Conservation Commission Agenda (linked)

1
www.caciwc.org
The Habitat
Spring 2025 
volume 37 number 1
conference, continued on page 3
T
he CACIWC Board of Directors again extends 
their appreciation to all our members and other 
attendees who were able to participate in our 
47th Annual Meeting and Environmental Confer-
ence. This conference, held on Saturday, November 
CACIWC Celebrates its 50th Anniversary at our Annual Meeting and 
Environmental Conference held on November 16, 2024
F
or approximately 
25 years inland 
wetland agencies 
have been receiving 
applications from other 
land use commissions if 
the land involved in-
cludes inland wetlands 
or watercourses. Gen-
eral Statutes § 8–26(e) 
provides in relevant 
part: “If an application 
involves land regulated 
as an inland wetland or 
watercourse under the 
Planning and Zoning “Due Consideration” Referral Issues
[Editor’s note: the following is a portion of Judge Marshall Berger’s keynote presentation speech given at the CACIWC 50th 
anniversary conference on November 16, 2024. Additional portions will be submitted in upcoming editions of The Habitat.]
provisions of chapter 440,1 the applicant shall submit 
an application to the agency responsible for adminis-
tration of the inland wetlands regulations no later than 
the day the application is filed for the subdivision or 
resubdivision. . . The commission shall not render a 
decision until the inland wetland agency has submit-
ted a report with its final decision to the commission. 
In making its decision the commission shall give due 
consideration to the report of the inland wetlands 
agency and if the commission establishes terms and 
conditions for approval that are not consistent with the 
final decision of the inland wetlands agency, the com-
mission shall state on the record the reason for such 
terms and conditions.” 
16, 2024, was our second conference hosted at the 
spacious, Bristol Event Center in Bristol, Connecti-
cut. The conference theme, “Celebrating the 50th 
Anniversary of CACIWC” not only acknowledged our 
five decades of efforts in the support of our member 
commissions but was also the focus of our keynote 
speaker presentations. 
For our special 50th anniversary conference we re-
cruited three keynote speakers, and were pleased to 
welcome retired Judge Marshall Berger, Jr., State 
Representative Mary Mushinsky, and Director of 
the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station 
(CAES), Jason White, PhD to our keynote panel 
session. All three helped us review the five decades of 
progress in environmental regulation, conservation, 
and habitat protection since CACIWC was first or-
ganized. Each presenter also provided their personal 
consideration, continued on page 11
Keynote speaker Jason White, PhD. Photo by Jeff Mills.
Keynote speaker Judge Marshall 
Berger. Photo by Jeff Mills. 
A publication of the Connecticut Association of Conservation
and Inland Wetlands Commissions, Inc. (CACIWC)

2
The Habitat   |  Spring 2025
CACIWC
Board of Directors
Officers
Alan Siniscalchi	
President
Peter Bassermann	
Vice President
Charles Dimmick 	
Treasurer 
Maureen Fitzgerald     Secretary
County Representatives
Alicia Mozian		
Fairfield County
Ann Beaudin*		
Hartford County
Jeremy Leifert		
Litchfield County
Marianne Corona	
Middlesex County
Maria Kayne	 	
New Haven County
Laura Magaraci	
New London County
Rodney Parlee		
Tolland County
Lindsay Beutler	
Windham County
*Now vacant (see p. 16)
Alternate County Representatives
Aleksandra Moch	
Fairfield County
Vacant		
	
Hartford County
Abby Conroy	 	
Litchfield County
Kathy Savona		
Middlesex County
J. David Rauch	
New Haven County
Gary Gregory	 	
New London County
Vacant		
	
Tolland County
Vacant		
	
Windham County
At-Large Representative(s) 
DEEP Liaisons
Kimberly Bradley
Kristen O’Neil
Darcy Winther	
The Habitat is the newsletter of the 
Connecticut Association of Conservation and 
Inland Wetlands Commissions (CACIWC). 
Materials from The Habitat may be reprinted 
with credit given. The content of The Habitat 
is solely the responsibility of CACIWC and is 
not influenced by sponsors or advertisers.
Correspondence to the editor, manuscripts, 
inquiries, etc. should be sent to Alan 
Siniscalchi at TheHabitat@caciwc.org. 
Interim Editor: Alan Siniscalchi
Associate Editor: Ann Letendre
www.caciwc.org
CACIWC News 
CACIWC news, continued on page 13
2 
14
15
15
16
CACIWC News
Remembering Tom ODell
CT State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) Updates
2024 Annual Conference Sponsors
Ann Beaudin Memorial and Save the Date
In This Issue
Page
A
s this Spring issue of The Habitat is being prepared 
for posting, the CACIWC Board of Directors 
is continuing to receive positive comments on 
our 2024 annual conference, the 47th Annual Meeting 
and Environmental Conference with its special theme 
of Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of CACIWC. We 
recognized that reviewing the five decades of CACIWC 
history would inspire memories of the many conferences and 
other programs that we provided through the years. Many of 
these memories reflected on the incredible efforts made by 
the thousands of dedicated volunteer commissioners and staff 
that have served our towns throughout the state. As we enter 
our next decade of service to our conservation and inland 
wetlands commission members, we pledge to continue to 
bring you the most current and relevant educational topics 
at both our annual conferences and in additional mid-year 
seminars that we are planning for our members. 
Unfortunately, the joyful reflection and excitement from 
both looking back and looking forward following our 50th 
anniversary celebration have been tempered by news from 
Washington of the continuing rollback of federal programs 
and regulations supporting conservation and environmental 
protection. We recognize that these unfortunate setbacks 
will result in a transfer of responsibility of conservation 
and environmental protection efforts to state agencies and 
local commissions. Efforts to continue to assess the course 
of climate change and strengthen climate impact resilience 
will even more likely to fall to state and local agencies. All 
these policy change impacts will be exasperated by staff 
and funding reductions at key federal agencies such as the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 
CACIWC also recognizes the critical need to continue 
supporting to our many member commissions as you increase 
your efforts to protect the critical habitats of your towns. We 
pledge to continue to serve you through the challenges of 
these coming years.

