Hepburn Family Preserve Living Shoreline Project - October 9 Update

Dear Fenwick, 

I write to let you know that work will begin after the long weekend to restore the breached barrier spit and protect the marsh at the Hepburn Family Preserve.  This is an exciting project long in the making – thanks to everyone who has worked hard to make this a reality.

The restoration project will include three main elements staggered over the coming months, shoreline and dune work October 13 thru December; dune planting and creek re-alignment and a new culvert installation over January-to-early February 2021; and then planting work to be largely concluded in April.

The project begins next week with preparations for installing new elements on the Sound side below the high-tide levels. Stone sills in the surf will mitigate wave energy and provide structure for re-establishing natural plant growth, both better protecting the rebuilt dune in the future. Crab Creek will be relocated to the inner edge of the marsh to provide space for a more substantial dune and better protect the creek. In moving the connection between the pond and marsh, the creek’s culvert under Mohegan Avenue will be replaced with a type and size that will avoid the common problems of debris blockage and allow critters better access to and from the pond. 

Taken together, the project elements and design features will maximize ecological benefits while restoring natural infrastructure that will help protect both private property and the borough. This work will protect the important work you accomplished in restoring the now thriving and healthy marsh.

You will likely see construction underway after the holiday weekend. The work will be focused around Mohegan Avenue and along the shore just to the east of Mohegan Drive.

As project coordinator and partner for the Lynde Point Land Trust, CRC will provide regular updates on construction progress via the Borough’s e’blast and through CRC communications.

Have questions?  Feel free to reach out to me at afisk@ctriver.org or 413-210-9207.

Sincerely yours,

Andy

Andrew Fisk, PhDs
Executive Director
Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC)

A Shared History. A Shared Future.

Fenwick residents have played leadership roles with the Connecticut River Conservancy and the clean-up of the Connecticut River since the early ‘50s when the recovery we now enjoy first began. Positioned at the mouth of New England’s longest river and largest watershed, the borough’s future will be heavily influenced by continued stewardship and restoration efforts upstream. Likewise, returning healthy populations of aquatic species across the watershed relies on decisions and stewardship in lower river communities like Fenwick. To learn more about the organization and see a CRC timeline, visit: CRC history