West River Memorial Park — Attraction in New Haven

West River is an Urban Oases park and a historic Tidal River Park, full of wildlife, including nesting Osprey on platforms in the river. Lots of other birds, and fish, shellfish and the animals that eat them. Brackish water that ebbs and flows with the tides. Like its name says, it's a War Memorial Park to those from this city who served and died in World War I. Popular sports fields are well used for soccer/football and rugby, and a basketball court. There's an area to launch non- motorized boats - kayaks & canoes. It's really a huge Basin area of the West River, between Boston Post Road, Rt. 1, and Derby Ave, with fields on the edge. It was designed to perfectly reflect West Rock in the pool when looking north from south end of park at Rt. 1, like the reflecting pool in Washington DC. Years ago, rowing clubs and colleges used the Basin for practices. Most have moved out to boathouses on longer stretches of water like the Housatonic...

This isn't really a park. It's actually just undeveloped land that runs along an estuary. Other than a paved road along Marginal Drive which is blocked off from traffic, a small clearing shown in a photo with a few parking spots there is no park infrastructure. The space is full of garbage, fallen trees and debris. I can't believe it's called a park. If you like to walk it's nicer than walking on a sidewalk in Hew Haven but...

Beautiful strip of land bordering marshlands and bird habitat, basketball and child play area as well. New Haveners should not take this gorgeous land...