Writing the Land: Windblown I is national anthology of art and poetry. A creative project from the Branford Land Trust & the Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance, it features poems […]
Read More...Please join us on Sunday, December 3, 2023 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m for STONY CREEK IMAGES, an exhibition of paintings by Bill McDonald. There will be a chance to […]
Read More...Accreditation is awarded to land trusts meeting the highest national standards for excellence and conservation permanence. The Branford Land Trust proudly displays the Accreditation Seal of the national Land Trust […]
Read More...Maybe you’ve hiked along one of our trails, enjoyed a view across a protected salt marsh, or watched an osprey soar above the acres of open space it calls home. […]
Read More...Join the Branford Land Trust on Sunday, November 19 at 2:00 PM for this annual pre-Thanksgiving hike at Van Wie Woods, exploring fields, woodlands, streams, and granite outcrops of the […]
Read More...Presented by the Branford Conservation and Environment Commission and the Branford Land Trust in partnership with the Blackstone Memorial Library As we endeavor to steward the ecological resources in our […]
Read More...OPEN HOUSE Saturday, September 23, 1:00-4:00 PM Branford Land Trust House 26 School Street, Stony Creek • Learn about the 1865 one-room schoolhouse • Learn about the 1901 firehouse, headquarters […]
Read More...Sunday, September 10 Saturday, September 23 at the Land Trust House in Stony Creek Have you ever driven by the Land Trust House in Stony Creek and wondered about its […]
Read More...Registration is now open for the Branford Land Trust’s popular Hand-on Environmental Day Camp to be held on Monday, August 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is an […]
Read More...June 13, 2023 at 7:30pm Love’s Beach, Killam’s Point, Branford, CT Join this co-sponsored program with the First Congregational Church of Branford and the Branford Land Trust for hands-on program […]
Read More...Thank you to all the donors who gave so generously during the Great Give. As first-time participants in this wonderful event, we were overwhelmed by the support we received. […]
Read More...Come out and enjoy a walk with the Branford Land Trust as we explore the Quarry Preserve and learn about Connecticut’s state flower with Stony Creek resident Joseph Inguanti on […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust and the Branford Arts & Cultural Alliance join forces to present the film A River Speaks by Steve Hamm on Tuesday, May 30, 6:30 p.m. at […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trusts invites you to its 2023 Annual Meeting on Monday, May 15 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Blackstone Memorial Library. There will be a brief meeting […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust is excited to be participating in The Great Give on May 3-4, a two-day event that helps raise millions of dollars for local nonprofits. And there’s […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust is excited to be participating in The Great Give on May 3-4, a two-day event that helps raise millions of dollars for local nonprofits. This year, […]
Read More...We’re excited to be participating in this year’s Great Give on May 3-4. This 36-hour, online, community-wide giving event was created by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust is hosting two spring bird walks on Mother’s Day weekend, Saturday, May 13 and Sunday, May 14 beginning at 9:00 a.m. Local birder Chris Woerner will […]
Read More...Saturday May 20th, 9:00am-12:00pm, Dingus Property (250 Maple Street) This property is one of several contiguous land trust-owned parcels that, together, comprise of roughly 13 acres of tidal wetlands along […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust welcomes local residents to come volunteer for its Saturday Work Parties. This is a great opportunity to meet new people, learn about the Land Trust and […]
Read More...In January, the BLT hosted a series of short films at the Blackstone Memorial Library that highlighted Native American bonds to land, including nations in the northeast like the Narragansett, […]
Read More...Saturday February 25 9:30am – 11:00am at Lake Saltonstall Recreational Area OK, maybe not lions and tigers, but bears, maybe. Deer, coyote, and more! You never know what you’ll discover […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust welcomes local residents to come volunteer for its Saturday Work Parties. This is a great opportunity to meet new people, learn about the Land Trust and […]
