Beaver Pond’s “Friends” Face A Cleaner Future

by Melinda Tuhus | February 22, 2007 8:28 AM | | Comments (13)

Neighbors of Beaver Pond Park (like Nan Bartow, pictured) have been working, well, like beavers, for the past few years to beautify the two ponds and surrounding parkland adjacent to Southern Connecticut State University. Now they’ve received a detailed management plan that charts a strategy for tackling frustrating, continual problems with muck and debris in the water.

The plan was delivered to the group Wednesday night by Yale forestry students, who put it together.

It turns out, the students found, that being the low point in a 1,200-acre urban watershed is a significant fact.

Runoff from parking lots and streets flows right into the ponds, sweeping lots of debris in with it. That’s been a source of frustration to the Friends, who have spent untold hours cleaning out cardboard, glass and plastic detritus from the ponds’ surface, only to see more wash right in after the next rain.

The neighborhood volunteers, along with forestry students assigned to help them through the Urban Resources Initiative, have also been busy on land, clearing out invasive plants like phragmites that had all but taken over the edges of the ponds, and planting native species of trees and shrubs.

The main goals of the management plan are to rehabilitate the park to serve as wildlife habitat and to promote the safety and appeal of the park for human use. The students also pledged to present ways the park can be used as an educational and recreational resource.

In formulating the management plan, four students from Prof. Mark Ashton’s silvaculture class considered both social and biological impacts. They inventoried the flora and fauna, paying special attention to species that provide good habitat for wildlife and to invasive species that are damaging the park’s ecosystem. They also conducted a water quality assessment.

In their letter last fall outlining the process of creating the management plan, the students wrote, “The social analysis will include field work both in the park and in the communities surrounding it; we will create a social map similar to the vegetation map. Off-site social research will include a historical site analysis, boundary delineation, and analysis of socioeconomic data (such as U.S. Census Bureau data) on the neighborhoods adjacent to the Park.”

What they came up with was a 150-plus page report with lots of detailed maps. It included the following options for the ponds: dredging the North Pond and leaving the South Pond as is; dredging both ponds; removing the dam (near the entrance to Southern Connecticut State University) and letting water drain out and returning the area to a marshland; or doing nothing, in which case both ponds would silt in over a long period of time.

“The presentation was long and fascinating,” said Nan Bartow, one of the leaders of FOBPP. “People were quite intrigued by the idea of the swamp,” which could actually promote greater biodiversity than open water. Although, she added, many others were horrified at the idea, hoping to keep the ponds as open water.

About three dozen people crowded into a room at the New Haven Police Department shooting range near one end of the park. They included neighborhood residents plus representatives from environmental groups such as URI, the Green Party, the Audubon Society and the Bioregional Group. Bartow was especially happy to see some members from the Environmental Futurists at Southern, who announced there are 20 more in their group who want to work with the Friends. Bartow said she’s been trying for a long time to make connections at Southern, the park’s biggest neighbor, without success, and had never heard of the Futurists until they showed up at the meeting.

As for the social component, the management plan makes several suggestions: that the Friends group create a more formal structure (now it’s just a loose agglomeration of interested people); that the police shooting range be moved (the noise and lead from the bullets is not conducive to happy living beings, whether human or otherwise); and that a plan be developed to deal with the trash constantly washing into the ponds. The plan proposed installing catchment basins at the inlet

“But if we do that, we have to figure out who’s going to clean them because the city won’t,” Bartow said.

She added that the Friends will take up the students’ management plan recommendations at a future meeting.

Comments

Posted by: Nan Bartow | February 22, 2007 12:06 PM

I wish to extend my thanks to the people, 30 strong, who came last night to hear the Management Plan Presentation for Beaver Pond Park which was given by the four very industrious and capable students from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Thanks to the students, members of Friends of Beaver Pond Park, our two alders, Moti Sandman and Charles Blango, Brian McGrath, chair of the New Haven Environmental Advisory Council, Doreen Oboyski from the NH Parks Dept., and people from several environmental organizations including the Biodiversity Group,and the student Futurists from SCSU. Beaver Pond Park will thrive and be better loved, stewarded, and restored because of your support. Finally, thanks to the New Haven Police Academy for graciously hosting our meeting.

Nan Bartow
Friends of Beaver Pond Park
nanbarto@sbcglobal.com

Posted by: Nan Bartow | February 22, 2007 1:12 PM

I wish to extend my thanks also to the staff members of Urban Resources Initiative (URI), Colleen Murphy-Dunning and Chris Ozyck, who have been the enthusiastic and loyal supporters of our Beaver Pond Park Greenspace project which started in one small area of the park and now covers the whole 100 plus acres. Whenever we needed advice, trees and bushes, and connections to people and organizations, URI has been there for us. It is because of URI and its solid working relationship with Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies(FES) that we found Professor Mark Ashton who agreed to include Beaver Pond Park as one of the sites for his fall 2006 Sivaculture class which prepared the Management Plan for Beaver Pond Park. Thank you, Professor Ashton, and the adjunct professors who worked with you.

Lastly, thanks to the New Haven Independent on-line publication for covering environmental issues so well.

Nan Bartow
Friends of Beaver Pond Park
nanbarto@sbcglobal.com

Posted by: Cedar Hill Resident | February 22, 2007 1:40 PM

Bravo to you guys!!

