New Haven Independent

The Bioregional Group has done some adventurous activities — hacking through the West River “Narrows,” dodging oncoming traffic on the Willow Street on-ramp to I-91, misjudging the tides and flipping our canoes on the Quinnipiac River — but nothing compared to the trespassing-and-tick-filled May 17 landfill hike.

The idea for the hike came from an article in the November 2008 Grand News about how the dormant landfill along the Quinnipiac River just west of I-91 could be reclaimed for public use — transformed from an eyesore and environmental hazard into a multi-use site offering recreation, education, even energy production.

In 2008, the Quinnipiac River Fund gave $6,200 to Elm City Parks Conservancy (ECPC) to support the “evaluation for feasibility of re-use” of the New Haven landfill. Chris Ozyck of ECPC, who was the guest leader for the Bioregional Group walk, says he is hoping to have a re-use proposal for the site in the upcoming months.

The huge mound of trash, over 50 acres, is covered by a membrane that keeps water from seeping in and gases from going out. Capped landfills are safe for conversion to other uses. Other capped landfills have been turned into parks, golf courses, even ski slopes. Ozyck thinks the site could support a nature trail and educational center, among other uses.

Along with efforts to clean up the river and to create the Quinnipiac River Trail, a planned paved linear trail that will meander along the banks on the east side of the Quinnipiac River from North Haven to Wallingford, the landfill re-use project could help transform the Quinnipiac River corridor from a polluted industrial zone into a recreational paradise.

Ozyck’s over-riding ambition for the project is “multi-use.” In addition to recreational and educational uses, he is hoping that the landfill can become a source of green energy through “trash-to-energy” production. The landfill currently has a system in place to monitor and collect methane produced by decomposing organic materials. Methane can be used as a fuel for creating electricity. Currently covered with high grass (excellent habitat for bird species such as meadowlark, as well as for ticks), the site could also be planted with switchgrass or another biofuel crop. The wide-open, windy site might also be a good candidate for solar panels or windmills. Trash-to-energy production has high potential: New Jersey hopes to create as much as 30 percent of its electricity by 2020 from different sources of production at landfill sites.

From the top of the landfill we enjoyed magnificent 360-degree views of much of south-central Connecticut, from the Quinnipiac River Historic District in Fair Haven all the way across the flora- and fauna-filled Quinnipiac marshes to the Hanging Hills of Meriden. We could also look down on the “Circle of Life” train depot that has been the subject of political controversy.

With the help of Randy Domina of the New Haven Bird Club, we spotted a number of different bird species, including northern harrier, eastern meadowlark, and osprey, though not the bald eagles which have recently started nesting in the watershed and become a symbol of the Quinnipiac River’s modest renaissance.

With a combination of education and adventure, the landfill hike was an ideal Bioregional Group excursion. As usual, each of Maria Tupper’s photos are worth a thousand words.

For more information about the Bioregional Group, click here.

For more information on Elm City Parks Conservancy, click here.