Mattabeseck Audubon Society Archives

Mattabeseck Audubon has a long history of local conservation intervention. Representatives of Mattabeseck have attended countless wetlands meetings in most of the towns our chapter covers. Below is a summary of our actions, followed by links to pdf versions of many of our position papers on issues we have fought for in the past years.

Mattabeseck Audubon Conservation Initiatives
Advocacy
Proposal	Date	Concern	Result	Date
Dead Man’s Swamp, Cromwell, CT Golf Course & Subdivision	First plans submitted March 17, 1987	flood storage, habitat loss	Golf Course denied	June 17, 1988
Dead Man’s Swamp, Cromwell, CT Golf Course & Subdivision	MAS intervened December 1, 1987		Supreme Court decision prevents leveling of floodplain forest	1993
Job’s Pond, Portland, CT Gravel Excavation	First proposed: 3/1/89	hydrology of adjacent kettle hole pond; habitat loss	denial of proposal	9/12/89
Job’s Pond, Portland, CT Gravel Excavation	MAS review of project: 4/1/89
Marina Expansion, Portland, CT	April 17, 1989 – 1991	Flood plain habitat loss	denied without prejudice	Fall 1990
Marina Expansion, Portland, CT			Reapplication approved with conditions
Mattabesset River Group application to build office park with bridge crossing through Mattabassett River flood plain, Cromwell, CT	1990	Flood plain habitat loss	application denied by wetlands commission without prejudice
			Project never revised or completed
Lyman Farms, Inc. Golf Course, Middlefield, CT	First proposed: 1990	Flood plain loss, Coginchaug River	Town application approved	4/12/91
Lyman Farms, Inc. Golf Course, Middlefield, CT	MAS review 1991		State of Connecticut intervened; revised plans considerably before approval	1992
Collins Hill Golf Course Proposal, Portland, CT	August 8, 1991	wetlands, vernal pools	Application approved with conditions	1991
Gas transmission line by Algonquin Gas, Cromwell, CT	Aug. 29, 1992	gas line planned to go through wetlands and flood plain of Mattabessett River	application denied at local level
			application for water quality permit by State of CT denied	March 18, 1993
			Pipeline application revised, approved	June 3, 1993
Proposal to build McDonald’s adjacent to flood plain of Mattabassett River , Cromwell, CT	1993	Flood storage and habitat loss	application approved with conditions
			MAS gets conservation easement near river
Permit application by State DOT for slope stabilization, Route 66, Portland, CT, adjacent to flood plain	June 23, 1994	Flood plain habitat loss	application approved with conditions	August 12, 1993
Job’s Pond, Portland, CT Gravel Excavation	First proposed: 4/18/95	hydrology of adjacent glacial kettle hole ponds; habitat restoration	Applicant agrees on comprehensive restoration plans as a condition of approval	9/11/98
Job’s Pond, Portland, CT Gravel Excavation	MAS review of project 5/5/98
Middletown, CT Golf Course	First proposed: 10/3/95	wetlands, habitat, flood storage	proposal denied without prejudice	5/1/96
Middletown, CT Golf Course	MAS intervention 3/29/96		Reapplication with appropriate conservation stipulations approved	6/8/98
Gas transmission line, Portland, CT	September 1996	wetland loss	application approved with conditions
Application to construct motorcycle racing course, Great Meadows, CT River floodplain, Wethersfield-Rocky Hill, CT	March 17, 1998	habitat loss	approved with conditions recommended by MAS
Proposal by Town of Portland, CT for road and boat launch in flood plain of CT River	Jan. 25, 1999	habitat loss	Corps of Engineers approval with conditions	January 31, 2000
			boat launch never built due to lack of funds
Maromas: Sewer Interceptor Public Hearing Middletown, CT	Feb. 6, 2000	habitat loss	Intervention in court by CFE prevents pipeline approval until certain conditions are met
Maromas: Sewer Interceptor Public Hearing Middletown, CT			pipeline construction continues with restrictions	2003
Public Comment
Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge public comments	1994		public input leads to establishment of Connecticut River National Wildlife Refuge	final draft July 1995
Listen to the Sound testimony in favor of establishing coastal preserve system
Legislative
“The Sooty Six” legislation concerning controlling emissions of older power plants	2002	toxic air pollution	older power plants required to retrofit pollution controls
Land Aquisitions
Portland, CT, Wangunk Meadows, flood plain, purchase of 2 parcels	May 2001
Highland Pond, Middletown, CT, bequest	1999?
Portland, CT, Wangunk Meadows, flood plain, donation of land	(1990s)
Letters: overview
Letter to Middletown Planning & Zoning to include open space provisions in long range planning	1989		Result: open space bonding approved and open space made part of provisions
Letters to EPA commenting on proposal changes to 1989 Wetlands Delineation manual	Sept. 20, 1991
Comments and suggestions to draft revisions to Middlefield Inland Wetlands Regulations	May 23, 1993
Recommendations to State committee deciding fate of Connecticut Valley Hospital surplus lands in favor of conservation	March 11, 1994		Result: some land donated to City of Middletown as open space
Recommendations to logging operation Hurd’s Park, East Hampton	March 12, 1995		Response: best forestry practices to be met
Letter to Mayor of Middletown concerning dumping on town land in the natural open space near Lawrence School	May 4, 1997		Response: public works places barriers to most-accessible dumping areas
Comments on logging in Portland State Forest	March 28, 1999		Response: meeting with forester on site
Letter to Cromwell First Selectman concerning dumping of snow removed from municipal parking lots adjacent to CT River	December 31, 2001		Response: dumping stopped at site
Letters to Senators Lieberman & Dodd concerning Pres. Bush energy policy and oil drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge	January 20, 2002		Response: both senators reject Bush policy
Other Conservation Involvement
Connecticut River Watch macroinvertebrate collections in Mattabesset River, and data reduction for long-term water quality survey.
Part of Mattabasset River Stakeholder Group that devised management plan for the river watershed. Plan was signed by towns in watershed.
Conducted natural history field trip for the Town of Durham, in the process of recommending town approval to buy open space parcel.
Conducted natural history field trip on parcel of land in Middlefield, recommending Town buy the open space parcel. Town approved purchase.