Earth Day: Cross-Border Conversation

Darien and New Canaan may be blood rivals when it comes to high school sports, but the two communities are closely linked by ecology.

To mark Earth Day 2010, environmental leaders explored how the neighboring towns can cooperate and learn from each other.

Billed as "Bridging the Border Between Darien and New Canaan," the event took place at the Talmadge Hill Community Church right on the border between Darien and New Canaan.

Watershed for Alewives

Common interests such as a shared watershed and transportation network were topics for a lively conversation on Thursday evening among four green activists from each town.

Opening up their shared watershed to migrating river herring and constructing an earth-friendly winter shelter for commuters at the Talmadge Hill Train Station were some of the ideas the participants explored.

Shirley Nichols, executive director of the Darien Land Trust, spoke of her group's efforts to partner with the state to build a fish ladder under I-95. A culvert built to channel the Noroton River half a century ago blocks the native alewives' passage to their spawning grounds upstream.

The alewives, a critical food source for native and migrating waterfowl, have nearly disappeared as a result.

The Darien Land Trust is partnering with the state's Department of Environmental Protection to re-stock alewives from a location in East Lyme in anticipation of constructing a fish ladder, she said. But upstream in New Canaan, another dam prevents further passage to potential spawning grounds, Nichols said.

"Maybe those fish could go deeper into New Canaan," and thereby expand the waterfowls' fishing grounds and habitat, she ventured.

Swap Shop Credited

Linda Goodyear spoke of how she brings together Darien's several dozen environmental organizations for bimonthly brainstorming meetings. Darien's Green Team invites participants to update one another about their activities and share information.

"It's really helpful to hear what else is going on in town," Nichols said.

Green Team meetings led to creation of the Swap Shop at the Darien town dump, where residents drop off unwanted items that others take home at no charge.

"In New Canaan we have a big sign at the town dump: 'No Scavenging!'" remarked Cam Hutchins.

"We don't have such an informational network in New Canaan," said Liz Livingston. "We are more event-oriented. It takes a flashpoint to get attention."

"Maybe New Canaan should join the Darien Green Team," Stowe suggested.

Unique Green Assets

Several New Canaanites expressed envy of Darien's new library with its green energy features. Goodyear credited Darien's Dot Kelly for knowledgeably spearheading the library's green drive.

"It sounds like we all need to meet Dot Kelly," said Hutchins.

Nichols explained that Darien's Green Team lends clout to its participants' efforts in town.

The Darien Land Trust lobbied Hartford on a bill to spare land trusts from being responsible for taxes when they accept donations of land. With passage of the bill, the Land Trust got the town's finance board to take necessary steps to make the bill retroactive and spare the Land Trust of nearly $50,000 in taxes for accepting land donations that year.

"The town totally supported us and moved very, very quickly," she said, crediting the cooperative spirit engendered over time by the Green Team.

While the New Canaanites were envious of Darien's green teamwork, the Darienites were equally envious of New Canaan's large tracts of open space.

"The grass is always greener on the other side," quipped Stowe.

Chris Filmer, active as head of Friends of Selleck's Woods in Darien, described how he led neighbors on a campaign to transform a forsaken, litter- and crime-ridden tract of undeveloped land near I-95 into a nature haven especially popular with children's groups.

The New Canaanites responded with their tales of a chronic campaign to keep developers out of town-owned, 300-acre Waveny Park.