Cluster housing development on armstrong road

[NickHubbell]

Just found this news story published on July, 21. 2004 Another bog threatend.

http://www.zwire.com/site....8&rfi=6 (http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12422448&BRD=1346&PAG=461&dept_id=434928&rfi=6)

[cool85k5]

Thats sad. http://www.**********.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/new/confused.gif



Jerry

[herenorthere]

High density development is the solution, not the problem. *Much of suburban CT zones undeveloped residential areas for one or two (or more) acre single family lots. *So those 302 units, instead of consuming 23 acres, could take a square mile. *But it's absurd to be building in such an area when you consider how much abandoned commercial, industrial, and residential property is within a few miles of that place. *What a waste of both landscapes.

As an aside, the CT Department of Environmental Protection frequently hires the developer's engineer for its own projects and even published a book written by one of the company's founders.

[Bugweed]

Someone may need to go rescue some S. purp's. Who will step up to the plate?http://www.**********.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/new/confused.gif??

[herenorthere]

The development is proposed for land near the bog, not the bog itself. That threatens the bog, of course, but doesn't warrant the removal of bog vegetation. Not yet, anyway.

[NickHubbell]

We all need to watch this closely. I have been trying to contact the town via thier online information systems with no luck. I want to voice my opinnon on the development. Posting to the newspaper now.

[herenorthere]

I followed Nick's lead and went to the Stratford website, which includes these photos Cranberry Pond 1 (http://www.townofstratford.com/sweb/publicworks/cranpond2.jpg) and Cranberry Pond 2 (http://www.townofstratford.com/sweb/publicworks/cranpond1.jpg).

[Copper]

If worse comes to worse I have some family within a couple of hours. *I will plead with them to collect some plants (with directions).

Nick, your opinion is on the site now. Nicely spoken.

[NickHubbell]

From the looks of things, the housing project will not be built on the bog site, but will be built extrememly close. The residence appear to be concerned that excessive runoff and sewage problems will destroy the bog ecology. I hope this will not be another Radio Tower Site.

[Bugweed]

Granted, you don't remove until the destruction begins. Just be ready in case something goes seriously wrong, and the plants start to suffer for it. Remove them only if you have too.

[Glenn]

Great opinion post Nick!

Glenn

[herenorthere]

I did a little research today, including looking at an aerial view of the area. *There are a few commercial buildings, several homes, and some roads around the "bog" and pond. *It isn't pristine habitat, but it's as undeveloped as you hope to see around there. *The proposal described in the article would certainly dwarf what's already in the pond/marsh's watershed.

I talked with a co-worker who grew up a couple towns away and he'll try to see what's growing there. *He can't this weekend, but will shoot to get there in the next few weeks.

One thing to remember about place names in New England is they often describe things as they were hundreds of years ago. *Many a cranberry pond or rattlesnake mountain has been without its namesake for generations.

Clearcutting followed by a couple hundred years of farming followed by modern development and roads have done in thousands of bogs. *Granted, a New England bog is a just stage in a glacial lake's transition to forest. *But human activities have greatly accelerated that change.