3
www.caciwc.org
insight within their fields of law, regulation, and 
science on how commissions can prepare for future 
efforts impacted by changes in climate, regulation 
and other challenges.
 
Dr. Jason White was the first keynote speaker of the 
panel to present following the welcome and annual busi-
ness meeting by CACIWC President Alan Siniscalchi. 
Dr. White is the Director of the Connecticut Agricul-
tural Experiment Station (CAES), the oldest Agricul-
tural Experiment Station in the country. In addition 
to managing the agency budget of $12.5 million and 
approximately 100 scientific staff, Dr. White oversees 
a research program of $5.1 million in competitive 
funding/research. He also serves as the Managing 
Editor for the International Journal of Phytoremedia-
tion and sits on the editorial boards of Environmental 
Pollution and NanoImpact as well as the Editorial Ad-
visory Boards of Environmental Science & Technology 
and Environmental Science & Technology Letters. Dr. 
White is the Immediate Past President of the Interna-
tional Phytotechnology Society. His primary research 
program focuses food safety and security, with specific 
interests on the impact of nanomaterials on agricultur-
al plants and on the use of nanotechnology to sus-
tainably increase food production and promote global 
food security. 
Dr. White received his PhD in Environmental Toxicol-
ogy from Cornell University in 1997 and has second-
ary appointments at the Harvard University TH Chan 
School of Public Health, the University of Texas-El 
Paso, the University of Massachusetts, and Post Uni-
versity. He has published approximately 240 scientific 
papers that have been cited 11,991 times, as well as 
authoring eight book chapters. Jason lives in Prospect, 
Connecticut with his wife Michelle and six children.
  
Dr. White is preparing a summary of his presentation 
as an article, which will be found the next issue of 
The Habitat.
Our second keynote speaker Judge Marshall Berger 
graduated from the University of Vermont with a BA 
degree in 1969 and from George Washington Univer-
sity in 1972 with a JD with honors. He was appointed 
a Superior Court Judge in September 1988 and has 
served in a variety of capacities. Most notably Judge 
Berger created and served as the Presiding Judge for 
the Land Use Docket from 2012 to 2020. 
Prior to his elevation to the bench, he practiced en-
vironmental, land use, and municipal law. He served 
as Chief Counsel for the Department of Environ-
mental Protection's Office of General Counsel, Air 
Compliance Unit. 
Judge Berger taught land use law as an adjunct faculty 
member at the University of Connecticut School of 
Law from 1987 to 1994 and over the years has served 
on several judicial and governmental task forces. In 
2009, he received the President’s Award for Excel-
lence from the Hartford County Bar Association.
Judge Berger prepared a summary of the first portion 
of his presentation, which can be found starting on 
the lower half of the cover page of this issue. He also 
plans to prepare addition articles for The Habitat.
The third member of the keynote speaker panel was 
State Representative Mary Mushinsky 
conference, continued from page 1
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4
The Habitat   |  Spring 2025
conference, continued from page 3
Mary 
Mushinsky 
was first 
elected to 
the Con-
necticut 
House of 
Represen-
tatives in 
1980 on a 
platform 
of envi-
ronmental 
activism, consumer advocacy and improved energy 
policies. She currently holds the leadership position of 
Assistant Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore.
Mary has held various other leadership positions in-
cluding co-chair of the legislature's bipartisan Program 
Review and Investigations Committee, specializing in 
preparing workforce for a changing economy, retrain-
ing older and long-term unemployed workers, appren-
ticeships, and improving efficiency of state programs. 
The committee spotlighted and expanded the state’s 
most successful apprenticeship program, Platform to 
Employment. Mary previously served as co-chair of 
the legislature's Select Committee on Children for ten 
years and passed the state’s anti-bullying law. She is 
the recipient of numerous awards for adolescent preg-
nancy prevention and reduction of child poverty.
She also served for six years as co-chair of the legisla-
ture's Environment Committee. A biologist by training, 
Mary has been the chief proponent in the Connecticut 
legislature of major environmental legislation enacted 
during the 1980s and 1990s, including mandatory re-
cycling, packaging reduction, open-space preservation, 
global warming mitigation and endangered species 
protection laws.
Mary served as a member of the Commission on En-
hancing Agency Outcomes and the Results-Based 
Accountability Working Group to achieve greater 
efficiencies in taxpayer funded programs, as well as the 
Peak Oil Caucus to reduce the impact of high oil prices 
on residents and businesses. She currently serves on the 
Manufacturing Caucus and the Sportsmen’s Caucus.
In Wallingford, Mary initiated and serves as co-chair 
of the Quinnipiac River Linear Trail Advisory Com-
mittee, which works with local, state and federal 
officials and the community to expand the pedestrian/
bicycle trail. She also served on the Wallingford Ener-
gy Conservation Commission, which promoted the en-
ergy audit and energy management recommendations 
now implemented by the Town of Wallingford school 
system. Mary is a member and legislative liaison for 
the Coalition for a Better Wallingford, which seeks to 
reduce drug and alcohol abuse.
Representative Mushinsky, who lives in Wallingford 
with her husband Martin J. Waters and has two adult 
sons, Martin and Edward Waters, will prepare an arti-
cle for a future issue of The Habitat.
Workshops 
Following the presentations from our three keynote 
speakers, our 2024 annual conference proceeded to 
our twelve workshops, organized in four tracks de-
signed for both new and experienced conservation and 
inland wetlands commissions and their staff. These 
conference, continued to page 5
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Keynote speaker Representative Mary Mushinski*
*All photos on pages 1-13 by Jeff Mills

