Jamie Walsh is chair of Westport’s Shellfish Commission.
He’s concerned about the crabbing and other activities in Sherwood Mill Pond — which, since “06880” first reported on it last month, has become even more intensive. He writes:
On Friday night Barry Lytton, vice chair of the Westport Shellfish Commission and Jonathan Goldstein, owner and operator of Sherwood Island Oysters, discovered 40 to 50 individuals in the Mill Pond both crabbing and poaching large quantities of shellfish.
I also passed by, and was taken aback by the density of individuals with nets and buckets. These are restricted beds, leased for commercial shell fishing only as of right to Sherwood Island Oysters.
Barry was there for several hours. He says, “about 40 were strictly crabbing, but 10 or so were clamming and doing plenty of it. I saw 2 groups with about 200 to 400 clams each. I tried to tell them they could get sick, and called both the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and police, with no response. DEEP dispatch said they’d send somebody, but hadn’t for 2 hours.”
One bucket of clams — among money — at Sherwood Mill Pond Friday night. (Photo/Barry Lytton)
Aside from the light pollution and disruption to the neighbors who live around the pond, shellfish resources are being poached illegally.
It seems difficult for our police to enforce, as this activity occurs at night, they are not always familiar with the regulations, and many times a language barrier exists.
DEEP conservation officers are spread very thin, and do not have the budget for enforcement.
Sherwood Mill Pond crabbers and clammers, July 2023.
We have discussed this issue recently with Colin Kelly, Westport director of conservation. He is looking into enforcement options available to us. We need to protect our resources, and this area is strictly prohibited.
Westport has wonderful open recreational shellfishing beds located in the triangle off Cockenoe. Those areas are not restricted.
Allowing this illegal activity to continue only encourages permissive illegal behavior. This is something our commission plans to address immediately.
Click below for a video of Friday night’s activity. It was filmed by Barry Lytton; the voice is Jonathan Goldstein’s, owner of Sherwood Island Oysters.
(“06880” reports often on the environment — including our beaches and Sherwood Mill Pond. Please click here to help us continue our work. Thank you!)
On Thursday I posted a video that included a driver heading south on North Avenue, blasting right through the stop sign at Cross Highway.
That evening — just a few hours later — someone did it again.
This time, there was someone else at the intersection.
Amy Lowey Horowitz writes:
“Around 6 p.m., I was driving east on Cross Highway. A driver coming south on North Avenue ran the stop sign at high speed, and hit the front of my car. My vehicle turned 90 degrees, ending up also facing south on North Avenue.
“The other driver pulled off, and left.
“I called the police. In what seemed like an instant firefighters, police and ambulance were there, showing me so much kindness and concern.
“I was seriously shaken up, shocked, confused and not even able to answer all their questions. The accident happened so fast.
“I hope to use ‘06880’ to thank all the people who showed up and helped me navigate those first few moments. I was too shocked to learn names. I want to thank all the first responders who showed up, and did more than just their jobs last night.
“I’m fine this morning, grateful for that, as well as the care and treatment that I received.
” also hope that someone witnessed the accident is willing to share what they saw. There were plenty of people driving past right after impact. It is likely that someone may have seen the other car go through the intersection right before he hit me.”
Any witnesses should call the Westport Police: 203-341-6000.
It was a big Earth Day celebration yesterday downtown. The Westport Downtown Association partnered with Staples’ Service League of Boys (SLOBs) to hit the streets for a cleanup.
They started at Parker Harding Plaza, then headed down Main Street to Church Lane and Elm Street, with a side visit to the Baldwin parking lot.
It’s all bagged up. Downtown looks fresh, nice, and ready for spring.
SLOBs and friends clean up downtown. (Photo/Lee Shufro)
AND … this was the scene at the very trash-filled Elaine Road site. A large crew picked up plenty of garbage, from the boat launch underneath I-95 all the way to Compo Road South.
RTM member Andrew Colabella helped organize the effort, which included 2nd Selectwoman Andrea Moore, town employees and SLOBs.
Looks like they even found an old highway sign among the mess.
The Democratic Women of Westport also celebrated Earth Day yesterday, at athletic fields around town.
Informational tables at “Sustainability on the Sidelines” offered info on small steps families can take to reduce their sports footprint (For xample: carpooling, no idling, and participating in a uniform exchange).
They also gave away Gatorade powders to encourage reusable bottles instead of single use plastic.
