Many thanks to our Presenters and
Field Station Representatives
for helping to make our
2024 E&SC Field Days
a great success!

Tuesday, September 17th – Rhode Island
Wednesday, September 18th – Connecticut
Thursday, September 19th – Massachusetts

CLICK HERE FOR LINKS TO RESOURCES

Sediment is the world’s #1 pollutant.

Soil moved by erosion can be harmful to our drinking water resources, fish and wildlife, and it can impact our quality of life.   Erosion Control has changed dramatically over the years and new technologies are constantly in development.  Use this workshop to help you stay current on useful practices and make valuable connections.

“A little bit of dirt never hurt anybody…” but a little bit from one jobsite multiplied by the hundreds of jobsites in a watershed can add up quickly.  Soil erosion has the potential to affect how much treatment wastewater must receive. We all need to know our options for both controlling sediment and for designing and installing more effective long-term erosion control solutions.

These field days are a unique collaborative effort between the private and public sectors to share information and promote a better understanding of the latest tools available to all who are entrusted with protecting our precious soil and water resources.  

2024 DATES and LOCATIONS

Tuesday September 17th:  
Westerly Education Center​ (23 Friendship St​) and Gingerella Sports Complex
(49 White Rock Rd) WESTERLY, RI 02891

Wednesday September 18th: 
Tolland County Agricultural Center | 24 Hyde Avenue (Route 30)
VERNON, CT 06066

Thursday September 19th:
Brigham Hill Community Farm | 37 Wheeler Road
NORTH GRAFTON, MA 01536

SNEC Erosion and Sediment Control Field Days combine presentations and hands-on demonstrations. These days are training for professionals working in soils, erosion control, water quality, public works, engineering, roads, planning, resource protection, and consulting. Our goal is to provide information that is immediately useful to all who attend – you are encouraged to bring your site plans and questions!

Boxed lunch will be provided for the Field Days.

Field Days are hosted by SWCS SNEC, in partnership with EJ Prescott. 

Credit for 6 Professional Development Hours approved by EnviroCert International!

Westerly Education Center, Room 201
23 Friendship Street
Westerly, RI 02891

AGENDA 

The morning session will be held at Westerly Education Center.

8:00 a.m.  –  Check-In and Coffee 

8:30 a.m. –  Welcome and Opening Remarks | Andrew Gorman (SWCS Southern New England Chapter RI Representative / Beals & Thomas)

8:45 a.m. –  Forest Ecology and Ecosystem Health in Rhode Island’s Changing Forests | Fern Graves (R.I. Forest Stewardship Program Coordinator)

9:30 a.m. – Municipal Green Infrastructure | Doug McCluskey (EJ Prescott)

10:15 a.m. –  Break and Networking

10:30 a.m. –  Forestry BMP’s: Mitigating Sedimentation to Safeguard Riparian Species and Conserve Biological Diversity | Brooke Warrington (New England Forestry Foundation)

11:15 a.m. – RIPDES Stormwater General Permits | Brian Lafaille (P.E., RI DEM)

12:00 p.m. –  Boxed Lunch and travel to Gingerella Sports Complex

12:45 p.m. –  Rotation through Field Stations 

• “Erosion Blanket Control Options” | Western Green
• “Soil Amendments” | Bowman Construction Supply
• “Biotic Soil Media Applications” | EJ Prescott
• “Stormbrixx Underground Detention” | EJ Prescott

3:45 p.m. –  Closing Remarks   

Tolland County Agricultural Center
24 Hyde Avenue (Rt. 30)
Vernon, CT 06066

AGENDA 

8:00 a.m.  –  Check-in and Coffee

8:30 a.m.  –  Welcome and Opening Remarks | Alison Milliman (SWCS Southern New England Chapter CT Representative / BSC Group)

8:45 a.m. – Construction Compliance Inspections 101 | Alison Milliman (SWCS Southern New England Chapter CT Representative / BSC Group) and Matthew Capone (BSC Group)

9:30 a.m.  –  DEEP District Solar Inspection Partnership | Chris Stone (P.E., CT DEEP)

10:15 a.m.  –  Break and Networking 

10:30 a.m. – CT Forestry Practices Act and BMP’s | Nick Zito (Forester, CT DEEP)

11:15 a.m.  –  Municipal Green Infrastructure | Doug McCluskey (EJ Prescott)