5
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conference, continued from page 4
four tracks included several key focus areas: A. Assess-
ing and preserving our varied habitats, their wildlife 
& other inhabitants; B. Application evaluation, en-
forcement, and inland wetlands regulation; C. In-
creased climate resiliency and other emerging threats; 
and D. Helping our commissions evaluate and respond 
to evolving threats and other issues.
Three workshops of interest to Connecticut commis-
sions were scheduled in Track A, entitled, Assessing 
& preserving our varied habitats, their wildlife & 
other inhabitants.
 
The first track A workshop, “Update on Invasive 
Aquatic Plants in CT including Hydrilla,” was 
presented by Gregory J. Bugbee, Associate Scientist & 
Head, Office of Aquatic Invasive Species, Department 
of Environmental Science and Forestry, The Connecti-
cut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES). He intro-
duced his workshop topic by reviewing the ecosystem 
and economic impacts of invasive aquatic plants, 
including crowding out native vegetation, harming 
fisheries, degrading recreation, impeding navigation, 
and reducing property values. He reviewed CAES 
vegetation surveys and illustrated findings of invasive 
aquatic plants starting in 2004 covering various spe-
cies including both Eurasian and Variable-leaf water-
milfoil, Curlyleaf pondweed, Water chestnut, and Fan-
wort. The highlight of his presentation concentrated on 
the unique strain of Hydrilla now occurs in the Con-
necticut River and other areas. He illustrated the visual 
difference between this unique CT River Hydrilla stain 
and Monoecious Hydrilla and reviewed demonstration 
projects involving dye tests and herbicide use under-
way by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). 
Greg also reviewed the various approaches to the man-
agement and mitigation of all invasive aquatic plants 
emphasizing the value of surveillance and prevention 
efforts that local commissions and staff can assist with. 
The second track A workshop, “Sharing the Land-
scape with Amphibians and Reptiles” was presented 
by Hank Gruner, Herpetologist, Member of the An-
dover Conservation Commission using an informa-
tive PowerPoint prepared by him and Dennis Quinn, 
Owner of Quinn Ecological, LLC. The presentation 
started with an explanation of the unique challenges in 
the conservation and management of Connecticut’s 46 
species of native amphibians and reptile including the 
complexity of the life history, the strong influence of 
the physical and chemical factors in their environment, 
and the fact that a high percentage are already at the 
periphery of their environmental range. Much of the 
presentation focused the importance of stewardship in 
ensuring the long-term stability of many of our am-
phibian and reptile populations. Hank presented many 
useful examples of effective stewardship in action, 
helping to manage changing environmental conditions 
and support amphibian and reptile conservation.



	

	
	
	

	
	









 
 
  	

 	
 	
	 	 	
  


	
 
  	
 	
	
  


	  	 	
   
	  	
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conference, continued to page 6
Workshop A2 speaker Hank Gruner

6
The Habitat   |  Spring 2025
The third track A workshop, “Connecticut’s Second 
Bird Atlas” was presented by Min T. Huang, PhD, 
Migratory Bird Program Leader, State of Connecticut 
Department of Energy and Environmental Protec-
tion (DEEP). In his presentation, Dr. Huang, detailed 
the significant milestone of completing the second 
Connecticut Bird Atlas, outlining details of the many 
volunteers who provided data from their observations 
in the 601 Atlas blocks covering the entire state. The 
presentation reviewed some of the initial findings of 
various components of the atlas data including breed-
ing surveys, point counts, and winter surveys. He 
pointed out how this survey documented many chang-
es in the distribution and occurrence of species were 
documented since the initial 1982-86 Atlas, with some 
species extirpated and some new species now breeding 
in Connecticut. In the areas acknowledgment to the 
work of our member commissions, the survey found 
that wetlands associated species seem to be doing rela-
tively better compared to other groups.
 