Read More...An Afternoon of Film and Discussion with Clan Mother Shoran Waupatukuay Piper of the Golden Hill Paugussetts Join the Branford Land Trust on Saturday, January 21 from 1:30 – 4:00 […]
Read More...Please join the Branford Land Trust for a public meeting on Wednesday, January 25 at 7pm at the Town Firehouse at 45 North Main Street, for information about plans for […]
Read More...SAVE THE DATE! BLT January Film Series: Afro-Indigenous Relationships to Land An Afternoon of Film and Discussion with Clan Mother Shoran Waupatukuay Piper of the Golden Hill Paugussetts Join the […]
Read More...Join the Branford Land Trust on Sunday, December 4 at 1:00 PM for this annual hike at Van Wie Woods, exploring fields, woodlands, streams, and granite outcrops of the 100 […]
Read More...Writing the Land: Windblown I, Book Launch & Art Reception A Creative Project from the Branford Land Trust & the Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance Writing the Land: Windblown I […]
Read More...Writing the Land: Windblown I, Book Launch & Art Reception A Creative Project from the Branford Land Trust & the Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance You don’t want to miss […]
Read More...Celebrated on Monday, October 10, Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes the Indigenous communities that have lived in the United States for thousands of years. It is now a state observance in […]
Read More...“This feels like family,” said Amy Blaymore Paterson of the 60 people gathered to celebrate Bill Horne on August 30. Patterson, Executive Director of the Connecticut Land Conservation Council, was […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust (BLT) is thrilled to announce that Bill Horne has been awarded the 2022 Katchen Coley Award for Excellence in Conservation by the Connecticut Land Conservation Council […]
Read More...By Gordon Hutchinson The BLT Trails Crew has kept busy all winter and spring with several projects, including the removal of invasive autumn olive from Partnership Field and the Todd’s […]
Read More...Recommended reading by Laura Noe Leanne Betasamosake Simpson writes, “strong communities are born out of individuals being their best selves.” As a Canadian indigenous woman, musician, and writer, she shares […]
Read More...A lot has been happening at the Todds Hill Wet Meadow Preserve, a 24-acre open space set-aside located between Todds Hill Road, Cherry Hill Road and Parish Farm Road. Last […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust and the Town Conservation and Environment Commission are launching a new initiative called the Native Plant Protection Corps. Working both on BLT and Town-owned conservation lands, […]
Read More...Not only do invasive plants cost towns, state agencies, land trusts, farmers, homeowners, and others large sums of money and thousands of hours of labor for removal and restoration, invasive […]
Read More...By Lauren Brown Does it grow on your property? If so, GET RID OF IT! This woody vine goes by many names – porcelain vine, porcelain berry, Amur peppervine, or […]
Read More...According to the CT DEEP, the great egret is a large member of the heron family, with long legs, white plumage, and a slender body. Adults have black legs and […]
Read More...By Jen Payne My nephew Max and I have been hiking Branford trails since he was old enough to walk. He’s always been a lively and curious kid, so our […]
Read More...By Jen Payne “I want to say thanks to the Branford Land Trust. Over the last year, my family has taken much joy in exploring Land Trust properties. We hiked […]
Read More...EVO students at Red Hill Woods. Photo by Andrea Motto. By Julie Wagner The BLT recognizes that youth involvement is crucial to the future of land conservation, but that the […]
Read More...Winter Tree Walk at the Red Hill Woods Preserve Sunday, March 13, 2:00 p.m. Hosted by the Branford Land Trust You don’t need leaves to tell one tree from another! […]
Read More...As Seen in BRANFORD NEIGHBORS Magazine, January 2022 “I want to say thanks to the Branford Land Trust. Over the last year, my family has taken much joy in exploring […]
Read More...With climate change one of the most important issues of our time, let’s start at home and think about how we can lower our carbon footprint right here. Using locally […]
Read More...Located on the south side of historic and scenic Route 146, the 20-acre Jarvis Creek Farm property is part of an unusually large, environmentally sensitive, protected coastal area on the […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust (BLT) — in partnership with the Guilford Land Conservation Trust, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the Seedlings Foundation — is purchasing a […]
