Did you know that three different types of Herring fish use the lower Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers for mating grounds?
That’s one of several facts that walkers along Derby’s Greenway trail will now be exposed to — after two large informational signs were installed along the walkway this week.
The signs were designed by Meghan Ruta, a water protection manager for the Housatonic Valley Association, and were paid for with a $5,000 grant from Sikorsky Aircraft Division of Technologies Corp.
Officials from Derby, HVA and Sikorsky held a ribbon cutting of the two new signs Wednesday morning, on O’Sullivan’s Island.
Speaking of which, did you know that O’Sullivan’s Island is really just a peninsula? That’s another fact you’ll find on the signs.
“There’s a lot of traffic at this site and people walking the Greenway can get more information from these signs,” Ruta said.
About a half a dozen people attended the ceremony, including Valley United Way president Jack Walsh.
Walsh said about a thousand people a day use the Greenway trail in the summer months.
“It’s probably the number one recreation activity in the entire Valley,” Walsh said.
of the informational signs is located near the boat launch parking lot on O’Sullivan Island, and the other is located near the railroad trestle. They include different facts.
Such as:
- O’Sullivan’s Island was identified in the early 1980s as a hazardous waste site, or brownfield. It was used as a trash dump and later as a fire training facility, and was contaminated with chemicals that are dangerous to human health. In 2009 the island was cleaned up at a cost of $4.5 million and today it is part of the three-mile Derby Greenway, providing boating and fishing access for Valley residents.
- During most of the 1900s the Naugatuck River was nearly lifeless, ranking among the nation’s most polluted rivers. Today the Naugatuck is home to more than 40 fish species.
- The Naugatuck River flows 39 miles south from Torrington to its confluence with the Housatonic River in Derby.
You’ll have to walk the trail to see the rest.