The presentation reviewed detailed findings useful to 
towns, land trusts, NGOs, and State and Federal Agen-
cies with the information on the status of our birds in 
order to direct land management actions to benefit de-
clining populations such as the 97% decrease in Ruffed 
Grouse breeding populations, and the 90% decrease 
of Eastern Meadowlark breeding populations.  The 
presentation closed by emphasizing the importance of 
securing funding to implement necessary conservation 
actions and other steps to support findings of the Atlas. 
Three workshops of interest to Connecticut commis-
sions were also scheduled in Track B, Application eval-
uation, enforcement, and inland wetlands regulation.
The first workshop entitled “All Things Vegetative 
Considered: Enforcement & Regulation,” was pre-
sented by Janet Brooks, Attorney at Law, LLC with, 
and Darcy Winther, State of Connecticut Department 
of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), as 
moderator. This workshop outlined many important 
approaches for both new and experiences commission-
ers, including: (1) how to regulate the removal of veg-
etation by permit, (2) how to add vegetation plantings 
to a permit, i.e. a vegetated buffer by specific permit 
condition or by adopting a regulation, (3) how to take 
enforcement for unpermitted removal of vegetation 
(cutting/clearing of brush and trees), and (4) how to 
regulate the ben-
eficial removal of 
invasive vegeta-
tion. 
Our second track 
B workshop, 
“2024 Wetlands 
Law & Regu-
lations Update 
with Question & 
Answer Ses-
sion,” presented 
by Mark Branse, 
Halloran & 
Sage, LLP, Janet 
Brooks, Attorney 
at Law, LLC, 
and moderated 
by Darcy Winther and Kristen O'Neil, Connecticut 
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 
(DEEP). One of our keynote speakers, retired Judge 
Marshall Berger was invited to participate in the 
informative and lengthy question and answer session 
which received a large number of questions from those 
in attendance.
The third B workshop, entitled “River Systems: Ri-
parian Corridors & Stormwater Management” was 
presented by Alicea Charamut, Executive Director, 
Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, Christopher R. Field, 
PhD, Director Office of Planning and Resilience, 
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 
conference, continued from page 5
conference, continued on page 7
Legal workshops speaker Attorney Janet Brooks
Legal speakers Atty. Greg Sharp, Judge Berger, Atty. Janet Brooks, Atty. 
Mark Branse

7
www.caciwc.org
Learn from experts about 
science & conservation, wildlife, 
recreation, history/art, and people 
making a difference. 
 
Subscribe Today! See link at:
 https://www.estuarymagazine.com/
subscribe/ 
 
Estuary magazine is a publication 
of the nonprofit Watershed Fund.
Join a Community of Advocates for the Connecticut River and its Watershed
(DEEP), & Bianca Beland, DEEP Land and Water Re-
sources Division. In the first portion of the workshop, 
Alicea Charamut reviewed the functions and value of 
riparian zones in protecting water quality and aquatic 
habitats, along with helping to mitigate the impact of 
storms. She compared buffers and upland review areas 
including differences in buffers and setbacks among 
New England states along with the role of local land 
use agencies in protection of these critical areas. The 
second portion of the workshop reviewed and illustrat-
ed how Connecticut state agencies are continuing their 
efforts to improve management of stormwater as our 
state experiences increasing numbers of extreme rain-
fall events driven by climate change and other factors. 
Dr. Field reviewed opportunities for towns to access 
federal climate resilience funding to keep communities 
safe from these events, while Bianca Beland provided 
an illustrated presentation on the historic impacts of 
the catastrophic flooding event observed in southwest-
ern Connecticut towns in August 2024.
Three workshops of interest to conservation commis-
sions were scheduled in Track C. Increased climate 
resiliency and other emerging threats.
The first track C workshop, “A Roadmap for Con-
necticut Climate Resilience,” was presented by John 
Truscinski, Director of Resilience Planning, Connecti-
cut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation 
(CIRCA). In his workshop, John Truscinski reviewed 
how the efforts of CIRCA in working with Con-
necticut Coastal communities on climate resilience 
strategies has led to the development of a roadmap 
for guiding Connecticut policy makers. He outlined 
the various steps needed to both understanding local 
conference, continued from page 6
conference, continued on page 8
Atty. Mark Branse and Judge Marshall Berger 

