Opinion: Opposes Development Of Ash Creek Open Space In Fairfield

The following open letter to Fairfield Parks & Recreation Director Anthony Calabrese is by resident Alexis Harrison:

Dear Parks & Recreation Director Calabrese:

I am writing to oppose the development or use by Parks & Recreation plan of any Town open space, including the 25-acre Ash Creek open space. At its June 30, 2022 Master Plan meeting, an alarming concept was proposed to construct a pavilion, playground, kayak launching docks, picnic area, amphitheater and boardwalks in this serene, natural and fragile area on the Ash Creek estuary. I've always applauded the tremendous work that you and your department do to make Fairfield the special place that it is but I do oppose this idea and I believe it should be nixed.

I believe that our Town should focus on preserving open space in its natural habitat and not developing it for recreational or entertainment purposes. This open space is a serene place for passive recreation with just a few low-impact nature trails, and provides habitat for a variety of marine, mammal and bird species. It is bounded by tidal wetlands and is part of the gateway to Long Island Sound. Located at the bottom end of the Rooster River, a 15-mile river with its headwaters in Trumbull, that wends its way through Bridgeport, passes by the Fairfield Metro Center site where it becomes a tidally influenced estuary, and flows out to the Sound. The Rooster River and Ash Creek are the object of decades of study on flooding issues due to over development and more recently to reverse erosion which is causing the loss of a protective sand spit in Ash Creek.

The concept being proposed would severely impair the function and utility of this fragile area which provides natural flood control, wildlife habitat and a buffer to the Ash Creek estuary. It seems that no input was sought from the Conservation Commission, to which our Town Charter grants the sole authority over open space with a duty to “conserve, develop, supervise, and regulate natural resources, including water resources and open space land in the Town.” Our Town Charter also requires that the Director of Parks and Recreation coordinate any recreational activities in Town open space areas with the Conservation Commission.

While it doesn’t seem possible that this unfortunate proposal would ever get approved, the larger issue is preservation of our dwindling natural resources and preparing for the future. Wetlands, both inland (fresh water) and tidal, are critical to our ability to control flooding naturally, as they have an incredible ability to absorb water. We should be prioritizing preservation not just of wetlands but of the adjacent non-wetlands areas throughout Town, so they can fully function, as climate change impacts will only increase in coming decades.

We need more focus and more education about the importance of natural resource preservation and more proactive outreach to ensure public engagement in the planning process. Proactive, long-range planning is needed now with a vision to the future aggressive restoration and preservation of our natural flood control buffers now- this will help forestall the need to construct coastal barrier walls in coming decades.

Luckily our Town has many boards and commissions with interconnected missions affecting our environmental health- from the Flood and Erosion Control Board to the Conservation Commission to Land Acquisition Committee to the Sustainability Task Force.

But really, all Town bodies should consider how their planning and projects will affect our town in the long term as climate change impacts worsen and as our town faces extreme pressure to expand residential development. I urge all town boards and commissions to add a section on natural resource preservation, climate resiliency and sustainability to their routine considerations.

The unfortunate concept of developing the environmentally sensitive Ash Creek open space area as a Parks & Recreation project should never see the light of day. I respectfully ask the Parks and Recreation department to please consider our collective environmental health and preservation of the natural environment in all your planning.

And to the broader community, thank you for your attention and action on this. We all must become partners in our Town’s environmental health and natural resource protection, by volunteering to sit on boards, commissions, committees and task forces. Vacancies come up frequently and are listed on the Town website.

Please continue to act proactively so that we can ensure our Town is truly invested in its environmental health for now and for future generations.

Respectfully,

Alexis Harrison
Member, Fairfielders Protecting Land & Neighborhoods (FairPLAN)