New Haven Independent

An urban wetland is being re-born in City Point, and, in the process, uniting one of New Haven’s historic waterfront communities.

Michael Lloyd and Alex Johnston (pictured as a fog rolled in), of the City Point Historic District Neighborhood Association (CPHDNA), were among two dozen area volunteers Saturday who dragged out this pile of junk within about 20 minutes from a two-acre coastal wetland lot at 24 South Water St. across from Triangle Park, and between the buildings of the Sound School.

It was day one of the implementation of a $10,000 federal grant from the Department of Environmental Production to recover, design, and utilize as a community educational resource one of the rare still open plots of coastal wetland left in New Haven.

Lloyd, an industrial designer by training, is leading the effort. He was being helped this morning by, among others, the Gallagher Brothers, Brandon (center) and Jared, of the nearby Sound School. The brothers were fulfilling some of their 50 hours of community service. Both young men look forward to careers on the sea.

“The very point of City Point,” Lloyd punned, “is that at this location we have the maritime-focused Sound School, an historic oystering village, which is arguably the place where aquaculture began in New Haven, a marina, and then this two-plus acre wetland that needs loving care. We see it as a way to preserve the environment, to involve the kids, and to bring down the other neighbors from the Hill, who were cut off from the waterfront by I-95, and furthermore …”

Lloyd translated his enthusiasm and know-how into a grant whose first phase is a clean-up, to be followed by a survey of the two-acre site, to be followed by the design of a tidal pool. They’ve already got a biologist lined up to do the work. But the surveying, which will involve soil sampling of an area dumped on for decades, might reveal contamination that needs to be cleaned up first. That could delay creation of the pool.

Chris Ozyck, who represents another one of the partners in the project, Yale’s Urban Resource Institute (URI), was on the scene with three inkberry bushes, which are ideal for planting to drive away the tenacious mugwort weed and the non-native phragmites.

He was being helped by Daryl Belto (far right in the photo) and Jermale Foster, young New Haven high-schoolers, who are doing internships with URI through Solar Youth.

Jermale said he was participating in part because he felt he had skills with trees. Daryl said ever since his grandfather showed him how to plant and harvest collard greens, he has liked gardening and being around nature.

There was a great deal of nature to be around at the site. Ozyck was explaining to those gathered that the inkberry bushes would have their best chance to thrive if holes were dug one foot across and two feet deep and the phragmites cleared from the area.

Down in the future tidal pool area, Karen Nakamura and, the dog Momo — definitely one of the stars of the clean-up — and 6-year-old Kate Hardy were busy collecting trash. During storms, Lloyd noted, the high water has washed over the riprap and up onto the road to the foundations of houses on South Water.

Once even a washing machine (definitely a non-native species) washed up. Kate said she was cleaning up because her mother brought her, and also because it’ll be much better for Momo and other dogs if they come down to a cleaner area in the future looking for something to eat.

In addition to the CPHDNA, URI, and the Sound School, the other partners Lloyd has brought together include the New Haven Land Trust, Elm City Parks Conservancy, and the city. The future holds a permanent sign-based public education program, monitoring in perpetuity by kids from the Sound School, as the wetland and tidal pool increasingly become integrated into the school’s curriculum. Much fun, learning, and appreciation of the area’s both natural and cultural history are also foreseen as the restoration of the wetlands brings more and more families down Howard Avenue to the sea.

The EPA’s $10,000 needs to be matched by $40,000 in volunteer time, such as the hours being contributed Saturday morning, in in-kind gifts such as the inkberry plants, and, also, of course, cash. For those businesses and individuals wishing to contribute, the fiduciary contact is Elm City Parks Conservancy. (Indicate gift is for the City Point Wetlands project.) For more info, the contact is Michael Lloyd

The next cleanup, which is also an enjoyable social event, will be April 19,at the same place, 24 South Water St. Who knows what buried treasure — or other household appliance — may turn up?