1 Great Marsh Rd, sold to Junya McHenry by Masons Island Co. for $761,700 

This was once was a beautiful site on pristine wetlands next to an osprey nest and a tremendous diversity of wildlife.

A modest house could have be designed and built to blend with the surroundings, minimizing the environmental impact. Unfortunately, it appears that the exact opposite has been done. 

Now the site has been totally decimated, with daily blasting that rattled windows all over the island. It isn't clear what kind of dwelling will be built, but there has not been any attempt to "blend in" with nature at all. What is currently visible is a monstrosity representing a disregard for environmental beauty. We have listened to the noise for a month. The owners appear to be oblivious of what their neighbors are having to listen to; we received no warning or explanation.

Masons Island once was a location with modest homes that fit in with the environment. Now it seems that what is most important is not fitting in to a precious environmental spot, but rather to display one's wealth. The notion, which I have personally heard from vocal residents, is that you should be allowed to to anything you want with land you own; they have a complete utter lack of respect for those around them. Unfortunately, it seems that wealth imbues people with a sense that caring for the environment is somehow beneath them.

So we now see the owners vision. I had hoped to see an effort that would attempt to minimize environmental impact; A home that would enable the occupants to focus on the incredible wetlands surrounding the property. Instead, they opted to be the focus themselves. The house is enormous, and seems completely out of place. Far worse that I had imagined. I see it as a shameful architectural monstrosity.

9/1/2023 Update

Now a dock goes in. The permit with the state requires "Any barge utilized in the execution of the work authorized herein shall occur only during periods of higher water to prevent the barge from resting on, or coming into contact with, the substrate at any time." ref https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/...The barge is there full time, in apparent violation of their permit.

Our attempt to reach a compromise with Mr. Naik went nowhere. Our goal was to end up with a basic dock, like almost everybody else has, with a boat that is appropriate for the shallow water and the presence of underwater vegetation. We were hoping that he would alter his plan for a huge dock capable of berthing a sport fisherman and 50' houseboat. Unfortunately, he wouldn't budge. Period. It appears that he is still intent on pushing forward with his misguided plan to build a giant vanity dock despite the effect on the immediate ecosystem and wildlife. The only thing that has stopped him is that DEEP has an outstanding Enforcement Action against him for violating CT Wetlands law. Under CT laws and regulations, environmental criminals cannot apply for a dock permit while actions until enforcement actions are concluded.

What is his dream? Based on the submitted proposal and dock design experts we believe he is planning:
- Elevated dock with rails and lighting
- Houseboat/entertainment center 50' long
- Sport Fisherman 40' long
- Lifts for one or more Jet skis

This is a guess at what is coming 

Where is the house??? It doesn't exist and probably cannot even be built! It is a lot surrounded by wetlands and used by migratory birds.  He doesn't live on this property, he lives on a hill behind it.

And here is what he is doing to a once beautiful pristine forest abutting wetlands and estuaries.  For conservation minded residents, this is what disregarding the environment and exploiting legal loopholes looks like.

A new high def photo was taken of the proposed dock site. A drone equipped with a polarizing filter took a photo that was processed with a luminance filter to increase the contrast between SAV and sandy bottom. The result is dramatic and shocking. Note that a red circle depicts the area that would be impacted by the dock and the large boats it was designed to berth. This circle covers a large bed of SAV that was not included in the maps submitted by Louriero Engineering for Mr. Naik.

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) plays a critical role in maintaining the health of aquatic ecosystems. Both the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and how and the Mystic Harbor Management Plan note its importance and provide that new docks should not damage this critical resource. An article in The Day on Dec 7, 2020 titled "The Elegance and Value of Eelgrass," describes the critical role SAVs play in the environment and how human activity has dramatically decreased the amount of SAV in Long Island Sound the SAV beds protect agains erosion, produce oxygen, filter water sediment and provide food, critical habitat and nursery areas for many fish and invertebrate species.

Here is why this is important. 

The proposal submitted by Louriero Engineering on behalf of Mr. Chandrasekhar Naik, showed a limited area of underwater vegetation that the dock would cross over. What it did not show is a large area of vegetation further out that would actually be covered by the dock and boats. The proposed dock and boats would cause severe damage to this vegetation. 

I used a drone to evaluate and photograph  the extent of the SUV at the site. Areas of SUV show up darker than areas where there is no vegetation. The photograph shows a large area of SUV. 

It isn't clear why this large area of vegetation was overlooked, but it is a very significant omission. Besides the severe shade effect, boat propellers in shallow water cause direct physical damage and indirect damage through silt deposition. A study published in 1999 by Burdick and Short titled, "The Effects of Boat Docks on Eelgrass Beds," found docks less than 3 meters high were likely to damage Eelgrass in areas with less than a 1 meter of tidal range. This is the exact situation where the proposed dock will be! 

Regulations regarding docks are designed to be a compromise between providing property owners access to the water and protecting the environment that affects everybody. Rules apply equally to all citizens, not just to those who can't afford expensive lawyers and engineering firms. Environmental damage extends well beyond the property lines, and effects everybody. Good citizens don't allow others, even friends,  to break environmental laws.

We have had no communication with Mr. Chandrasekhar Naik since we we reached out to try to formulate a plan to move forward with a dock that would provide reasonable access to the water while respecting the environment, the community and his neighbors. He refused to negotiate or make changes to his plans. He obviously spent a great deal of money on the the property and the services of Louriero Engineering and lawyer, John Casey, to craft and, and present, his absurd plan to build a COLOSSAL VANITY DOCK. It is unlikely that he, and the professionals he hired, have suddenly become responsible stewards of the environment. Nice thought, but leopards don't change their spots. Unfortunately, and despite widespread concerns for climate change, there are wealthy people who feel that the environment is theirs to own and abuse; There will always be businesses who will gladly accept $$$ to assist them. Most people are reasonable, but for those who aren't there must be laws, and legal precedent, that prevents these people from building monstrosities that prop up their egos but harm the environment that we all share. Hoping that people will simply be responsible is what has led to the destruction of wetlands. It only takes a few people to ruin it for everybody and legal boundaries are the only thing that protects us.

My understanding is that the enforcement action against Mr. Naik for serial violations of CT environmental law has not been concluded. DEEP will not permit him to move forward with a dock permit application until he has completely concluded remediation of the wetland areas he illegally damaged, and pays any fines assessed by DEEP. Here is a database of CT Wetlands law violators whose enforcement actions have been concluded. The state takes this very seriously