One of our Board members, Kraig Steffen, who also serves on the NRZ, was included in a meeting with Mayor Finch regarding NRZ Open Space Conservation issues. He learned that the Mayor’s goals for conservation appear to be closely aligned with our goals. The 2008 Parks Master Plan for Bridgeport suggests some areas of possible common goals and objectives between ACCA and the City. Ash Creek is only mentioned once in the Parks Master Plan and no plans or objectives are detailed for it.
We want to be sure that Ash Creek is on the radar screen as a natural area that should be protected and preserved, therefore we have requested a meeting with the Mayor to discuss the longer term goals of protecting and preserving the Ash Creek tidal estuary as well as to have input into the sandspit restoration.
The sandspit restoration is still in the discussion stages between the DEP and the City of Bridgeport. We believe some restoration will take place, but we don’t know how much. Restoration can’t take place until the fall as the summer heat would not be good for the beach grass plantings.
PARKS MASTER PLAN FORUM
The City is planning a discussion forum on the 2008 Parks Master Plan on August 10 from 5:30-7:30pm at the Cesar Batalla School, 606 Howard Ave, Bridgeport . We hope you can attend as this will be an opportunity to get Ash Creek (and adjacent areas such as St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea and Capozzi Park – the area across the street from the sandspit) included in the Master Plan.
PARKS ONLINE SURVEY
Please take a moment now to fill out the Parks online survey . We’d like the survey to be considered at the forum on August 10, so please fill out the survey TODAY. Thank you. There are several Open Comment sections where you can help raise awareness of Ash Creek. Here are a few ideas from our members of what you could write in the Open Comment areas of the survey. Feel free to cut and paste:
The Ash Creek tidal estuary and the sand spit at the mouth of the is an area that should be considered for natural habitat. Such areas provide habitat for wildlife, can act as buffers between watercourses and heavily used park areas, and can be used for educational purposes by city schools and community groups and enjoyment of natural beauty by residents and visitors.
The Ash Creek tidal estuary is one of the few remaining healthy tidal wetland areas in an urban area in this country. We should include the Ash Creek tidal estuary and the sand spit at its mouth in the Parks Master Plan for the City of Bridgeport.
Parks serve a myriad of very important functions from ball fields, to playgrounds, to accessible outdoor natural areas for urban residents. Of all of these, open natural spaces are a critical component. For many families in Bridgeport the local parks are the only substantive contact they may have with the natural environment. A meadow, or dune, covered with native wildflowers with grasses, with abundant butterflies and birds is is a heartening, informative, and ecological valuable component that should always be considered for all of our city parks.
