A buddy of mine called me yesterday, incensed that people have been leaving all kinds of garbage along the Housatonic River along a stretch in New Milford.

His office is in the area and he walks his dog there all of the time. He's found piles of dirty diapers, all kinds of litter and discarded fishing line. He unwrapped a blue heron that was caught up in line. (but I don't think the bird survived)

My first recommendation was for him to call the DEP Tip line, which he promptly did last night while the violators were there.

I explained that the first line of attack against against these people would be to get them on a potential fishing violation -- whether fishing without a license or keeping illegal fish. (I'm not sure what kind of fish they have been catching.)

Here is the location:
http://bit.ly/9yMZkx

The exact location is circled on the map below.

Anyone ever fish this area?

Besides contacting DEP, my buddy wants to know what else he can do to help get the litter cleaned up and maybe get some signage in the area to deter all the mess.

Thanks.

You can't fish it after it warms up because of all the garbage that is left behind-glass, line, etc... I've cleaned it up a couple of times but it always looks the same after a week or two.
Great spot for pech and white perch in the spring- before people really start hammering it.

The dam is called the Bleachery Dam I believe. I've been told the buildings around there are part of the old Kimberly-Stevens Co. which in one form or another was a predecessor to Kimberly-Clark. I never tried to verify that information, though.

The regulars there like to use handlines. I imagine that would be so it's easier to fish without a license. It's a lot easier to drop some line and walk away than to drop a pole and walk away. Acessing the area from a downstream direction or observing from the end of the marina across the river would probably reveal some of these techniques for any CO in the area.

Thanks for posting this and thanks for the replies. I'm the buddy Mitch is referring to. Some of the descriptions in these responses are perfect - exactly what I've been seeing - particularly the use of hand lines and the trash. The massive balls of fishing line that they leave behind are the same ones that me and my dogs get tangled in, and that most likely caused the demise of the left wing of the Great Blue Heron we found...

http://bit.ly/di4FIF
http://bit.ly/bOQDET

...it had to be euthanized by a DEP volunteer waterfowl expert that we reached out to when my dogs discovered the poor thing basically waiting to die, unable to fly...and they don't swim.

The amount of crap that appears there every Spring is staggering. There are of course bait containers, line, broken rods, hooks (to get stuck in my dogs paws) and other such fishing equipment. But that's the just the start. One particular group brings their whole family down there and leaves large quantities of fast food wrappers, dirty clothing, actual full bags of trash, balls of used baby diapers, as well as the occasional used tampon....I'm not joking here folks. You can't make this crap up. And the best part is that you have to walk directly past the dumpster behind my office to get down there.

I personally don't fish. I've never really even been much of an environmentalist. However, seeing this nice little spot on the river, which would be a fairly sweet fishing spot I would think.....desecrated season after season has really pissed me off. I usually take a "there's nothing I can do" attitude, but that poor Heron was sort of my last straw I guess.

So I contacted Mitch....and if getting them caught for illegal fishing is the way to get them out of there...so be it. I'll be reporting regularly.

However, illegal fishing aside....I'm wondering if there are any groups, or perhaps DEP programs, that help random concerned citizens clean up such a spot? I'm willing to do the dirty work of cleaning up the current garbage as best as I can. However, I would like to know if perhaps the DEP ever partners on such an effort to place sign-age and trash cans indicating that littering is not tolerated and what the fines are for doing so, as well as the phone number to report it.

I'm willing (within reason) to sponsor such efforts (I would do it as a charitable work through my company, which I own).

I'm all ears for any and all suggestions you all might have. Especially from Captain Camejo.

Thanks,
jk

Thanks Kierran!