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Article
reprinted with permission from
The Wilton
Bulletin, July 1, 1998, p.3A
There
is nothing like the sight and smell of freshly mowed, bright
green grass. Except when it is next to a river.
According to Wilton Director of Environmental Affairs Patricia
Sesto, mowed grass and other non-native plants can be highly
detrimental to ponds and rivers.
For this reason Ms. Sesto, who is also co-chairperson of the
Norwalk River Watershed Initiative Committee, and a group of
35 volunteers from various community organizations met last
Wednesday to restore more than half an acre of the Perkin-Elmer
Corporation's property on the Norwalk River from mowed grass
to its natural state.
Areas such as this pose several problems for the nearby rivers
as well as for the property itself, said Ms. Sesto. Since mowed
grass is a uniform floral community, it provides little or no
cover for native birds and insects.
"The diversity of species a lawn can support is lower than shrubs,"
said Ms. Sesto. In addition, grass allows for more sunlight
to hit the river, which raises the water temperature. Consequently,
the warmer water experiences a decrease in oxygen and an increase
in algae blooms.
Runoff
concerns
Grass
also allows for a greater runoff of foreign substances such
as fertilizers and other chemicals into the water, which increases
the water temperature and promotes algae growth, according to
Ms. Sesto. Runoff kills insects, which gives the area's fish
little to feed on.
Last Wednesday, the volunteers planted 450 shrubs and 30 trees
in the half-acre area, and also spread 200 cubic yards of mulch.
Although the scheduled hours for the event were from 8 to noon,
a number of volunteers stayed until 5:30.
The group consisted of members of three garden clubs from Ridgefield,
Norwalk and Wilton, the Wilton Ecology Club, Trout Unlimited,
and the Norwalk River Watershed Association. The Wilton Planning
and Zoning and Wetlands commissions even closed their offices
for the day to participate in the site restoration.
Contractor Oscar Gates of Wilton contributed his personal time
as well as five pieces of machinery to aid in the restoration.
Mr. Yates donated more than $15,000 worth of equipment and time
to help dig holes for trees and move earth and other materials,
according Lisa Carey, publicist for the watershed committee.
"What Oscar did is really a remarkable show of volunteerism,"
said Ed Vallerie, also of Wilton, a friend of Mr. Yates and
a committee member. "Without his help this project never would
have happened. Hopefully he'll join us again when we begin our
work to restore fish habitat further up the river later this
month."
Fish
habitat project
That
project will cover a 1.25-mile stretch of the river from School
Road down to Schenck's Island Park on River Road. Additional
volunteers are needed to help move stones and logs and plant
streamside vegetation. Interested persons may call Mr. Vallerie
at 762-8024. His Mianus chapter of Trout Unlimited received
an "embrace a stream" grant to finance the project designed
to enhance the habitat for trout and other species.
In addition to community individuals, several state and federal
agents were also present to lend a hand at the habitat restoration
project at Perkin-Elmer.
Funding for the project came from Section 319 of the Federal
Clean Water Act, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Environmental
Protection Administration. A watershed initiative committee
subcommittee, the Habitat Restoration Subcommittee, of which
Ms. Sesto is chairperson, conceived the idea of the Perkin-Elmer
habitat restoration, and the committee applied for a federal
grant in late 1996. The grant was issued in October 1997.
According to Ms. Sesto, Perkin Elmer was "cooperative and enthusiastic"
about the project. The group even had a free hand in the design
work, which "looked great to them," said Ms. Sesto in reference
to Perkin-Elmer.
The restoration proves advantageous to Perkin-Elmer not only
because the river bordering its property would be cleaned, but
because geese, which are prone to leave their droppings on grass,
will be deterred.
"The damage from geese is huge," said Ms. Sesto. "An area that
employees could potentially use is littered with droppings...
Deterring geese has made Perkin Elmer smile."
Of the group's plantings, nearly all are native to the area,
with the exception of a few crabapple trees and hawthorn shrubs.
"An overwhelming majority should be native," said Ms. Sesto
of plants near rivers.
A primary purpose of the restoration, according to Ms. Sesto,
was to show that with native plants, "aesthetic needs can be
met." The restoration was meant to illustrate a "naturalistic,
healthy riparian zone that doesn't conflict with the needs of
the corporation," she added.
The riparian zone is the area 200 to 300 feet from a stream
that provides a habitat for riverside plant and animal species,
and also protects the water from excessive sunlight and runoff.
Native vegetation is vital, said Ms. Sesto, because "non-native
vegetation diminishes the natural diversity of (plant) species.
native species are invasive and diminish the diversity of a
natural habitat."
Perkin-Elmer was an ideal spot to have the restoration, according
to Ms. Sesto, because the site, which is between Kent Road in
Wilton and West Rocks Road in Norwalk, is highly visible from
the road, and "commuters can see how the plan matures." Ms.
Sesto hopes that this will encourage individuals and businesses
along the Norwalk River to also attempt to "naturalize" their
property on the river.
Although Ms. Sesto realizes that this is expensive, she said,
"I truly hope there is an environmental consciousness" among
property owners along the river.
Presently, the Habitat Restoration Subcommittee is making plans
with the Fox Hill Condominiums in Ridgefleld to help clean the
complex's lake, which is overrun by algae and can be seen from
Danbury Road.
"We want to show that social goals for a property can be met
in an environmentally sensitive way," said Ms. Sesto, who can
only hope that the community follows the example set by the
successful habitat restoration at Perkin-Elmer.
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