Groton New London Airport, right, Bluff Point left. Photo by Brian Best.
Back in 2015-16, the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) recommended that Bluff Point's tallest trees be removed to accommodate airplanes landing at Groton-New London Airport. In response, local and state environmental advocacy groups (including a few of us pre-GCA advocates) proposed that a far more thorough environmental impact study be concluded to lessen the project's impact on the environment given CAA plans to remove 40 acres of trees in various locations at the park. Click here for the full back story in the Day.
The final Environmental Assessment was posted on the CAA study website in early March 2018. The final EA allows the project to proceed to the stage where specific plans and required permits can be considered. GCA is in contact with the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the owner of Bluff Point, and is urging them to minimize environmental damage by putting in place protective measures during the permitting process.
GCA continues to keep an eye on this project. There has been no action on the CAA tree-cutting plan for years now.