Glenwood Park

URBAN RIPARIAN BUFFER

Habitat Restoration and Stormwater Management on the Pequonnock River
Bridgeport, CT

KEY PEOPLE / ORGANIZATIONS:

Gwen Macdonald, Save the Sound

Steve Hladun, City of Bridgeport

COLLABORATORS:

Save the Sound / Connecticut Fund for the Environment

City of Bridgeport Parks Department

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

The planting plan for the riverside includes an assortment of native plugs, shrubs, and seeds, including black-eyed susan, gray dogwood, tufted hair grass, fireworks goldenrod, northern bayberry, and false indigo.  The variety of plants and thoughtful design will provide beautiful color throughout the seasons. Last year, Site Systems won an award for their design of the green infrastructure and landscape project funded through Save the Sound in Old Mine Park in Trumbull. Both projects were identified as part of the Pequonnock River Initiative.

About 70 folks from in and around Bridgeport came out on May 10 to help plant.  Individual volunteers as well as members of Beardsley Zoo’s Conservation Discovery Corps, BuildOn Bridgeport, Gap Inc., GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc., and National Charity League’s Fairfield chapter dug in the dirt for a few hours and not only helped to plant over two thousand plants, but also laid straw and mulch around the entire planting area.

Bridgeport Parks & Rec Department played a large role in the planting event: from preparing the site weeks in advance, to laying soil and installing silt fence the week before, to planting shrubs and plugs the day of with the rest of the volunteers, we could not have had such a successful event without their help!

Additionally, Wood Grinding Unlimited donated the mulch needed for the planting area; Stop & Shop store #0670 of Main Street Bridgeport donated food and water for the volunteers; The Wonderland of Ice provided safe storage of the plants and allowed us to use their parking lot; and Beardsley Zoo provided use of their electric carts to transport plants to the planting site.