A Fish Story?

To the Editor:

It wasn’t only a few little fish that were gushed away through the town-installed drainage pipes that were thrust unexpectedly into The Great Bog’s pond on Boggs Hill Road two weeks ago.

This was done without permission from landowners whose property supports this ecosystem, i.e. The Forestry Association, Chet and Paula Hopper, the Unger family, Gloria Lovecchio and others whose property touches on the far shore of this once beautiful bog, teeming with aquatic and shore-dwelling wildlife and life-supporting plants.

It was done without a permit or an impact study from our town’s established Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commissions, who exist to protect our ecosystems from this kind of unintended damage.

The beautifully balanced ecology (not a swamp), begun by beaver activities over 20 years ago, was home to small fish, snails, mussels, caddisflies, mayflies, dragonflies. It supported migrating and local birds, frogs, salamanders, several species of turtles, wild ducks, and aquatic mammals. Flocks of Canada geese glided quietly in this deep natural pond — the male and female bracketing their goslings until they were old enough to fly to a safe environment.

If a private business or a developer had summarily ordered this wetland lowered, without a legal permit from the Inland Wetlands Commission, they would now be facing serious charges by our state and local environmental agencies.

Commissioner George Ferguson made a motion at the regular May 13 Newtown Conservation Commission’s meeting that: “the Conservation Commission request that the Department of Public Works take immediate steps to stop water from flowing out of the wetlands on Boggs Hill Road (called ‘The Great Bog’) in order to prevent possible irreparable damage to this important natural resource which is a significant breeding ground for a diverse population of wildlife.” Commissioner Mary Wilson, seconded the motion. Motion approved unanimously.                      

No friends, this is not just a story about a few lost fish. The “fish story” lies in the lame, unproven excuses we are hearing about the reasons for this unwarranted and illegal act. The water’s surface is not moving. Stagnation will occur since the pond is being drained from below. The formerly submerged waterplants are dying. Countless plankton (the most basic microscopic organisms in the food chain) have gushed away with the rest of the tiny one-inch frogs (peepers). A perfect setting for a massive explosion of mosquitoes. ... Can you say “West Nile mosquito’?

The silence coming from the formerly sparkling water across the road is deafening. ...And that’s no fish story!

Respectfully,

Paula Hopper

131 Boggs Hill Road, Newtown May 27, 2009