8
The Habitat   |  Spring 2025
climate vulnerabilities, and the 
actions towns can take to prepare, 
mitigate and adapt will require 
planning for future hazards, bud-
geting and coordination between 
municipal commissions, boards 
and authorities.
The second track C workshop, 
“Climate Change Impact on 
Rural and Urban Areas,”
Was presented by Louanne Cool-
ey & Kayla Vargas from the Con-
necticut Institute of Resilience 
and Climate Adaptation (UConn 
CIRCA), along with Bill Glea-
son, West Hartford Tree Action 
Group (TAG). The speakers 
presented information showing 
the many ways that climate 
change is continuing to impact 
Connecticut and emphasize how 
rural and urban areas face both 
similar and distinctly different 
challenges. Louanne and Kayla 
reviewed how heat and flooding 
can be addressed using various 
existing tools municipalities 
have and may need in the fu-
ture. They focused on the roles 
of all local authority including 
Zoning, Inland Wetlands Agency 
and Conservation Commissions. 
Bill Gleason outlined the unique 
approached that West Hartford 
uses with a combination of the 
town Tree Action Group, citizen 
volunteer action, and unique 
educational outreach programs 
to increase awareness of these 
critical issues, while improving 
environmental resilience, diver-
sity, and conservation.  
A third track C workshop, 
“Light Pollution: Its Impact 
on Wildlife & Climate Change,” benefited from the 
perspective of three speakers: Leo Smith, Chair of 
the Connecticut Chapter, Dark-
Sky International; Craig Repasz, 
Chair & Co-Founder, Lights Out 
Connecticut; and Margery C. B 
Winters, the Chair of the Sims-
bury Conservation Commission/
Inland Wetlands and Watercours-
es Agency, President, Simsbury 
Land Trust, and Assistant Direc-
tor, Roaring Brook Nature Cen-
ter. All three speakers gave their 
perspective on how light pollution 
adversely affects the health and 
quality of life of plants, animals 
and people. They focused on 
efforts to provide outdoor light 
when and where it's needed, 
while minimizing harm from 
light pollution to the highest de-
gree reasonably possible. A por-
tion of the workshop outlined 
the value of the Model Outdoor 
Lighting Regulations developed 
for Connecticut, designed to 
guide municipalities in reduc-
ing light pollution through their 
zoning amendment process. Fi-
nally, several Federal Highway 
Administration (FHWA)-ap-
proved streetlight technologies, 
were presented such as adaptive 
lighting, that reduce lighting 
levels from 11 PM until 5 AM.
Three workshops of interest to 
conservation commissions were 
scheduled in Track D. Helping 
our commissions evaluate and 
respond to evolving threats and 
other issues.
The first track D workshop 
entitled, “Conducting Natural 
Resource Inventories,” was 
presented by Hank Gruner, Her-
petologist, Member of the Ando-
ver Conservation Commission, 
and Erik Keller, Vice Chairman, 
Ridgefield Conservation Commission.
conference, continued from page 7
conference, continued on page 9
Swamp Yankee Earthcare Exhibitor Table 
BSC Group Exhibitor Table
CT Chapter Dark Sky International Exhibitor Table

9
www.caciwc.org
This workshop topic was requested by conservation 
commissions who have not yet begun work on the 
Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) for their town or 
have gone beyond their initial stages of planning. Both 
speakers provided valuable information insight on 
their approaches throughout the NRI process, includ-
ing gather initial information to develop local informa-
tion, developing databases and preparing and distrib-
uting a summary report. The presentation also rec-
ognized the additional steps and resources needed to 
best utilize all data obtained in their NRI to effectively 
carry out their 
conservation 
mandate. 
The second 
track D work-
shop, entitled 
“Invasive 
Plant Updates 
and Prioritiz-
ing Manage-
ment,” was 
presented by 
Lauren Kurtz, 
PhD, Invasive 
Species Out-
reach Special-
ist, UConn De-
partment of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture.
In her presentation, Dr. Kutz reviewed all recent up-
dates to the Connecticut Invasive Plant List including 
details on their identification and methods of control. 
The attendees of this workshop were pleased to learn 
conference, continued on page 10
more about these 
recent additions, 
which were the 
first updates to the 
list since 2018. 
The workshop 
emphasized that, 
while the task of 
managing invasive 
plants can quickly 
become over-
whelming due to 
time and resource 
needs, use of the 
triage practice to 
assess the degree 
of ecological dam-
age to the site and 
economic criteria, 
helps prioritizes the invasive species management.
The third and final track D workshop entitled, “Iden-
tifying Potential Vernal Pools,” by Edward Pawlak, 
MS, Registered Soil Scientist &Certified Profession-
al Wetland Scientist (PWS) was another frequently 
requested topic as many municipalities are interested 
in mapping potential vernal pools as a first step in 
protecting and conserving these critical habitats. In his 
workshop, Ed effectively outlined the various chal-
lenges to these efforts He highlighted two effective 
strategies for remotely identifying potential vernal 
pools using both high- and low-technology approach-
es. These including use of tools available within 
Google Earth, which can be used to identify small, 
isolated water bodies on the landscape with varying 
degrees of reliability, depending largely on forest 
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conference, continued from page 8
Earth Tones Native Plants Exhibitor Table
New England Wetlands Plants 
Bolton Conservation Commission Exhibit 
Table with Rod Parlee, Bolton CC Chair & 
CACIWC Board Member

