Environmentalists Rally Around Deep Brook, Secure Funds

By Kendra Bobowick

Monday’s warm sunshine sent sparkling threads of white light through a meandering portion of Deep Brook flowing across Dickinson Park. Standing on the water’s edge and across from one crumbling bank were a collection of people prepared to take grant funds in hand and preserve the park’s portion of the stream and surrounding habitat.

Local conservation efforts will likely protect a roughly 1,400-foot stretch of brook from erosion and deterioration while establishing a hearty native streamside habitat. A second phase will focus on a stream that was piped below ground to make room for Dickinson pool, which is now closed and filled in as of last year.

Roots for Newtown Coalition has received a $15,000 grant from Iroquois Gas Transmission System, with the Newtown Forest Association as the fiduciary. The funds are through Iroquois’ Land Enhancement and Acquisition Fund (LEAF), and in this case are specifically for the purchase and planting of native trees and other flora along Deep Brook. Environmental-minded residents and professionals who are involved with the Dickinson project include Dan Holmes of Holmes Fine Garden, who admitted he is eager to begin.

“That’s work we love to do,” Mr Holmes said. Landscape designer Sarah Middeleer is also intent on beginning preservation efforts.

“I am passionate about the whole watercourse,” she said. “A good, healthy ecosystem can be beautiful.” She and others have additional funding support, including $10,000 from The Newtown Tree Project and matching town funds. Encompassing the overall effort will be a Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) grant, which Trout Unlimited President James Belden strongly anticipates will come through.

The WHIP grant would cover the entire project, he said, and all other grants will be used as matching funds. According to information available at www.ct.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/whip/whip.html, “The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) is a voluntary program for people who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat primarily on private land. Through WHIP the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides both technical assistance and up to 75 percent cost-share assistance to establish and improve fish and wildlife habitat.”

Among those also closely involved with the habitat improvements are Roots for Newtown Coalition representative Pat Barkman and landscape designer Billie Cohen. In past months Ms Cohen had approached the Parks and Recreation Commission with her ideas about improvements for Dickinson since the pool had been closed.

“I love Dickinson,” she said. “It can be so beautiful and the potential here is amazing.” Remembering the town’s favorite swimming hole, she said, “Everyone was sad to see the pool go.”

Ms Cohen sees an emerging potential, however. Looking at Deep Brook and considering the restoration project poised to begin after June 1, she said, “Now we can really tie kids to nature and integrate the environment with the play experience.” The wetlands adjacent to Dickinson located across Point ‘O Rocks Road is another hidden treasure, she said.

As spring blossoms and summer approaches, work will likely begin.

On Tuesday evening during a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, Parks and Recreation Assistant Director of Parks Carl Samuelson explained the “very preliminary” planting plans that the environmental group gathered at Dickinson to discuss Monday.

“It’s based on what the soil type allows,” he told Parks and Recreation Commission members Tuesday. All plantings will be native and involve trees, shrubs, and other species in a variety of sizes. Mr Belden had explained Monday that an abundance of invasive growth also would be removed, opening room for indigenous species.

Mr Samuelson offered a stark description of Deep Brook’s current state. “The banks are eroded and large chunks are falling off, carrying sediment.” The consequences are a shallower brook filled with deposits. Essentially the stream’s habitat changes as a result and the conditions are no longer conducive to the trout and other wildlife depending on a healthy water source, he said.

The tree and shrub plantings are just part of the scope of work, he said. “They will shore up the banks and restructure them so they’re stable, they will slope the sides so [the rising water] doesn’t remove large amounts of material,” Mr Samuelson said.

The second phase of work concerns “day lighting” the stream piped below the space where the pond once welcomed swimmers. Its source lies across Point O’ Rocks Road in a swampy area, travels into Dickinson Park and into Deep Brook.

The time between June 1 and late September are ideal months to make improvements to the stream, including stabilizing and reinforcing the banks and planting native species.

Deep Brook’s habitat is just one of the project’s benefits. Mr Belden said, “This is going to be good for aquatic species, for our drinking water, and for people using the park. The more water we can keep clean, the better.”

Supplementing the machine and labor provided by the parks and Recreation Department, Mr Holmes has also offered labor and machine work where needed, and to help with the plant selection process. Offering their expertise and support are Ms Middeleer and Ms Cohen. Both Mr Belden and Ms Barkman agree that the upcoming restoration is a success for the town’s environmental interests. Planning, plant selection, and overall design is still in planning stages.