Date: August 30, 2009
Groundwork Bridgeport is submitting an application for the National Recreational Trails Program administered by the State of Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Protection for $45,000.00. Groundwork Bridgeport is part of Groundwork USA network of 16 non-profit trusts located throughout the United States focused upon youth engagement, environmental education, creation of green-spaces and Brownfield redevelopment. Groundwork Bridgeport is completing its third year of our collaborative relationship with Weir Farm National Historic Site located in Wilton and Ridgefield. This unique opportunity has tremendously benefited both parties especially our Green Team program, which engages high school students from Bridgeport and Oxford. The students are taught and provided numerous hands-on experiences with a variety of natural resource management skills including the invasive plant eradication, stone wall restoration, trail and garden maintenance. In addition, Weir Farm being the only National Park in Connecticut exposes the Green Team to potential careers within the National Park Service not normally seen first hand by many high school students.
As part of Groundwork Bridgeport’s relationship with Weir Farm National Historic Site, we are engaging the local constituencies with open space abutting Weir Farm in offering our Green Team’s services to assess and implement a trail maintenance improvement program. These properties include the town of Ridgefield’s Nod Hill Refuge and the Weir Farm Art Center’s Weir Preserve.
The properties surrounding Weir Farm National Historic Site play an important role in preserving biologically diverse fauna and habitats. They are also significant for their cultural value and influence on J Alden Weir’s impressionist paintings. This being a major factor in attracting over 17,000 visitors enjoying the various recreational attributes of Weir Farm, Weir Preserve and the Nod Hill Refuge.
Groundwork’s application is for work in the Weir Preserve and Nod Hill Refuge. The grant’s focus is on making improvements to the existing trail system. This includes construction of stone water bars, cutting back plant over growth, removal of fallen trees across trails, building stone staircases, improving mobility of trail grades near wet / rocky trail sections and restoration of stonewall gateways. The unique aspect of this grant is Groundwork Bridgeport’s Green Team students will complete all the previously mentioned tasks, along with the guidance of Greg Waters of Weir Farm National Historic Site. Green Team members must volunteer 50 hours each on various Groundwork Initiatives before qualifying for a stipend weekend and summer internship accomplishing the trails’ work described.
The relationship between Groundwork Bridgeport and Weir Farm National Historic Site is evolving into a mutual beneficial experience for all parties. We successfully received funding through Youth Park Partnership grant for $22,000 in 2007, Public Land Corps grant for $24,000 in 2008, and a Youth Conservation Corps grant for $32,000. We anticipate receiving $21,000 in 2010 through the Public Land Corps program, which are made available through the National Park Service. In addition, several local private foundations, Tow, Tauck and Fairfield Community Foundation, provide support to our Green Team program. This established relationship with Weir Farm National Historic Site ensures the efforts being placed into the Weir Preserve and Nod Hill Refuge trail system are continuously monitored and maintained.
