Rivers month
Our plan will be to highlight one of our rivers each week. Share with you any special features, history, conservation issues, and paddling options.
The Swift River
This river’s major feature is the Quabbin Reservoir, created during the 1930s. Below Rt 9, the river flows cool and smooth to Bondsville/Palmer and a pair old old mill dams. Below these, the Swift flows free till it meets the Ware River just above Three Rivers/Palmer. There is good fishing (trout) and paddling particularly above Bondsville.
The Ware River
The Ware River begins its trip to Three Rivers from a tributary whose high point is on the western slope of Mt Wachusett. It flows in a southwesterly direction for nearly 40 miles where it is first met by the Swift River, then the Quaboag River to form the Chicopee River in the Palmer village of Three Rivers. Starting at nearly 1700 feet above sea level, it meets the other rivers at about 290 feet. Its average annual flow rate is about 285 cfs or 2090 gpm (about 2.8 million gallons per day). Colonists named the river for early fish weirs used by Native Americans. (The Town of Ware – Menemesseck – “at the great fish-weir” bears the river’s name) The Nipmucs, called the River Menimesit, “at the place where fish abound”. By the 19th century, once industrialization came, many of the settlements along the river grew. Barre, Wheelright, Gilbertville, Ware, and Thorndike all became major mill towns with various water powered industries. The health of the river has changed over time. Once pristine, it was fouled by the boom of industrialization. Fortunately, in recent times, the Clean Water Act, CWA, has brought water quality protections to bear, which has noticeably improved the river’s health. There is more to do to improve the river, particularly non point source pollution, but it is today good for fishing and boating.
The Chicopee River
Flowing from tributaries (Ware, Swift, Quaboag) that meet in the Three Rivers section of 
Palmer, the Chicopee River flows some 17 miles and drops some 250 feet till it meets the Connecticut River in the City of Chicopee. The river delivers an average flow of 909 cfs to the larger river. The Chicopee is the Connecticut’s largest tributary. Named from an Algonquian/Nipmuc term meaning “place of violent waters”, likely referring to the many waterfalls in the lower river, the Chicopee River was a lifeline for the many local native Americans. Later, these many waterfalls would be replaced by some 7 dams along the river’s length and power the area’s local industrial growth. People then moved away from the river as its water quality suffered, but in the past 35 years, environmental protections have gradually improved the river and offered people the opportunity to return and enjoy its beauty.
The Chicopee River Blue Trail is a great way to explore this hidden treasure. See the trail map under our Blue Trail page
Check this out… https://paddling.com/learn/practice-social-distancing-go-paddling/
The Quaboag River
Though relatively short at roughly 25-miles in length, the main stem Quaboag River is
one of the most interesting and important waterways in Massachusetts. Originating from tributaries that flow from Paxton and Oakham that meet at Quaboag Pond, the Quaboag flows west, slowly at first as it winds its way through the plains of Brookfield, but quickly gains current and turbulence as it passes through the Quaboag Narrows in West Warren on its way to form the Chicopee River at its merge with the Ware and Swift Rivers (in Three Rivers). The height of its watershed’s elevation is nearly 1200 ft, its low point about 290 ft. It averages about 250 cfs flow.
Named from an Algonquian term meaning “beyond the pond”, likely referring to Quaboag Pond, the Quaboag River was a central focus for the Quaboag Indians; one of the three local tribes of Central Massachusetts. . In 1660 the Quaboag Plantation was settled by a small group of Essex County families. The 18th and 19th Centuries in the Quaboag Valley witnessed the apex of pre-mechanized farming, while the Quaboag River itself fueled the local peak of the Industrial Revolution through the mid-20th Century as dams and mills grew to define the towns Warren and Palmer. While all of these human occupancies and uses have come and gone, it is the River that has remained constant. Today the Quaboag River flows relatively quiet again, and the majority of human interaction with the River involves canoes and kayaks.
The Quaboag has wonderful recreational opportunities, see the C4R Blue Trail guide map under our Blue Trail page. Paddling, bird watching, fishing and more can be enjoyed at many locations along the river.
Check this out… https://paddling.com/learn/practice-social-distancing-go-paddling/
WRBT plans – C4R has also begun to prepare a new Blue Trail – on the Ware River! We hope to have things well laid out this year for final completion in 2021. If you wish to help, let us know. Thanks.
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May – Care 4Rivers Challenge!
