Wood-Pawcatuck Rivers Awarded Federal Protection

STONINGTON, CT - The U.S. Senate recently approved the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The approval means that the rivers will be preserved due to their outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values.

"These amazing rivers offer exceptional recreational opportunities for paddlers, birders, fisherman, and anyone who enjoys scenic waterways," according to a statement from the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Study Committee. "They contain thousands of acres of wetlands providing habitat for a high diversity of fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and invertebrates."

Those included are the Beaver, Chipuxet, Green Fall-Ashaway, Queen-Usquepaugh, Pawcatuck, Shunock, and Wood rivers.

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