12:00 p.m.  –  Boxed Lunch 

12:45 p.m.  –  Rotation through Field Stations 

•  Rainfall Simulator | CT NRCS
• “Erosion Blanket Control Options” | Western Green
• “Soil Amendments” | Bowman Construction Supply
• “Biotic Soil Media Applications” | EJ Prescott

3:45 p.m.  –  Closing Remarks

Brigham Hill Community Farm
37 Wheeler Road
North Grafton, MA 01536   

AGENDA 

8:00 a.m.  –  Check-in and Coffee

8:30 a.m.  –  Welcome and Opening Remarks | Maggie Payne (SWCS Southern New England Chapter MA Representative / NRCS)

8:45 a.m.  –  Agriculture and the MA WPA | Mia McDonald (MassDEP Wetlands Circuit Rider Program Coordinator)

9:45 a.m. –  Erosion  Control? Consider the Soil! | Daniel Lenthall (Resource Conservationist, NRCS)

10:15 a.m.  –  Break and Networking 

10:30 a.m. – Timber Harvesting, Erosion Control, BMP’s, and the Real World in Southern New England | Charlie Thompson (V.P., Massachusetts Forest Alliance)

11:15 a.m.  –  Erosion and Sediment Control: Considerations for Municipal Review | Matthew Cote, P.E., and Andrew Gorman, CESSWI/Beals and Thomas)

12:00 p.m.  –  Boxed Lunch 

12:45 p.m.  –  Rotation through Field Stations 

• “Erosion Blanket Control Options” | Western Green
• “Soil Amendments” | Bowman Construction Supply
• “Biotic Soil Media Applications” | EJ Prescott
• “Stormbrixx Underground Detention” | EJ Prescott

3:45 p.m.  –  Closing Remarks

2024 REGISTRATION RATES

• SNEC Member: $40

• General Admission: $75

• Register 3, Get 1 Free: 25% discount

• Student SWCS/SNEC Chapter Member: FREE!!*

• Student General Admission: $20 Discounted Rate **

• Blue Light Special: $155

*Registration is required.*
**Students must be currently enrolled full-time at an accredited high school, college, or university  

Blue Light Special!

JOIN the Soil & Water Conservation Society NOW
at the $115 Conservationist level and BENEFIT IMMEDIATELY
by registering at the $40 MEMBER RATE!   

Simply select the Blue Light Special ticket – we’ll handle the paperwork.

This offer is for 1st-time SWCS members only.

NOTES:

• Pre-Registration Required – online by credit card only.
• This is a RAIN or SHINE event.
• No refunds. Registration may be transferred at no cost between attendees in the same ticket category and (if capacity allows) from one session to another.
• This is a “ticket-free” event. Your name will be on a Door List.  (You do NOT need to bring the credit card used for registration.)
• Morning coffee and a box lunch will be provided.

Questions? Contact Erika at erika@swcssnec.org

Field Demonstration Questions: contact Doug at doug.mccluskey@ejprescott.com

SWCS Southern New England Chapter is dedicated to supporting upcoming conservationists. Thanks to the support of our 2024 Sponsors, we’re pleased to offer FREE attendance to student members in good standing, and a discounted rate for other full-time students currently enrolled full-time at an accredited high school, college, or university.

Field Stations organized by product distributor Everett J. Prescott, Inc. 

SWCS Southern New England Chapter’s past Rhode Island representative Jeffrey Peterson (CPSS, PWS, CPESC) has provided these useful links:

• USDA Soil Texturing Field Flow Chart (laminated soil texture-by-feel flow chart):
  https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/p/77352/20741/usda-soil-texturing-field-flow-chart
• Estimating Soil Texture By Feel (Kansas State University):
  https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF2852.pdf
• Eye on Agriculture Today:  Soil Texture By Feel (video):
  https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Soil+Texture+by+feel+flow+videos&mid=5A25DE182E790C2192405A25DE182E790C219240)
• Soil Drainage Catenas of Rhode Island (USDA):
  https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/Soil_Catenas_Rhode_Island_2012.pdf  
• Soil Catenas of Connecticut (USDA): 
  https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/SOIL_CATENAS-September_2022_0.pdf
• Rhode Island Method for Determining Hydrologic Soil Group by Site Specific Soil Mapping (URI/NRCS/RI NEMO):
  https://web.uri.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/HSGMethodsFinalDraft_URI.2016.pdf

• RI Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials publications:  https://web.uri.edu/nemo/publications/

Conservation NewsBriefs