If you haven’t seen Westmoor Park in West Hartford, you’re missing something
spectacular.
In recent years, Connecticut’s meadows and grasslands have declined
dramatically. During pre-colonial times, natural meadows and grasslands
covered about 9% of the state (280,000+ acres). During the 1700’s and 1800’s,
that number increased due to farming activities.
Today, because of changing land-use practices, only a fraction of a percent
remains. The result of this decline is the disappearance of plant and animal
species dependent upon meadow habitats.
The meadow at Westmoor Park hasn’t attracted any endangered species yet,
but it does attract flocks of goldfinches, swallows, frequent raptors, and an
abundance of butterflies.
What makes this meadow different from the others you see in the area is
that it was intentionally seeded with predominantly native North
American species of warm-season grasses and flowers. The size of the
project – 13 acres – made it cost-prohibitive to use anything other than seed.
When started from seed, many species of native wildflowers require 2-5 years
to establish before they flower. Some non-native annual and biannual flower
species were included in the mix to give the meadow a faster visual appeal.
These species are expected to decline over time as the native species become
established and spread.
Since Westmoor’s meadow was planted to primarily benefit wildlife, it is
left to grow tall and stay tall most of the year. During the growing season,
it provides food and cover for a host of animals from deer to voles, swallows
to hawk, and butterflies to spiders. In winter, many of these animals can
still be observed.
The project was partially funded through a grant from the USDA-NRCS
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program.
WHIP Program Dollars and Contracts
| |
Fiscal Year 2005 |
Cumulative Total (1997-2005) |
| Congressional District |
Obligated Dollars |
Number of Contracts |
Obligated Dollars |
Number of Contracts |
| District 1 |
$ 232,014.00 |
5 |
$ 296,232.00 |
28 |
| District 2 |
$ 345,229.00 |
15 |
$1,337,085.00 |
100 |
| District 3 |
$ 16,091.00 |
1 |
$ 244,518.00 |
23 |
| District 4 |
- |
- |
$ 112,271.00 |
18 |
| District 5 |
$ 523,827.52 |
14 |
$1,259,443.00 |
70 |
| State Totals |
$1,117,161.00 |
35 |
$3,249,549.00 |
239 |
WHIP is a voluntary program for people who want to develop and improve
wildlife habitat primarily on private land. Through WHIP, NRCS provides both
technical assistance and up to 75 percent cost-share assistance to establish
and improve fish and wildlife habitat. WHIP agreements between NRCS and the
participant generally last 5-10 years from the date the agreement is signed.
About Us
Back to Top