To The Editor:

Should Newtown allow massive housing developments that endanger wetlands and wildlife? No!

The proposal to build a massive apartment complex on 188-190 Mt. Pleasant Road directly adjacent to sensitive wetlands teeming with wildlife is just plain wrong and irresponsible.

The seasonal breeding pond deserving protection on these wetlands is not only home to amphibian and reptile species, but is part of a complex ecosystem with interdependent plants and animals. I have personally identified well over 60 different species of birds, and have observed rabbits, foxes, opossums, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, bobcats, chipmunks, several squirrel species, and deer in these woodlands — eye-catching hawks, turkeys, owls, and turkey vultures, too. The range and environmental sensitivity of the pond and the entire wetlands is hard to define as it varies with seasons and climate disturbance, all this clearly evident in 2026 during periods of unusually high rainfall or even past droughts. Amphibians (organisms uniquely sensitive to environmental changes, pollution, and habitat degradation) are bioindicators of wetland health and merit monitoring by professionals, regulators, specialized experts, citizen scientists and community volunteers. If imperiled by development, monitoring would be essential by developer’s internal site managers and specialized compliance officers to prevent suffocating runoff from reaching breeding ponds, making sure heavy machinery has no impact on designated ecological zones. Long-term monitoring must track amphibian and other wildlife populations after construction crews have left — especially for a housing project of this scale with impactful cars, traffic and pollution.

But, why have a massive development incompatible with wetlands at all? A mistake at any critical point dooms this fragile ecosystem and its vulnerable animals and plants leaving future generations to address irreversible damage. Yes, “Build this somewhere else,” as a recent headline in The News Times stated! My scientific background and ethical principles compel me to reject this problematic project as it is now. I strongly encourage Newtown’s Inland Wetlands Commission to protect our town’s environment, wildlife, and remarkable natural setting and affirm loudly to our community: “no, not here!”

Ray Bigelis, PhD, Biological Sciences

Newtown