Since we cannot yet gather, what’s the next best thing? Solo service or Safe Space river stewardship. What’s this? C4R has a number of river access locations along our first Blue Trails, they might need a spring cleaning. So if and when (in May) you can, bring a trash bag, stop by a site, BE SAFE, and pick up any trash you see, throw it in your trash at home. If there is a serious piece of debris, let us know and we will see what we can do about it. Whatever little we can do individually, helps a bunch! Share any photos with us!! contact us.
Sites: Indian Orchard/Water St, Putts Bridge/River Rd, Collins Portage, Red Bridge lower, Stevens Rd/E Brookfield, Quaboag Pond launch, Rt 67/9 rest area, Lucy Stone Park. Where else?
C4R Events Schedule
we are tracking present conditions and will plan accordingly…
Details Coming Soon!
Clean ups (see May C4R challenge),
Paddles ( June? or July), New Trail-WRBT!
We are also planning our 2020 Bacteria sampling program to begin in July (due to present conditions).
Bacteria Report 2019
C4R continued to monitor the health and quality of our local rivers, see the link below for results on the 2019 season. We will be gearing up for 2020, seeking renewed funding, new funding, and volunteers!
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Rivers enliven us!
Help C4R make 2020 another banner year!
Join us, support us, we need you to help make things happen in Caring 4 Rivers!
SUCCESS!
2019 was another productive year for C4R.
Here’s what we got done:
–Finished our first trail grant.
–Completed Quaboag & Chicopee River Blue Trails
–Sampled 15 river sites for bacteria
–Received an award for a Ware River Blue Trail grant
–Helped on invasive water chestnut removal @ Oxford Marsh
Thanks for those who helped on these.
- In 2020, we will :
–-hold opening day paddles on our first two trails
–begin work on the Ware River trail
–continue sampling
–continued invasive plant projects
–and hopefully expand our efforts
But doing more needs more resources.
Consider a financial gift to C4R!
Donate via: https://c4rivers.org/membership-join-c4r/
online or mail in a check!
We can do great things together!
thanks, see you on a river in 2020!
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Chicopee River Blue Trail ready! We’ll plan a big opening day in 2020!
Signage and portage elements are in place, maps are back from printers! chicopeewatershed@gmail.com
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See C4R sampling results: https://connecticutriver.us
C4R sites are to the right of Quabbin Reservoir.
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C4R Summer of 2019
Poems, Prose, Pictures
As we get out on and around our local rivers, write your poems & prose, take pictures of your favorite river places. Submissions extended thru end of 2019…
Share your rivers!
Details – C4R 2019 P-P-P Contest
C4R Receives RTP/DCR Trails Grant to establish Ware River Blue Trail!
C4R was granted funds to construct access points and create a Blue Trail map for a Ware River Blue Trail, in 2 sections, starting in Hardwick and running through Ware to Palmer. The Project will be in partnership with each of the noted communities. Stay tuned!
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C4R shares this special Event with AMC
Paddle with a Purpose! Harvesting Invasive Water Chestnut at the Oxford Marsh of the Chicopee River
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Easy paddle on flatwater to pull invasive water chestnut, a plant that impairs wildlife habitat and could easily take over our waters, making boating, swimming and fishing nearly impossible. Great strides have already been made at keeping this plant in check. Fun paddle afterwards – Join in!
contact: Cynthia Boettner – cynthia.boettner1@gmail.com
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June 22 SATURDAY: Solstice evening paddle-GREAT FUN!
Summer Fun!
A great evening out on the Ware River…..
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**Review Draft Chicopee River Blue Trail Maps – Blue Trails offer comments…. comment by June 11.
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Kingfisher Newsletter – V2 #1 Preview
our spring newsletter can be seen here: Kingfisher-2019-V2#1-Final
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River Action-Events for 2019
C4R is laying out plans for 2019, want to join the team? We welcome committed folks to join our steering team. Interested in Blue Trails? Water Quality monitoring? Clean ups or paddles? Send us a note: chicopeewatershed@gmail.com OR support us by becoming a member: Join C4R. An initial slate of events and activities is noted below:
- April 11, THU – C4R night at the Iron Duke — Thanks to all who came by!
- April 20th Chicopee River Blue Trail clean up, 9-12 AM-POSTPONED
- April 27th Three Rivers-river clean up, 9-12 AM. Thanks to all!
- May 4, 3R TRACK Arts Fest, come visit C4R 11-3.
- May 4, W Brookfield, 67/9 QRBT access clean up, 9-12 (part of town wide event)
- May 11 C4R paddling event-QRBT-see events
- June – Bacteria sampling begins 6/13
- Oxford Marsh-Chicopee River Water chestnut pull
- Solstice paddle June 22
- July 7 Chicopee Water Chestnut Pull & Paddle
Details on these: See Events.
