Remington Woods is a 422 acre forest in the heart of one of the most densely populated urban centers of Connecticut, in Bridgeport and Stratford. Encompassing a 23 acre lake, and wetlands, forest and meadows, it is home to at least 70 species of birds, mammals, fish, amphibians and reptiles.

 

The property, owned by DuPont is closed to the public while the company cleans up munitions from previous Industry. When the cleanup is completed, DuPont intends to destroy the living forest to build more unneeded buildings, while a glut of industrial and commercial buildings already sit empty all throughout the area that could and should be used for commerce.

 

Protect Our Woodlands

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New woodlands like this do not appear out of nowhere. They must be preserved.  Local Sierra Club members have launched Save Remington Woods, a campaign to save this forest. Will you join in the effort? Send an email with Remington Woods in the subject line to samantha.dynowski@sierraclub.org. CT Chapter Sierra Club will contact you to discuss how you can help.

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Benefits of Woodland Preservation

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The benefits of preserving this woodland are many. Fairfield county has the fewest forests in the state. New forests are not being planted, so any forest destroyed is a tragic loss. Saving this forest would be a great asset to Fairfield county. 

One of the many ways that forested areas help the public’s health is by cleaning the air. The undeveloped Remington Woods has proven beneficial to the health of the community. Bridgeport, Connecticut has some of the worst air pollution on the East Coast. Although asthma rates are high and local people, especially children, struggle to breathe and suffer effects for the rest of their lives, asthma rates are significantly lower for residents who live around Remington Woods.

 

Forests have other healing effects, both physically and mentally, which is a boon to those in an urban environment. Forests provides beauty, wonder and nourishment for the soul. It’s the Sierra Club motto: Explore, Enjoy and Protect.

We need to move beyond the culture of rampant development to the realization that everything is connected, that we are part of nature and everything we have comes from nature. All of life has intrinsic value, and is needed to create a whole that allows us all to thrive. We need to move beyond the thinking that created climate crisis. We need to Save Remington Woods.

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Lela Florel is a member of the Friends of Remington Woods, a Committee of the CT Chapter Sierra Club.