10
The Habitat   |  Spring 2025
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composition (deciduous versus coniferous). Several 
examples of how confirmed vernal pools appear on 
Google Earth aerial photos were presented, along with 
examples of "false positive" vernal pool identifications 
on Google Earth. A resource for identifying property 
lines and ownership on Google Earth was also shared. 
The attendees of Ed’s workshop also appreciated his 
describing of a fascinating but low tech approach of 
using springtime evening "road running" to provide 
auditory clues to the location of vernal pools within 
the local landscape.
For additional details of these workshops, please note 
that many of the PowerPoint presentations of our 
speakers and workshop leaders are available on our 
website 2024 annual conference page at: CACIWC 
Annual Meeting 2024.
During our 2024 conference, CACIWC hosted many 
nonprofit and commercial exhibitors that provide their 
informative displays in an easy to view arrangement 
between the entrance and main ballroom adjacent to 
the food and beverage service. Our conference survey 
revealed an appreciation for the information provided 
by these exhibits, along with the networking opportu-
nities that occurred in these areas. 
We again thank the conference attendees and all those 
responsible for organizing our 47th Annual Meet-
ing and Environmental Conference. We used many 
of your workshop ideas in our 2024 conferences so 
please keep forwarding your suggestions to us at: 
AnnualMtg@caciwc.org. We look forward to your 
participation at our upcoming 2025 Annual Meeting 
and Environmental Conference!
conference, continued from page 9
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www.caciwc.org
The same referral applies to site plans; 8-3(g)(1); and 
special permits; 8-3c(a) and (b). 
The referral process makes sense as our land use 
commissions should give due consideration to sister 
commission reviews. But here is the part you may 
not be familiar with. In a 2005 Connecticut Supreme 
Court decision, Carr v. Planning & Zoning Comm'n 
of Town of Bridgewater, 273 Conn. 573 (2005), in 
which the zoning commission denied an affordable 
housing application based upon the inland wetlands 
commission’s denial of its application, the court said, 
“This court previously has stated that this statutory 
provision ‘recognizes that, as a practical matter, a 
wetlands agency's determination that the construction 
of a subdivision would have an adverse effect on the 
wetlands does not necessarily render the subdivision 
infeasible. A [planning] commission could determine, 
for example, that the subdivision application should 
be modified to avoid any such adverse effect. More-
over, the statutory provision vests discretion in the 
commission to determine that, even if the adverse 
effects cannot be avoided, they do not justify denial of 
the subdivision. Thus, the statute effectively gives the 
commission discretionary authority to contravene the 
consideration, continued from page 1 
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agency's decisions. Again, this makes sense in light of 
the fact that the risk of damage to wetland areas does 
not necessarily render a subdivision plan practically 
infeasible, but may merely present a public policy 
concern.’ River Bend Associates, Inc. v. Planning 
Commission, 271 Conn. 41, 62, 856 A.2d 959 (2004). 
It is clear, therefore, that the report of a conservation 
commission is not binding on a planning and zoning 
commission in considering a subdivision application.” 
Carr, 273 Conn. 573, 597-98.
The Carr court also stated “As we have indicated, 
contrary to the zoning commission's statement to the 
trial court, the report of a conservation commission is 
not binding on a planning and zoning commission in 
reaching a decision on an ordinary subdivision ap-
plication. Rather, a planning and zoning commission 
need only give “due consideration” to a conservation 
commission's report. See General Statutes § 8–26. A 
fortiori, the report of a conservation commission is 
not binding on a planning and zoning commission in 
the affordable housing context, where the burden is 
on the planning and zoning commission to weigh the 
potential harm to the wetlands against the town's need 
for affordable housing and to provide persuasive legal 