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C4R night at Iron Duke, Thursday April 11
C4R presented our plans for the Chicopee River Blue Trail – a paddling trail ON the river, shared a draft trail map, upcoming event information, and more! Folks discovered how they can connect with our local rivers. All enjoyed a local brew along our local river.
100 State St #122 Ludlow, behind the Ludlow Mills, near the river walk.
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Fresh off the presses!!!
C4RWC 2018 Bac-T report.
Thanks to support from QQLA, LWPA, Towns of Warren, Palmer, Wilbraham, Ware, City of Springfield, and Country Bank.
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4Rivers Strong!
2018 was another productive year for the 4 Rivers group, we continued to advance our goals of reconnecting local folk to their local rivers. This has happened because more local folk have begun to work with C4R. It’s been a slow process, but it has begun to spread. We hope though, to engage more people to Care 4 Rivers. Join us!
In 2018 we:
Monitored river health at 11 recreational sites (bacteria)
We brought 2 Blue Trails to near completion
Over 40 volunteers got involved! Thanks.
C4R hosted paddling events and clean ups
We were out in communities for informational events
Began membership Drive
In 2019 we intend to:
Complete and inaugurate the Quaboag & Chicopee Blue Trails
Hold opening Day events for each trail
Expand our monitoring, education programs
Paddles on each river, Clean ups
Grow membership, donations
Begin trail plans for Ware & Swift Rivers
…..
All this can continue if more people get involved and/or support our efforts. Please consider a donation to C4R to help us make 2019 productive and strong. Go to: https://c4rivers.org/membership-join-c4r/
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C4R annual meeting November 4: a success.
Fine turnout @ Palmer Historical Cultural Center in Three Rivers/Palmer.
Theme: Many hands, together, make a difference!
C4R shared updates on Blue Trails, water quality monitoring, recognized our volunteers, presented future plans, and more. 2018 was another productive year, but there is more to do! Join C4R and BE 1 of a 1000!
Think BLUE – Massachusetts. 
The next step in protecting the health of our local rivers…
Quaboag Blue Trail closer to completion!
Road signage installed: Brookfield to Warren! Trail Maps ready too! Trail map on our Blue Trails page.
C4R – connecting you to your local rivers…
…
Draft Chicopee Blue Trail Map ready for review comments!
Take a look, let us know… Thanks. Link: Chicopee-10-31-18
2019 Trail opening.
C4R has completed our 2018 Monitoring season. We sampled for bacteria along our Blue Trails. Results are posted on line @ www.connecticutriver.us
Full report later this Fall. C4RWC 2018 Bac-T data sum
Join C4R, Be a member!
C4R continues our 2018 member/supporter drive. Our goal is to welcome 100+ members! See the charter member perks!
Seeking better river access? Want clean healthy rivers? Join C4R.
C4R has been busy improving river access and monitoring the health of our 4Rivers. Now we need people to step up and help us to continue to move forward and do even more good work. Be a part of Caring 4Rivers – C4R…
Join C4R !!!
With C4R’s RTP-DCR grant, we are moving forward to make both the Quaboag and Chicopee River Blue Trails a reality. We have begun fieldwork with more to come. If you want to help, let us know!
C4R held a number of OUTREACH sessions to engage local folks to help us prepare final efforts.
C4R has shared on a draft trail map and seeks input on refinements. We are implementing the trail infrastructure and continue to seek volunteers to helps us make all this happen. Please review draft maps and send in input ASAP, see our Blue Trail page for drafts. Send in feedback ASAP!
C4R = Care 4 Rivers
contact chicopeewatershed@gmail.com
ontinued river monitoring in key recreational areas (a few new).
C4R will open two Blue Trails, begin scoping out 2 more.
Want to monitor the health of your neighborhood stream? Contribute to citizen science? Adopt a Stream!
partnership with Opacum Land Trust was a great day. We had a wonderful turn out.We started from White’s Landing on Rt 148 in Brookfield and paddled up to Quaboag Pond and back. A beautiful stretch of river.
C4RWC in partnership with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, and the Connecticut River Watershed Council is conducting stormwater sampling this May and June.
We hope to sample at 10-12 sites, each 7 times over the summer, along our 4 Rivers. There are also transportation and supply costs to cover. A donation of $30 covers one sample analysis. $200 covers a pre-determined site for the season.
Chicopee 4Rivers Watershed 