Ash Creek Redemption

Grasses and shrubs have taken over a wildlife area near Ash Creek that was destroyed in 2010 to make way for the Fairfield Metro train station.

In the summer of 2010, my wife and I moved near the future site of the Fairfield Metro train station. At the time, the end of our block was part of the wetlands surrounding Ash Creek. Thick groves of trees and bushes lined the edge of the street, home to numerous small animals.

That same summer, construction of the new railroad station necessitated an extensive cleanup of contaminated soil at the site. In addition to the footprint of the station, construction crews tore up every inch of the space all the way down to Kenard Street.

Not a single tree remained. It was a wasteland.

The entrance to the construction site from Kenard Street in 2010.

Scenes of the torn up land in 2010.

Once all the landscaping was complete, the various parties involved in the project agreed with a contingent of concerned citizens to create a nature preserve along the creek.

It has been about a year and a half since the preserve opened, with a dedicated walking path running through it.

Today, the area between Ash Creek and the Fairfield Metro station has changed dramatically. It’s covered by tall grasses and shrubbery. A few craggy trees stretch toward the otherwise empty sky. Eight-foot cattails sway in the breeze beside the manmade pond that was created as part of the landscaping project.

A patch of broadleaf cattails (Typha latifolia) standing near the water. They are taller than a man.

Some of the animals are back, too. Ducks are an almost constant presence at the pond. Butterflies flutter about. Seed-eating birds of all kinds are flourishing. At night, the insect song on the footpath is ear-splittingly loud.

A family of ducks takes a break from swimming.

An immature snowy egret (Egretta thula) basks in the sun, presumably watching to spear a passing fish.

Rabbits, too, seem to be returning. They had been an almost constant presence in the neighborhood prior to the demolition. For a while we didn’t see any, but since this spring we’ve spotted them more than a few times.

The land near Ash Creek has definitively started recovering. However, it still has a long way to go. Most of the plants there are opportunistic, the types of inhabitants that take over on a temporary basis before the permanent flora establishes itself. Few trees have set root. It will be years before any of them are as tall as their predecessors, and years more before the entire space recreates its former forested glory.

Even then, the wildlife will be restricted to a smaller area than before, contending with more vehicular and human traffic.

Nevertheless, Ash Creek bears the signature of hope in its rebirth.

All photos by Brandon T. Bisceglia.