In early 2008, the Town of Fairfield conducted a dredging project for the entrance to the South Benson marina that resulted in the destruction of sand dunes and sea grass at the mouth of the Ash Creek Tidal Estuary in an area we call the St. Mary’s sand spit. ACCA retained the services of an environmental consultant, Richard Orson, Ph.D., to obtain an expert opinion on habitat restoration. We then met with the City of Bridgeport and the Town of Fairfield to develop a habitat restoration plan, obtain funding, and restore the area to prevent flooding of homes, shoreline erosion, and the destruction of the fragile ecological balance of the tidal estuary.
On April 7th, Native, LLC planted shrubs and trees at the barrier spit. On April 8th, a group of volunteers raked, planted native grasses and wildflower mix, raked again, covered with straw, and watered at the Preserve. Thanks to the Weny Foundation & VJ Coates…
If you drive by St. Mary’s, you’ll see a beautiful split rail fence at the barrier spit. This is for the purpose of directing foot traffic away from fragile vegetation. In the next two to three weeks (just to the…
At the last Parks Commission Board meeting, ACCA obtained approval for more habitat improvements at the barrier spit. On the northeastern slope, next to the Blue Star Garden, we will be removing invasive weeds and performing landscaping in preparation for the…
ACCA Board Members, Rick Landau and Gail Robinson met with Laura Wildman, PE, Save the Sound’s Regional Director of Ecological Restoration on October 18th. We gave her, Josh Garskof, Director of Foundation Relations, and Emma DeLoughry, Associate Soundkeeper at Save the Sound…
On October 13 & 14, Oliver Nurseries removed invasives, planted native trees, shrubs and perennials on the back dune of the barrier spit. We want to thank the Weny Foundation for funding these plantings.
Article on Sandspit in Sunday CT Post Today Please take a moment to read the article published in the CT Post and Fairfield Citizen above. Please also read the replies to the article and make a comment. It’s good that Bill Hurley, head of Fairfield’s…
Article in CT Post and Fairfield Citizen on Sandspit Please take a moment to read the article published in the CT Post and Fairfield Citizen above. Please also read the replies to the article and make a comment. It’s good that Bill Hurley, head of…
Sandspit Covered by Associated Press and Channel 12 The Associated Press has picked up the article, which means it is being distributed to newspapers across the United States and online through blogs and news feeds. The article begins… FAIRFIELD, Conn.…
DID YOU KNOW THE ST. MARY’S SAND SPIT IS PARTLY IN FAIRFIELD? One unexpected finding from the ecological study of Ash Creek, was that the St. Mary’s sand spit may actually not be located entirely within Bridgeport. In order to…
Before and after photos of St. Mary’s barrier spit. The top row of photos shows the barrier spit prior to Hurricane Sandy and the bottom row shows the barrier spit after Hurricane Sandy. The tide rushed over the entire length…
