Trout Unlimited proposes Mill River habitat work in Easton; fee waiver tabled until access and details are clarified

Rich Rosen, president of the local Trout Unlimited chapter, told the Conservation Commission on June 23 that the Mill River restoration project will focus on enhancing trout habitat by repairing stone embankments and improving river access. Rosen said most adjacent homeowners support the effort but that two property owners at the downstream end of the proposed work have not given permission to access the river from their properties. He also said the planned work would occur in September and "will not impact the water itself." Rosen described a proposed handicapped entrance at the Covenant Church parking lot.

Rosen asked the commission to waive the standard application fee because Trout Unlimited is a 501(c)(3). Commissioners declined to grant the waiver immediately and tabled the fee‑waiver motion until access from adjacent landowners is clarified and peer reviewers can examine project plans. Commissioners requested that the project sites be flagged and invited Rosen to provide a site‑walk guide; a tentative site walk was scheduled for July 11, 2026.

The commission emphasized standard expectations for work in and near watercourses: clear project limits, a description of construction techniques that protect water quality, and written access agreements when work requires use of private property. No vote on project approval or fee waiver was taken on June 23; the fee waiver remains under consideration pending additional documentation and neighbor permissions.