Protect Our Wetlands

To the Editor:

On Main Street, beyond the pocket park, behind Peter Rabbit’s House, is the home of many real live animals. Deer, raccoons, ground hogs, rabbits, pheasants, turkeys, fragrant skunks, frogs and birds, birds, birds, they are the residents of a wetlands area right here in the very heart of town. These neighbors make our town special. Wide roads, traffic lights, rushing people can be found in any town. Only, Newtown can say we prize our wildlife in a prime location.

Since Newtown was new, animals have used the pond and the surrounding trees and vegetation to live out their lives while the town grew around them coming closer and closer. Now, the wetlands are limited and fragile. Today, they are endangered.

There is a plan afoot to fill in acres of this site with soil, consuming almost 5,000 square feet of this precious area to build a new fire station on Route 302.

As Newtown grows, an updated firehouse is welcomed by everyone. But there is no reason that can’t be accomplished at the firehouse’s current site.

Let’s keep our town special. Let’s protect our wetlands. Let’s save our wildlife. After all they have been such good neighbors all these years.

Carol Terry

18 Lincoln Road, Newtown                                  September 23, 2010