Shoreline Saviors

It's a summer day and you just packed up your car to head to West Haven's boardwalk to spend time at the beach. As you get closer, you breathe in the salt air blowing through the windows. Do you hear the birds flying and waves crashing? You spread your blanket on the sand and start to apply sunscreen. Looking around, you feel an overwhelming need to protect and improve this space for future generations.

Thankfully, you're in luck! The Shoreline Restoration Project aims to restore and enhance a section of beach at Old Grove Park between the Oak Street and Altshuler Boulevard piers. A  previous StoryMap  for the Shoreline Restoration Project showcased preliminary design and data for the first phase of this project. This StoryMap addresses the second phase of the project.

The West Haven Shoreline Resilience and Eco-Restoration Project will rehabilitate 1.5 acres of public shoreline to native coastal plant and dune habitat and enhance public access to environmental education and passive recreation in a highly trafficked stretch of the shoreline in the City of West Haven.

Although many changes have occurred to West Haven's boardwalk since Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy, the Shoreline Restoration Committee is working to improve this space with four goals or pillars! These include: improving the eco-system, expanding accessibility, creating educational opportunities, and encouraging more engagement with nature.

This project will restore the shoreline by first removing noxious weeds and invasive plants and then planting over 16,000 native trees, shrubs, and perennials.

Take a look at the map below.  Observe how the 2004 map to the left showcases the area before Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy.  Use the slide to see the area today.  

View the project area below. ⬇️

Imagine a space full of flowering and seed bearing plants that will help provide food and habitat for birds, pollinating insects, cottontail rabbits, and other wildlife. Maybe animals will return to their native habitat once the land is restored. Even boardwalk visitors would be able to reconnect and appreciate the space in the way nature originally intended.

Look at the images below and appreciate how beautiful native plants can be!

However, plants are not only beautiful but have other amazing benefits. Have you ever considered a plants ability to prevent erosion and reduce flooding impacts?

This project will improve West Haven's shoreline resiliency by planting anchor grasses to keep beach sand in place and prevent erosion.

Have you ever been to the beach and wished there was an easier way to get to the water? Have you been to the board walk and wanted to sit, but realized no benches were in sight? Do you ever wish there were easier paths to walk on?

View the map below to better understand why a lack of accessibility can impact the community. Click on the green dots around the project area for an overview of the area's accessibility data. Note how some of the green dots report inaccessibility - a lack of access. The red and blue lines indicate bus routes. Notice how only two bus routes highlighted in blue travel to the boardwalk. For a full list of the bus routes, click the legend button in the bottom left corner of the map.

The project will improve wheelchair access to the water's edge, with roll-out ramps.

Furthermore, the project will add benches along the boardwalk, in addition to improve walking paths.

Have you ever heard the saying, "Nature is our greatest teacher" -unknown? What about, "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks" -John Muir?

Imagine a living classroom with educational placards and QR codes. Wouldn't you love the opportunity to engage with free educational events held at the boardwalk? Imagine a place where visitors can identify the native plants of the area and scan QR codes to learn more about different species and their role in the ecosystem. Consider how great it would be if near by schools could take field trips to the area!

The Shoreline Restoration Project plans to add 20 educational signs placed through the site that are designed to engage and inform visitors about the many connections between a healthy ecosystem; climate change and coastal resilience; and economic and social well-being. Each sign will link by QR code to the Land Trust's website for more in-depth information.

It is important that the community and visitors have the opportunity to engage with and understand the natural space that the boardwalk provides. Additionally, the boardwalk is located close to West Haven High School and could provide educational opportunities. Take a look at how many schools surrounding the project area could benefit from an educational space at the boardwalk! ➡️

Think about how much the boardwalk has changed since the amusement park in the late 1800s throughout early 1900s. The boardwalk has seen everything from rollercoaster screams to hurricanes to sandy beaches. Part of the beauty of this space exists in how much it has changed over time and the different memories each generation has of the space.

Consider all the ways the community already engages with the boardwalk. Notice how this map highlights the environmental benefits this space already provides for the community including beaches, birding hotspots, and areas of natural diversity!

Scroll down to read five star Google reviews of the boardwalk from community members! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

West Haven's boardwalk has provided a wonderful pastime for generations of visitors. Whether riding a rollercoaster in the 1950s, or buying a hotdog before taking a stroll on the beach, this piece of shoreline continues to evolve as an asset to the West Haven community. Imagine the possibilities of improving an already lovely spot by restoring it to a native coastal habitat with expanded accessibility and educational opportunities that encourage engagement with nature.

To learn more about the West Haven Shoreline Resilience and Eco-Restoration Project, visit the Land Trust Website by clicking the button below.

Or, go a step further and volunteer with the Land Trust!