12
The Habitat   |  Spring 2025
cision must also comply with the legislative mandate 
of 22a-42a(d)(1) to “state upon the record the reason 
for its decision.” Failure to do so, which has been, 
for some commissions, a calculated determination in 
the past, will result in a precarious decision subject to 
being reversed. How long courts will continue to give 
a pass on this failure - especially in light of the public 
policy tension - is questionable. Nevertheless, if there 
are cogent reasons for your actions protecting those 
water resources, they must be set forth for both the 
public and the reviewing court. 
Judge Marshall Berger (Ret), formerly the Presiding 
Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court Land Use 
Docket, is now a member of the Alternative Dispute 
Resolution group at Pullman and Comley offering me-
diation and other resolution opportunities to parties 
engaged in land use and environmental disputes.
Look for additional articles by Judge Berger in up-
coming editions of The Habitat.
and policy reasons that the subdivision application 
should be denied. . . . The record in the present case 
shows that the zoning commission . . . simply assumed 
that a determination by the conservation commission 
that a subdivision has the potential to cause damage 
to wetlands always outweighs the need for affordable 
housing. Accordingly, we conclude that . . . the conser-
vation commission's denial of the wetlands application 
was not a valid reason for denying the modified appli-
cation.” Carr, 273 Conn. 573, 599–600.
So much for a cohesive land use planning scheme 
as envisioned by the legislature. The Court has 
emphasized that our land use commissions are 
independent statutory bodies. Of course, the 
independence goes both ways and an inland wetland 
commission has its own regulatory function to 
determine impacts on wetlands and watercourses. 
See, Aaron v. Conservation Comm'n of Town of 
Redding, 183 Conn. 532, 552 (1981) (“That [inland 
wetland and watercourse] agency ‘shall serve as the 
sole agent for the licensing of regulated activities,’ 
(emphasis added) as that term is defined under the 
Inland Wetlands and Water Courses Act. See General 
Statutes 22a-42(c); 22a-38(13).”) 
Nevertheless, we are now facing the tension between 
two equally important state policies, sometimes in 
conflict with each other: the protection of our wetlands 
vs supplying more affordable housing. With proper 
planning and collaboration, however, there need be no 
conflict. Of course, a wetlands and watercourses com-
mission is, at the moment, not a commission that falls 
under the purview of the 8-30g Affordable Housing 
legislation. Yet, our wetland commissions must com-
ply with first, judicial decisions requiring an adminis-
trative decision be based upon findings of an adverse 
impact (or no impact) to the wetlands or watercourses, 
which are supported by substantial evidence in the 
record. See, River Bend Associates, Inc. v. Conserva-
tion & Inland Wetlands Comm'n of Town of Simsbury, 
269 Conn. 57, 70 (2004) (“the substantial evidence 
test requires a substantial basis in fact that an adverse 
impact to the wetlands or watercourses will result 
from the proposed activities and that the defendant's 
decision must be supported by more than a possibility 
of that adverse impact.”). Second, the commission de-
consideration, continued from page 10
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13
www.caciwc.org
of Ann Beaudin, our long-term Hartford County 
Representative to our board. Board members could 
always depend on Ann to discuss how best to raise 
awareness of the latest emerging environmental issues 
impacting communities throughout Connecticut. To 
help honor her love of CACIWC, her daughter Dr. 
Andrea Beaudin has asked us to establish the Ann 
Beaudin Memorial Fund to continue Ann’s efforts 
in provide education and training for our members. 
Please see the article on the back cover of this issue  
(p. 16) for additional details. 
All of us on the CACIWC Board of Directors continue 
to thank you and your fellow commissioners and 
staff for your local efforts and your ongoing support. 
We pledge to help all of you continue your important 
efforts during the ongoing reductions in federal 
programs and regulations supporting conservation, 
environmental protection, and building resilience to 
the impact of climate change.
Thank you,
Alan J. Siniscalchi, President
CACIWC
In other news: 
1. During the past few months, the CACIWC Board 
of Directors and its Annual Meeting Committee 
have reviewed the many comments and suggestions 
submitted as part of our 2024 conference evaluation. 
In response to these suggestions, we are beginning 
to select workshop topics and speakers for our 48th 
Annual Meeting and Environmental Conference, 
now scheduled on Saturday, November 15, 2025. 
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any additional 
suggestions for speakers and workshops to schedule 
during this conference at AnnualMtg@caciwc.
org. Watch our website for the additional detailed 
conference news at www.caciwc.org. 
2. Although expenses for our conference and 
publication have continued to grow, the Board of 
Directors have decided not to increase our CACIWC 
membership dues for our 2025-26 fiscal year 
starting on July 1, 2025 to help limit your yearly 
expenses. We will again offer a substantial discount 
on the annual conference registration fee for our 
member commissioners. Members will also able be 
able to attend our mid-year training programs being 
scheduled this year. Watch for our reminders or look 
for both the 2025-26 online and mail-in membership 
renewal forms on our website: www.caciwc.org. 
3. As part of last year’s 50th anniversary of CACIWC 
and our publication, we asked conference attendees 
to also add topic 
suggestions for 
articles in The 
Habitat in the 
conference evaluation 
form. You can also 
send us ideas for 
content in The Habitat 
to us via email, at: 
TheHabitat@caciwc.
org or at board@
caciwc.org. We will 
appreciate all your 
suggestions!
4. All of us on the 
CACIWC board 
were saddened by 
the recent death 
CACIWC news, continued from page 2
CACIWC President Alan Siniscalchi 
introducing the conference

14
The Habitat   |  Spring 2025
N
o discussion of our 50th Anniversary would 
be complete without acknowledging the many 
contributions made by CACIWC co-founder Tom 
ODell. In addition to serving as our President and Execu-
tive Director, Tom's long service as Editor of this publica-
tion continued until close to his death in 2018. 
Thomas M. ODell was born on July 27, 1934 in Port 
Washington, New York and graduated from Glastonbury 
High School 
and the 
University 
of Connecti-
cut, where 
he majored 
in Forest 
Entomol-
ogy. After 
fighting 
western 
forest fires, 
serving as an Army National Guard medic, and a forty 
plus year career studying biological control of insect pests 
with the USDA Forest Service in Hamden, Tom retired to 
spend more time on state and local conservation efforts.
Tom's early efforts as editor began in 1970 when, as a 
new member of the Westbrook Conservation Commis-
sion, he volunteered to assist in researching and develop-
ing content for the newsletter of Connecticut Association 
of Conservation Commissions (CACC), entitled, Con-
necticut's Environment. This CACC newsletter was first 
printed by the State of Connecticut Department of Agri-
culture and Natural Resources for distribution through-
out the state. In 1971, when most state conservation and 
environmental protection activities were transferred to 
the newly formed Department of Environmental Pro-
tection (DEP), CACC and its newsletter continued to be 
supported along with publication of the first Handbook 
for Conservation Commissions.
Major changes occurred with the passage of the 1972 
Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Act creating a new 
municipal government function, followed by Public Act 
73-293, which increased the size of conservation commis-
sions. Following the passages of these acts and within four 
years of the first Earth Day, the Connecticut Association 
of Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commissions 
(CACIWC) was organized in to help support the major 
expansion of municipal land use roles and responsibilities. 
Remembering Tom ODell 
CACIWC published the first issue of The Habitat in 1974 
with Tom as its Interim Editor. The Habitat received finan-
cial support from the DEP until 1993 with several others 
periodically helping as supporting and interim editors. In 
1994, Tom again accepted the position as Editor following 
his retirement from the USDA Forest Service. 
For the next 22 years Editor Tom, and Associate Editor 
Ann Letendre expanded and strengthened The Habitat. 
In 2006, the CACIWC Board of Directors supported the 
further expansion of newsletter, with stable advertising 
revenue support organized by Jeff Mills of JM Communi-
cations. The Habitat is now a major tool of the CACIWC 
education and outreach triad, along with our annual con-
ference and our www.caciwc.org website. In 2007 Tom 
stepped down as President to focus on his role as Editor of 
The Habitat. That fall he was awarded the 2007 Special 
Recognition Award to acknowledge his many years of 
contributions to CACIWC and our members.  
On Thursday, October 13, 2016, Tom ODell was honored 
for his statewide work and 46 years as Westport Conser-
vation Commission Chairman at special ceremony held 
at Westport's Water's Edge 
Resort & Spa. CACIWC 
President Alan Siniscalchi 
presented Tom with his 
2016 Lifetime Achieve-
ment award at this cere-
mony for his for his many 
decades of service to the 
Conservation and Inland 
Wetland Commissions of 
Connecticut as the CACI-
WC President, Executive 
Director, and Editor of 
The Habitat along with his 
tireless advocacy work for 
open space conservation as 
one of the lead environmental champions in Connecticut. 
Other announcements made during this event include 
the recent designation by the Town of Westbrook of the 
"Tom ODell Wildlife and Conservation Area" for an area 
of Long Island Sound including the three barrier islands 
known as Salt, Menunketesuck, and Duck.
As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of CACIWC and 
The Habitat, we once again remember Tom and acknowl-
edge how his many contributions will continue to serve as 
the foundation of CACIWC for decades to come.
Former CACIWC President Tom ODell
Former CACIWC President Tom 
ODell. Photo by Carol ODell. 