Owen Hill had a table too, at the Democratic Women of Westport’s “Sustainability on the Sidelines” Earth Day event.
On Friday Jamie Walsh — chair of the Westport Shellfish Commission and his wife Grayson Braun joined former chair Heather Williams and her husband Colin Walklet.
For several hours, they did their biannual cleanup around Hendrick’s Point — the beautiful spot next to the Longshore golf driving range.
Jamie says: “Among the wide array of beer, soda bottles and cans; remnants of food packaging; bits of styrofoam and over 200 golf balls that cleared the netting that was recently repaired, the most concerning litter was the many bundles of fishing line randomly discarded in the brush.
“I’ve been part of the cleanup for a number of years, but this was the worst. We hauled out 6 large trash bags full of garbage, and enough fishing line to fill half a bag. Most of it had to be cut out of the brush.
“Improper disposal of fishing line creates a huge problem. Birds and small animals get hung up in it. Fishing line disposed on the shoreline can float off and take up to 600 years to decompose, but it generally degrades into micro-plastics that are toxic and dangerous to all marine life. Ultimately, this winds up in the food chain.
“It is our collective responsibility to be stewards of the land and waters, and dispose of all garbage and plastic items such as fishing line responsibly. I urge people to help by picking up stray fishing line they see at the water’s edge. Help us to keep our precious shorelines as pristine as possible.
“We have that responsibility to our natural resources — not just on Earth Day, but every day.”
Clearing fishing lines from the Hendrick’s Point brush.
=================================================
In non-Earth Day news, Challenger baseball — the Westport Little League program for youngsters with disabilities — celebrated its 10th anniversary yesterday.
24 players and 16 buddies — plus a cake — marked the memorable occasion.
Challenger players and buddies get ready to play ball.
MoCA Westport was packed Friday night for a performance by jazz saxophonist Eddie Barbash. He’s a founding member of the house band for “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” The concert was part of the “Rainbow in the Dark” exhibition.
Next up on the Music at MoCA schedule: This Friday (April 28, 7 p.m.): The Cuatro Puntos Ensemble, pianist Irena Portenko, violinist Kristen Young and musicians from Norwalk Youth Symphony present chamber music for strings by contemporary composers living in Ukraine, including newly commissioned pieces from Odessa and Kyiv. Click here for more details.
“I’m concerned about an older man who rides his bike at twilight or early dark near the Saugatuck/Norwalk line.
“He rides erratically, crossing the road from one side to the other, stopping occasionally. He wears a drab raincoat and is nearly invisible in the low light. His bicycle has no reflective devices.
“Late commuters speed home along Saugatuck Avenue, and I fear for this fellow’s life.
“I hesitate to notify the police since the bicycle may be his only transportation. I want to warn readers to be careful in this area.”
Wendy Crowther recently had a close encounter with nature. The result is today’s captivating “Westport … Naturally” photo.
She writes: “A pair of barred owls hung out in the evergreen trees around my yard today. They have a classic-sounding hoot often described as if they’re asking, ‘Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?’
“As dusk neared, this one flew onto the peak of my garage, waiting patiently for something delicious to scurry by below. It was the perfect pose for a photo. He/she eventually flew off without dinner.”
Haskins Preserve is an astonishing site on Green Acre Lane (off South Compo Road) administered by Aspetuck Land Trust. Its 16 acres are filled with woods, meadows, ponds, dams, and a spectacular assortment of rare trees.
Many Westporters have never heard of it. Those who have, treasure it as an oasis of beauty and solitude.
Most do, anyway.
Dog waste is a mounting problem at the Haskins Preserve. And it’s not just droppings on trails and paths. Some owners actually take the time to wrap waste in plastic bags — then leave them lying around.
Some sleazeballs “hide” the poop behind rocks and trees. Others are more brazen. They dump the dumps within sight of a sign saying, “Please remove dog waste.”
Steward Jamie Walsh has posted a video documenting this spectacularly rude and seriously obnoxious behavior.
Why don’t the stewards just put garbage cans at Haskins Preserve?
“We’re a volunteer organization, with a limited budget and resources,” Jamie explains. “It’s not practical for someone to empty them on a regular basis.
“And it would attract wildlife that would feast on the remaining garbage, which would then be strewn all over the parking lot.”
Haskins is a preserve — not a park. Is it too much to ask that if you bring your dog with you, then you take your dog’s business out?
For some Westporters, the answer is apparently: yes.
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
