Nicolás Medina Mora Pérez Photo
As they set out on a canoeing expedition, three little girls were blown away from the shore by the wind.
“Paddle like you want to survive, Shivany!” a young neighbor yelled jokingly from the shore, as the girls tried to get their boat back to land.
The scene took place Saturday afternoon in the West River Memorial Park, during a canoe excursion for local kids organized by the West River Neighborhood Services Corporation (WRNSC) with help from the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Trees.
The mastermind behind the outing was Stacy Spell (pictured below), a retired cop who chairs the WRNSC and is something of neighborhood hero.
Stacy Spell
“Many of these kids see the river every day, but had never been to the park!” Spell marveled. “If kids take ownership of the small things in their community, like our neighborhood garden or this river, we can begin to change big things like public safety for the better.”
Spell also said that he was very grateful for the help of the New Have Police Department Athletic League, which paid for the outing.
Untapped Natural Beauty
Ranger Joe Milone
The mood Saturday was one of excitement as New Haven Park Ranger Joe Milone explained safety procedures to the kids.
“You’ve got to make sure that your life jacket is strapped on tight, because if you fall into the water we’re going to lift you by its straps!” he said. “And if it’s too loose it’ll fall off and we’ll have to pull you out by the nose!”
Tyrik, Jayla, Shivany, and Jocelyn getting ready to canoe
The kids listened attentively, imitating the ranger’s motions as he taught them how to row. Jocelyn (at the left in the above picture), who is “8 and a half” years old, said that she was excited about the river cruise.
“But I’m also a little bit scared!” she said, in part because she’d never gone canoeing before.
After a false start, when a canoe full of girls was swept away from the shore by the wind, the expedition got on its way. A few minutes later, the sight was so beautiful that it was hard to believe that the West River is in the middle of a large city. The water reflected the trees, which were just beginning to turn yellow, and the almost-cloudless sky, which was a beautiful light blue.
With the exception of the park rangers, nobody in the expedition had been to the river before.
“I’ve lived in my house across the street from the river for over 30 years, and I’d never been here before!” said Spell.
Spell and Milone, who are both bird-watching aficionados, pointed out the different species they saw.
“Look at that kingfisher!” said Spell.
“The other day we saw two bald eagles,” replied Milone. “They usually migrate south this time of year, but they’ve stuck around this time, probably because it hasn’t gotten cold yet.”
The crisp autumn air was full with the sound of the kids’ laughter and the splash of their oars. They convinced the adults in their boats to go on a race.
The last leg of the trip had the most beautiful view, with West Rock standing imposing at the end of an artificial canal.
“It was originally meant to be something like the Washington Monument,” said Milone. “But they never built it, I think because of the depression.”
Work To Be Done
One of the few remaining homeless camps
Besides talking about birds, Spell and Milone chatted about the different kinds of mushrooms one can gather in the West River forest. But their conversation wasn’t just about fun. They also talked about the need to clear a couple of homeless encampments that stand in the park. They said that those camps make the West River forest unsafe, which prevents the community from taking full advantage of the extraordinary natural beauty. The situation has improved — only three or four camps remain — but it still needs further improvement before the city can safely build trekking paths through the woods.
“I mean, you are a single mother, and you want to take your kid out here, get him some exercise, have those family talks. It’s harder to do that if those camps are lying around,” said Spell. “I’m sympathetic to the homeless’s plight, but we can’t let their plight get in the way of an entire community.”
Bastketball And A Barbecue
Tyrik
After the canoes returned to the shore, Spell started off a grill to barbecue some hot dogs. As he started the fire, he nodded toward 9‑year-old Tyrik (pictured), one of the kids who had gone on the trip.
“He’s one of our special ones,” he said. “Tyrik has made some bad choices, so we want to get him exposed to new things, show him that there is more to the world than what he’s seen.”
Spell said that the river cruise was a particularly good way of doing just that.
“Once you get in touch with nature, brother, it changes you,” he said.
Tyirk’s boat had won the race, and as a reward he had been given a basketball. He ran toward the courts by Barnard Magnet School where, with the help of Bobby Mcknight, a 21 year-old who volunteers at Spell’s community garden, he tried to teach this ignorant reporter how to properly shoot hoops.
Back by the river, one of the park rangers asked Spell if he missed his old life.
“I don’t miss being a cop,” the former detective replied, a just-grilled hot-dog in his hand. “I don’t miss having to wake up at 3 in the morning to go to a crime scene. I still get to be engaged with my community, and that’s what matters to me. Everybody talks about changing things, but somebody’s got to make a commitment.”
Is there any way to have boat rentals somewhere along the river for those of us who'd like to explore places like the West River?
It would be nice to see more opportunities to use the natural resources available to us in New Haven.<br /> And Stacy Spell is a mensch! Can we clone him?Once the new boat club is built along the harbor, the harbor, West Haven beaches and LI Sound will be open for exploration.