Our Key Projects
Tidal wetland restoration from erosion in Ash Creek due to storms, dredging, jetty, sea level rise, and human activities
- Mudflat and north shore barrier spit restoration project by City – ACCA will monitor
- Save the Sound living shoreline shovel-ready plan – ACCA will serve as local organization
- ACCA partners with the Town of Fairfield and the City of Bridgeport in a Working Group for the municipalities to jointly manage Ash Creek
Park restoration at The Preserve at St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea – coastal forest and coastal meadow restoration & bench site (at end of Balmforth, where trees were vandalized)
- ACCA serves as the project manager for volunteers and fiduciary for funding
- ACCA partners with the City on maintenance and plantings
Water quality monitoring:
- Save the Sound’s Unified Water Study in Black Rock Harbor with Aquaculture School (BRASTEC) students and adult volunteers
- Save the Sound’s Unified Water Study in Bridgeport Harbor with ACCA volunteers
- Harbor Watch’s Pathogen Monitoring Network in Bridgeport Harbor with ACCA volunteers
- Member of Waterfront Pathways Working group with National Park Service, Groundwork Bridgeport, Trust for Public Land, UConn, City of Bridgeport, and WPCA
- Member of Waterfront Advisory Board with Trust for Public Land, Groundwork Bridgeport, UConn, and City of Bridgeport
Stewardship with younger generations:
- Audubon Wildlife Guard program with inner city students from Bridgeport
- Jimmy Casey Stewardship clean up days spring through fall
- Planting and weeding of grass plantings at barrier spit with BRASTEC students
- B-Wet program, a NOAA-funded program to support experiential learning for K-12 students. ACCA is partnering with BRASTEC on this.
Our Governmental Partners
- City of Bridgeport – we work closely with the Parks Department, Manager of Sustainability, and the Parks Commission
- Town of Fairfield – we work closely with the Conservation Department, Engineering Department, and Parks Department as well as with the Fairfield Harbormaster, Shellfish Commission, Conservation Commission, and Flood and Erosion Control Board
- Southwest Conservation District – we consult with them on grants and strategic planning
- CT DEEP – we work with CT DEEP on enforcement, grants, and planning
- MetroCOG – we are part of their CTAC Committee focused on conservation and sustainability issues
Our Scientific Advisors
- Milan Bull – Senior Director of Science and Conservation for Connecticut Audubon
- Steven Danzer, Ph.D. Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC), Certified Soil Scientist, CT Licensed Arborist, Professional Wetland Scientist
- Richard A. Orson, Ph.D. Certified Senior Ecologist (ESA), Professional Wetland Scientist (SWS) – recommended restoration plan to restore barrier spit to pre-dredged conditions after 2007 dredging by Fairfield
- Bryan Quinn – Principal and Founder of One Nature LLC, an ecological landscape firm, M.A. in Landscape Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design
- Anthony Zemba, CHMM – Senior Environmental Analyst at LandTech, certified ecologist, soil scientist, and hazardous materials manager.
Our Strategic Partners
- Aspetuck Land Trust – owns half of Great Marsh Island
- Audubon, Connecticut Chapter –supervise their Wildlife Guards program at Ash Creek
- Black Rock Garden Club – we co-sponsor education programs together
- Black Rock NRZ – we discuss Ash Creek issues and potential solutions in a public forum at BR NRZ board meetings
- CIRCA/UConn – we work with their Sea Grants program
- CT Audubon – environmental education for our members and the public, spring and fall bird migration walks, birdhouses in The Preserve at St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea
- Fairfield Museum and History Center – collaborate on projects
- Groundwork Bridgeport – we collaborate on local plantings and maintenance projects
- Harbor Watch – Pathogen Monitoring Program
- Lights Out Connecticut – bird migration friendly projects
- Mill River Wetlands Committee – educational projects in Ash Creek
- Save the Sound – we are the local organization for their Unified Water Study program and for their living shorelines restoration program for the Ash Creek tidal estuary
Our Grants
- $ 5,000 Harbor Watch for Pathogen Monitoring Network (2024)
- $21,898 Save the Sound for Unified Water Study (2024)
- $20,094 Save the Sound for Unified Water Study (2023)
- $10,000 Vincent J. Coates Foundation for park restoration project (2022)
- $15,000 EFT Fund for Master Plan Revision (2022)
- $15,000 LIS Stewardship Fund for Master Plan Revision (2022)
- $15,000 Save the Sound for the Unified Water Study (UWS) (2022)
- $ 5,000 Santa Environmental Foundation for UWS Bridgeport Harbor (2021)
- $ 3,427 Save the Sound for Unified Water Study (2022)
- $10,000 Vincent J. Coates Foundation for park restoration project (2021)
- $ 3,427 Save the Sound for Unified Water Study (2020)
- $10,000 Weny Charitable Trust for park restoration project 2020)
- $ 1,395 Save the Sound start- up expenses for the Unified Water Study (2019)
- $10,000 Vincent J. Coates Foundation for park restoration project (2019)
- $ 5,000 Weny Charitable Trust for park restoration project (2019)
- $ 8,000 Santa Environmental Foundation for Unified Water Study (2019)
- $ 5,000 Fairfield County Community Foundation for Master Plan (2012)
- $ 5,000 Watershed Assistance Small Grants Program for Master Plan (2012)
$168,241 TOTAL
Our Recent Public Forums
- Sea Level Rise, Storm Events and Loss of Tidal Wetlands – presentation by Gail Robinson of ACCA for Hurricane Coastal Resiliency Panel moderated by State Senator Tony Hwang (May 22, 2024)
- Living with Climate Change – presentation by Gail Robinson of ACCA for Panel Presentation on Coastal Resiliency Panel moderated by State Senator Tony Hwang (2023)
- Ash Creek Master Plan – 2 public outreach meetings by Bryan Quinn of One Nature & 6 presentations given by Gail Robinson and Rick Landau of ACCA including: Fairfield Shellfish Commission, Fairfield Flood and Erosion Control Board, Fairfield Conservation Commission, Fairfield Harbor Commission, MetroCOG, BR NRZ (2022 & 2023)
- Ecosystem Collapse at the Ash Creek Tidal Estuary – presentation by Gail Robinson of ACCA for Hurricane Coastal Resiliency Panel moderated by State Senator Tony Hwang (2022)
- Our Disappearing Sand Spit – public outreach by Gail Robinson of ACCA on erosion report by One Nature (2021)
Our Organization
501 (c) 3 non-profit organization in State of Connecticut
Established in 2004, 20 years ago
Board of Directors:
- Gail Robinson, Ph.D., President
- Kraig Steffen, Ph.D., Vice President
- Sarah Hock, Secretary
- John Soltis, Treasurer
- Jeff Burress
- John Gibson
- Rick Landau
- Richard Mahoney
- Elizabeth Van Tuyl
Our Publications
- Ash Creek Tidal Estuary Ecological Master Plan 2012
- Ecohistory of the Ash Creek Tidal Estuary 2013
- Restoration Plans for St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea Barrier Spit 2014
- Ecological Analysis of the Barrier Spit 2021
- Ash Creek Tidal Estuary Ecological Master Plan 2023
Publications can be found at SaveOurSpit.org/Documents
Our Online Presence
- SaveOurSpit.org – issues focused website on Ash Creek erosion
- AshCreekAssoc.org – our association website
- Facebook.com/AshCreek
- Instagram.com/AshCreek
- YouTube.com/@AshCreekConservation
This web site is maintained by Gail Robinson, please email me with corrections/deletions/additions. All copyrights reserved. ADA Questions? Contact me
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