15
www.caciwc.org
S
ince our last update, the Connecticut Depart-
ment of Energy and Environmental Protection 
(DEEP) has continued to gather information 
from taxonomic experts, CT municipal and tribal 
communities, and other key partners such as CACI-
WC to inform the development of Connecticut’s 
2025 Wildlife Action Plan. The upcoming issue CT 
Wildlife Action Plan’s Partner Network Newsletter 
will summarize the results of a recent 
survey focused on habitats, issues and 
actions. Thank you to those who filled 
out the survey! The input you provided 
throughout the revision process has 
helped sharpen the focus on top priori-
ties for each of the chapters in the 
CT SWAP. 
DEEP is well on its way to finalizing the public review 
draft and will again be seeking input from CACIWC 
members. The public review period will be a mini-
mum of 30 days starting this summer and CACIWC 
will be providing you with information on the com-
CT State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) 
Public Review Draft Available this Summer
We thank the many generous businesses and organizations who 
sponsored our 2024 Annual Meeting and Annual Conference! 
Janet P. Brooks, Attorney at Law, LLC 
ment process. Please make time in your schedule to 
provide feedback! Information about Connecticut’s 
Wildlife Action Plan as well as updates about the 2025 
revision can be found at CT Wildlife Action Plan. 
Since the launch of the revision process in 2023, 
DEEP has been in contact with CACIWC for input 
and assistance on reaching out to our members. The 
intention is that this collaboration will 
continue into implementation of the 
Plan. President Alan Siniscalchi has 
been meeting with Brian Hess and 
other representatives of DEEP’s Wild-
life Division to discuss specific ways 
CACIWC can work closely with DEEP 
and other key conservation partners on 
implementation of the 2025 Wildlife 
Action Plan over the next 10 years. This is an exciting 
opportunity to work together to develop a strategy and 
tactics for achieving our shared conservation goals.
 
Stay tuned for additional information!

16
The Habitat   |  Spring 2025
Dedicated to constant vigilance, judicious management
and conservation of our precious natural resources.
The Habitat
Printed on
recycled paper
Connecticut Association of Conservation and
Inland Wetlands Commissions, Inc.
27 Washington Street
Middletown, CT 06457
www.caciwc.org
 Non Profit Org
 US Postage
 PAID
 Hartford, CT
 Permit # 158
Spring 2025
T
he CACIWC Board of Directors is saddened 
to report the recent passing of one of our long-
term board members, Ann Beaudin, who had 
served as our Hartford County board representative 
since 2007. Ann’s skills as an effective advocate for 
local and statewide open space conservation and hab-
itat protection were developed through her multiple 
careers in public school education, communication, 
marketing and advocacy. The CACIWC board certain-
ly will miss her passionate dedication to raising aware-
ness of the latest environmental issue in her county 
and throughout the state.  
In addition to her role on the CACIWC board, she also 
served for many years as the Chair of the Windsor 
Conservation Commission. Read her obituary for addi-
tional insight on her active life: Ann Beaudin obituary. 
The Ann Beaudin Memorial Fund
Her daughter Andrea 
requested that CACI-
WC set up a memorial 
fund to honor Ann's 
long service in pro-
moting habitat con-
servation and envi-
ronmental protection 
within Connecticut. 
Contributions to this 
fund will support 
environmental and 
conservation educa-
tion for Connecticut's many conservation and inland 
wetlands commissioners and other volunteers. Please 
consider donating in Ann's memory using the follow-
ing PayPal form, located at: Donate.
Please save the date of Saturday, November 15, 2025 for our next Annual Meeting and
Annual Conference and watch our website for additional updates: www.caciwc.org.