Freesia DeNaples photo
“Saving the Sound” means, in part, working on the waterways that run through New Haven.
That was the message Tuesday night from Gwen MacDonald and John Champion from the Save the Sound committee who addressed the annual meeting of Friends of Edgewood Park, held in Coogan Pavilion.
Members of the organization and their guests mingled before the meeting began, munching on dishes and snacks that were displayed on a table at the entrance of the pavilion. The members of Friends of Edgewood were required to bring something for a potluck that would precede the business.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m rambling,” said Friends President Willy Hoffman, “but there are so many great things we accomplished this past year.”
After Hoffman said his part, MacDonald and Champion from the Save the Sound spoke about what they have been doing around the New Haven area to keep our rivers safe for fish and clean for other species. They spoke about the Quinnipiac River in Wallingford, the Pequonnock River in Bridgeport, and the West River, which runs through Edgewood Park.
Save the Sound worked with the city of New Haven to replace three old tidal gates with self-regulating ones to restore tidal flow. (Read about that here.)
“That means when the tide would come in from New Haven Harbor, these gates would shut, and salt water couldn’t flush out of the West River system and turn into a fresh water river system,” MacDonald said. “Years later, Yale scientists and New Haven residents were able to identify this as one of the biggest restoration projects in the northeast.”
This restoration also restored fish passage and species diversity.
“We’ve done repairs for the city of New Haven as we go along,” Champion said, “So that we combine the funding for habitat restoration projects with funding for infrastructure projects that go hand in hand, and encourage the municipalities to have us be a part of them with the work that we want to do.”
Save the Sound’s next project is going to take place at the Pond Lily Dam along the West River. The infrastructure of the Pond Lily Dam needs to be reconnected to the stream that connects the tidal habitat and the freshwater streams in order to restore its natural wildlife and transportation abilities. (Read about that project here; it has met with delays.)
“We want to be able to restore areas of the habitat and engage community members,” Macdonald said.
Save the Sound collaborated with Friends of Edgewood Park in order to plan a project that focuses on planting various plants throughout the park to make the area more of a natural marsh.
To read more about these organizations, visit the websites for Friends of Edgewood Park and Save the Sound, or search them on Facebook.