Jarvis Creek Farm – Thank You!

The Branford Land Trust is thrilled to announce the purchase of Jarvis Creek Farm! Thanks to the support of the community — including grants and donations — we have raised more than $1,700,000 to preserve and protect this 20-acre section of the Medlyn Farm south of Route 146 and along the Jarvis Creek salt marsh.

Close to 500 donations large and small have arrived enthusiastically since we announced the fundraiser in November. Support came from BLT members, Branford residents, surrounding towns, and friends and family near and far. Thanks to the partnership with the Guilford Land Conservation Trust, an additional $50,000 came from our neighbors to the east.

We are especially grateful to the Seedlings Foundation for recognizing the strategic and scenic importance of this special property and offering generous financial support early in the campaign so that we could confidently pursue the purchase. And to the Connecticut DEEP, which provided $500,000 through an EPA Long Island Sound Improvement Grant. Combined with a generous donation in memory of Thomas A. Steitz and an anonymous gift, we exceeded our goal!

This all-hands-on-deck effort was possible because of endorsements from Audubon Connecticut, Connecticut Audubon Society, Friends of Historic Route 146, Menunkatuck Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut, and Save the Sound. We’re also appreciative of our local media — Shoreline Times, The Sound, Daily Nutmeg, Branford Patch — for helping us get the word out about this unprecedented effort to raise funds.

We’re excited to take on the stewardship of Jarvis Creek Farm which, as CT DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes noted, “provides places for outdoor education, research and outdoor recreation, critical fish and wildlife breeding and foraging habitat, and flood and erosion control.”

We look forward to sharing what happens next as we look to create a property management plan that addresses trails, access, educational opportunities, and marsh migration.

“This type of open space preserve is part of what makes Branford such a special place,” says BLT president Pete Raymond. “We are most grateful to YOU — our members and the community — who continue to support the BLT in its work to maintain and steward these natural places for future generations. Thank you!”