June 4, 2012

REP. WALKER, SAVE THE SOUND, NOAA CELEBRATE COMPLETION OF LARGEST URBAN TIDAL RESTORATION PROJECT IN NEW ENGLAND

Rep. Toni Walker joined Save the Sound, a program of Connecticut Fund for the Environment, at a celebration in Edgewood Park in New Haven to commemorate the completion of the largest urban tidal restoration project in New England. The project restored over 80 acres of tidal marsh and seven miles of river habitat for fish and other wildlife.

Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Conservation and Management for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Eric Schwaab, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Dan Esty, State Senator Toni Harp (D-New Haven), State Rep. Patricia Dillon (D-New Haven), New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, and the Friends of Edgewood Park joined Save the Sound to celebrate the completion of its West River Tidal Marsh Restoration Project, which was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by the NOAA Restoration Center.

"The work that Save the Sound did on the West River Tidal Restoration Project will allow the marshlands to rebound and thrive," said Rep. Walker. "Native plants will grow and fish will spawn – It’s as though you’ve given nature a booster shot."

"We are here to celebrate that fish and wildlife will now be able to thrive in healthy habitats that just one year ago were starved for tidal flow," said Gwen Macdonald, director of habitat restoration for Save the Sound. "But today, we are also celebrating the amazing collaboration that made this project a reality. Our municipal, state, and federal partners, especially the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, provided invaluable financial and technical assistance while local groups, like the Friends of Edgewood Park, provided community support. Last, and certainly not least, we are constantly inspired by our network of dedicated volunteers from around the state who rolled up their sleeves, despite the inclement weather, to plant thousands of new, native marsh species along the Duck Pond."

The West River forms the border of New Haven and West Haven and flows from Bethany, through Edgewood and West River Memorial Park, and out into Long Island Sound. In colonial times, this river system was part of a massive marsh complex that covered much of Connecticut’s coastline. In the 1920s, the city of New Haven installed tide gates across the West River just south of Route 1. These tides gates allowed fresh water to flow downstream into the Sound, but closed during incoming tide. This tidal restriction limited brackish water, fish and aquatic organisms from entering the marsh and drastically changed the habitat and wildlife found in the West River watershed.

Additionally, Save the Sound worked with the local New Haven community, specifically the Friends of Edgewood Park, to ensure that, with increased water levels from the incoming tide, residents will still be able to enjoy the duck pond as they always have. Save the Sound finished construction on a raised pedestrian boardwalk that encircles the pond and allows water to flow back and forth underneath, feeding the over 6,000 new marsh plant species that were planted by volunteers at today’s event.

The West River Tidal Marsh Restoration Project is an example of a habitat restoration project that is not only essential to improving the habitat locally but also to the long-term health of Long Island Sound. According to the recent State of the Sound report, a report card on the region's efforts to improve the Sound's health, Save the Sound and other entities in Connecticut and New York have successfully restored or protected more than 1,000 acres of coastal habitat in the Long Island Sound Watershed; however more work is needed to reach the 2020 goal of restoring 2,000 acres. Additionally, improvements to migratory fish passage have been a highlight in the progress to protect the Sound and its wildlife, however it is clear that additional efforts are needed to open historic migratory fish habitat in New York and Connecticut.

Pictures of the West River Tidal Marsh Restoration Project are available here.

Additional information on Save the Sound’s habitat restoration projects funded through NOAA is available here.