Posted by: Fred Cervin, NH Bioregional Group | February 22, 2007 4:14 PM

Beaver Pond Park sits like a jewel smackdab in the middle of New Haven. It is a tremendous asset to a town that likes to think of itself as a city of parks, not just a neighborhood asset, but a city-wide asset. The neglect it has suffered in the past is a scandal. Instead of being little known, even to residents, it could in future become famous as an image of New Haven, the Green City on Long Island Sound. With people plying its waters in canoes and walking the trails through its diverse flora and fauna, why not make it an image and a place that everyone just has to visit? The plan presented last evening deserves serious consideration and support from all the people of New Haven.

Posted by: Ben Ross | February 22, 2007 8:47 PM

WoW, I'm moving to New Haven. The people living in this area show a real passion for the good things in life. Thanks all you good people! Lov Ben

Posted by: Leejay Rudenjak | February 23, 2007 10:02 AM

For anyone who doesn’t already know how uplifting and nurturing of soul it is to visit a place like Beaver Pond, I would encourage you to go there and find out. One can feel miles away from city life and find unusual peace. The place leads to both inner tranquility and to philosophial musing. It can also summon a touch of sadness for the state of urban and world ecology—but that sadness can be transformed to hope and joy through a little effort to pitch in, act locally, and contribute to positive change: pick up some plastic and feel good. While those of us who have just helped a very little bit have taken away little bits of joy, the admirable and inspirational Nan Bartow ought to be chock full of the stuff through all that she has done to breathe life into this microcosm, and the Yale Forestry students who have prepared the excellent ecological management plan ought to be very proud of their work and its potential use by the growing roster of Friends of Beaver Pond Park.

Posted by: Aquarius Rising | February 23, 2007 3:38 PM

Some of you may now realize the gem of an asset those of us in the Beaver Hills, Dixwell and Newhallville areas have in Nan Bartow. Through her caring and persistence to have a natural park in our neighborhood, she has won over the residents, politicians, Yale Forestry School, New Haven Parks Department and others. For those of you that missed the Yale Forestry students presentation the other night, come down to the park any time and take a look. The wildlife is incredible and as we all found out that evening, a gigantic moth was seen there that professors can't believe is in that habitat!
So Ben, who wrote above, do please move to New Haven, to our neighborhood. We have a great group of people who live here who care and will help with any cause that needs attention in order to make our part of New Haven have a better quality of life. So hooray for Nan!

Posted by: pinkbicycle | February 23, 2007 9:06 PM

They like you as long as you don't come with social services--like a group home. Those hyporcrites can get behind a damned ragedy park, but couldn't support a group home for children in need. Perhaps if the kids in question were something other than Black/Brown. Maybe the kids could be classified as a tree or shrub. Fuck Beaver Hills I wouldn't move there if my life depended on it. And they wouldn't have me anyway--I don't fit in with the general population--wrong color, wrong faith.

Posted by: Nan Bartow | February 26, 2007 10:49 AM

Beaver Hill is a tolerant, diverse multi-ethnic, multi-race, multi-faith community of people of all incomes and interests. We are working hard to improve our community and Beaver Pond Park. Please join us in our efforts on March 1, 2007, at 7:00 PM at Hillhouse High School Cafeteria on Crescent St.

Posted by: pinkbicycle | February 26, 2007 2:50 PM

Gee I wonder if the rest of Beaver Hills feels that delicious inclusiveness--you know the folks that live on the other side of Goffe Terrace--on County, Hudson, Sherman Ave, Winthrop--all that is Beaver Hill too--Goffe Terrace is the great divide--of race, economics and yes religion. So please spare that crap about multi-ism. They are working hard to maintain their supremacy. They know it. Sure they can fool themselve into believing they are righteous--self-righteous more like it.

Posted by: charles | February 26, 2007 5:48 PM

Pinkbicycle, I've talked with many residents of Beaver Hills, of all backgrounds. Your comments are so out of touch that they don't really warrant a response. If you want to see changes, you need to lobby your local and state representatives. Attacking people who are committed to neighborhood improvement won't solve any of your problems. You need to actually make an effort to do something good.

One thing you can do is lobby the state for tax reform so that more urban municipalities don't have to share such a large burden of the region's social services. As you probably know, as an example, about 70% of the homeless people in New Haven come from surrounding towns. Those towns really need to do more to care for their people, even if New Haven's people do a better job at it than anyone else (and they do - because they have tolerance and compassion).

Posted by: cedar hill resident | February 26, 2007 6:07 PM

Pinkbicycle we cedar hill (part of the East Rock area) are in simalar situation. I even had a women at an East Rock meeting come up to me and say that every one in east rock says that all the crime in there area is coming from ours. Made me so mad I had to walk away because I was going to say some ugly things. That is why we reclaimed our name Cedar Hill, because we are proud of were we live and we may not have as nice an area but it is our to reshape into a great area. But I have to tell you my few meetings with Nan, within groups that we have started in our side of town, well I think that you may be miss judging her. Now I am not over there to witness your problems with her but every dealing I have had with Nan has always been a positive one that may even of help our area in one way or another. As far as the group home I know nothing about that so I can not comment on it.

Posted by: pinkbicycle | February 27, 2007 12:02 AM

I do not know Ms. Bartow and my comments were not about her. My comments were about the neighborhood overall and from the folks posting in different places--is a whole different story. But the beauty is--this is my opionion. No one walks on water and great that communities come together on issues that suit them. I am not convinced of all their goodness. And I don't need to be.

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