Removal of Invasive Species at Capozzi Park
Our Councilperson Pete Spain just sent out an email on the progress at Capozzi Park which we will recap below. We just want to thank Pete for the hundreds of hours he’s spent spearheading this project. We have begun accepting donations for the plantings at Capozzi Park. ACCA will be opening a separate bank account for the Capozzi Park plantings. f you would like to help with researching or writing grants for the plantings, please contact Pete as well. Pete’s contact info is at the end of his email, below. Thank you.
To donate for the Park Restoration, please do not use PayPal or a credit card. We are creating a separate bank account for this project, so please send a check to us at:
Ash Creek Conservation Association, Inc.
132 Flanders Street
Bridgeport, CT 06605
Please make the check out to: Ash Creek Conservation Association, Inc.
Thank you.
Pete’s email on March 27th:
The Coastal Woods and Meadow at St Mary’s by the Sea
Update on Park Restoration at St. Mary’s by the Sea
The 1.67-acre “Bird Sanctuary” as it’s known to many who frequent St. Mary’s by the Sea has undergone a radical clearing in the past week as part of the Restoration Master Plan created by Bryan Quinn ofOneNature LLC in conjunction with the Parks Department and community.
“Invasives” made up more than 95% of what was cleared, including Tree of Heaven ailanthus altissimo, Multiflora Rose rosa multiflora, Mugwort artemisia vulgaris, and Japanese Honeysuckle lonicera japonica. As stated in the master plan: “The dominance of invasive species in the park presents a threat to both bird species that use those habitat and the aesthetic value of the park.” The remainder consisted of cutting down dead trees, pruning limbs, and removing several hurricane-placed sections of telephone pole. A spent Norway maple on the Long Island Sound-facing side of the park was trimmed and left as a “stick” for owls and woodpeckers. While the initial plan was to maintain a buffer zone along the border with the adjacent properties, OneNature’s field team, the arborist and city tree warden disagreed this winter. They made clear to me and neighbors that the zone was packed with invasives that would have to come out in this intervention or else they’d likely spread into the cleared parkland, while providing little visual buffer.
All work was done by the open-bid-contracted Northeast Horticultural Services managed by licensed arborist Stacey Marcell with oversight from Steve Hladun, City of Bridgeport Parks Department Head of Special Projects, in alignment with the Restoration Master Plan.It is hoped that this will provide a template for the growing problem of invasives in other parks in our city.
The wood chips produced onsite this month will be spread in the park over biodegradable cardboard — to form a natural, non-toxic barrier to weeds. That work will be done with the help of volunteers in the coming weeks — after stumps are ground, the park floor is “brush hogged”, and, we hope, a first wave of native, salt-tolerant trees are planted.
These actions stem from the community’s desire to rehabilitate this long-neglected public park in the most effective, ecologically sensitive, and frugal way.
As many of you know, about a year ago, more than twenty community volunteers showed up on a cold March morning for the first of three clean-ups in the park. Three photos from that auspicious start are here.
Subsequent to that first community action, volunteers have done a great deal toward planning the rehab’ing of the park, which is now finally underway. These efforts have included:
1. Giving over 300 hours of volunteer time — including conducting 10 Facebook-Live-broadcast meetings, with three of those featuring relevant experts, Bryan Quinn in April 2018, Milan Bull, Senior Director of Science and Conservation at the Connecticut Audubon in April 2018, and Bill Kenny of William Kenny Associations and Native in Fairfield in May 2018.
2. Speaking four times at Parks Commission meetings regarding the rehab, including gaining from the Commission its financial support toward soliciting professional proposals for restoring and maintaining the park according to best practices for similar coastal meadows and forests;
3. Meeting six times with the Parks Dept/Public Facilities Dept about the project and timelines;
4. Providing essential community input on an open competitive request for a comprehensive proposal to the Parks Commission in August 2018; carefully reviewing the two proposals received by the city; and voting on the proposals. It turned out that the community-favored choice was the proposal by Bryan Quinn, One Nature LLC, which was ultimately selected, with consideration of our input, by our Parks Commission and Parks Department.
5. Selecting from a list of community-generated alternatives the name “The Preserve at St. Mary’s by the Sea” as the consensus name for this interior portion of this special public park — pending approval by the Parks Commission. A little aside on the history of the name “Capozzi Park”. It’s from Mr. Ernest Capozzi, the successful lawyer and Bridgeport businessman who sold the land to the City for $85,300 in 1976 after having bought the park land for $1 twenty years before from Mr. Max Krasnoff. As far as the records show, no part of the transaction specified the land was to be designated as “Capozzi Park” in recognition of the seller. Perhaps in some informal, accidental way the name Capozzi got onto a document or two — e.g., he August 2, 1976 city plan for the “Capozzi Tract” — and somehow developed a life of its own.
The latest draft of the Restoration Master Plan includes essential background regarding the site, the results of a December 2018 ecological survey of the property by One Nature, an invasive-species management plan, a landscape design and stewardship plan, and a working schedule for plan implementation. From the plan:
“… members of the Black Rock community have expressed a desire to rehabilitate the property into a nature sanctuary that would serve as both a bird and wildlife refuge, and an educational resource for the community. In response, One Nature has developed a restoration master plan with the masterplan and the community’s goals in mind. This plan recognizes that the dominance of invasive species in the park presents a threat to both bird species that use those habitats and the aesthetic value of the park. Given the community goal of creating a nature sanctuary that would provide refuge for birds and wildlife, our restoration plan includes an invasive species management plan driven by our ecological survey of the property. This is followed by a landscape design and stewardship plan that will ensure the ecological integrity and aesthetic value of the park for future generations.”
Thanks to all of you who’ve volunteered. Thanks to the neighbors in the immediate vicinity, especially Roger Ludwig, for your understanding and collegiality toward this public endeavor next door. Thanks to those of you who’ve asked about donating dollars toward this park restoration. Thanks to the Ash Creek Conservation Association (ACCA), which has generously offered to process donations for the restoration of the park, including dollars contributed toward tree plantings, which we hope will get underway soon. Is there anyone who’s interested in helping to apply for grants?
Thoughts, questions, or concerns? Let me know.
Thank you,
Pete Spain
Bridgeport City Council rep for the 130th District
pete.spain@bridgeportct.gov
475-225-0082
