The state’s largest wildlife refuge is about to get a little bigger.
The Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge is in the process of purchasing an additional 21.15 acre lot in Westbrook, according to Richard Potvin, refuge manager with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Because about 8.4-acres are outside the approved acquisition boundary set by the federal government, the application calls for a state coastal management review, to ensure the land is suitable to be added to the state’s largest wildlife refuge.
The refuge currently encompasses 950 acres, according to officials. The Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 70 miles of the Connecticut coastline and provides habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, according to officials. National wildlife refuges prioritize wildlife conservation and habitat restoration, according to officials. A refuge is different than a national park, which has the primary focus on conserving natural resources and scenery for public enjoyment.
In recent years, the refuge has provided important resting, feeding, and nesting habitat for many species of wading birds, shorebirds, songbirds and terns, including the endangered roseate tern. Adjacent waters are wintering habitat for brant, scoters, American black duck and other waterfowl. Overall, the refuge encompasses forest, barrier beach, tidal wetland and fragile island habitats, making it valuable to preserve biodiversity, according to officials.
“This acquisition would prevent development of the site and protect the parcel, which is a known area of marsh migration given climate change,” Potvin said. “Land protection is one way to protect coastal wetland, shore-lands, and freshwater wetlands. This project protects all of those habitats.”
The 21.15-acre property located at 376 and 378 Grove Beach Road in Westbrook sits vacant, according to a listing on the real estate website Zillow. Both of those listings now show those properties to be “off market.” The site lists the value of a parcel at 378 Grove Beach Road as $192,510. The property abuts marsh land that flows in the Long Island Sound from the Menunketesuck River. The approximately 14.4-mile river flows through parts of Killingworth, Clinton, and Westbrook.
In an application submitted on June 12, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency calls on the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to review the proposed action affecting coastal resources for consistency with the policies of Connecticut’s federally approved Coastal Management Program, officials said. Potvin said the project is fully consistent with the state’s policies.
“There is no ground disturbance or changing of cover at the site,” the application said. Additionally, Polvin noted that protecting the land provides important ecological conservation for various species.
For more information and how to plan a visit to The Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge visit fws.gov/refuge/stewart-b-mckinney
Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com