Read More...Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is an open space nemesis — an aggressive invasive plant that forms dense colonies in our woods, along our trails, and even in our yards. Will […]
Read More...In order to serve our membership, our community, and our region, the Branford Land Trust continues to present materials that help place our mission to preserve open space in historical, […]
Read More...In 2019, the Branford Land Trust was given a lovely 3.7-acre property that abutted Young’s Pond Park, increasing the protected open space at this popular preserve. The property came with […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust suffered a large brush fire on its property behind Orchard Avenue on the evening of January 24, 2021. It was a clear, cold, windy Sunday. The […]
Read More...By Jonathan Katz November 21, 2020. Saturday. A gift day, warm, sunny, almost t-shirt weather at Thanksgiving. Into the woods. To the Supply Ponds, the Town of Branford’s magnificent central […]
Read More...By Jonathan Katz If you have walked the Stony Creek Limited Partnership property, you have seen, and likely strolled across, the magnificent, elevated boardwalk running east to west over the […]
Read More...The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery Another New York Times bestseller from the author of The Good Good Pig, this […]
Read More...The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think by Jennifer Ackerman From the New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds, […]
Read More...Branford Land Trust Trails Crew members Dave Andrews, Bob Hull, and John Ruckes get to work on damage sustained during last week’s storm. Photo along the Van Wie Woods green […]
Read More...In thinking about how to best serve our membership, our community, and our region, the Branford Land Trust will be presenting some materials over the next few months that place […]
Read More...What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing – What Birds Are Doing, and Why by David Allen Sibley The bird book for birders […]
Read More...Did you know there is a native euonymus that is a ringer for the invasive burning bush euonymus? Staghorn sumac looks very much like trees of heaven. There actually is […]
Read More...Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West by Justin Farrell A revealing look at the intersection of wealth, philanthropy, and conservation Billionaire Wilderness takes you inside […]
Read More...Most residents of the greater Branford area are familiar with the Supply Ponds. This popular recreation area is heavily used by walkers, runners, mountain bikers, fishermen, bird watchers, and […]
Read More...Human pollution of the atmosphere with greenhouse gases is altering the global climate. As greenhouse gases continue to increase, with a limited response from United States federal policy makers, local […]
Read More...As you walk through the woods these days, you might be heartened by the burgeoning green leaves on many bushes. Unfortunately, most of these are non-native invasive species, which is […]
Read More...Along with the spring wildflowers, the ferns are now providing delight as they unfold in their typical fiddlehead arrangement. On our nature walks, people often ask if the fiddleheads we […]
Read More...Trout Lilies by Mary Oliver It happened I couldn’t find in all my books more than a picture and a few words concerning the trout lily, so I shut my […]
Read More...Submitted by/Photo by Jen Payne SUPPORT THE ONGOING EFFORTS OF THE BRANFORD LAND TRUST Become a Member Today!
Read More...Deep in the forests of Georgia, at the Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve, millions of Trout Lilies bloom every spring. Sprawling across 15 acres of the preserve, this is the […]
Read More...“Medicinally, bloodroot was used to treat coughs and stomach and urinary troubles,” Martha said. “The Iroquois also brewed a tea that they believed made the heart stronger and cleansed the […]
Read More...Bloodroot, Sanguinaria Canadensis, is also known by folkname as Indian Paint, Indian Plant, King Root, Sweet Slumber, and Tetterwort. It is a small perennial growing up to six inches tall, […]
Read More...“When I was little, my parents owned a Sing Along with Mitch Miller and the Gang album. It didn’t take too long to learn every song by heart, including this […]
Read More...Above is the spring wildflower know as Spring Beauty or Claytonia virginica. Found in Eastern North America, its scientific name honors Colonial Virginia botanist John Clayton. This from the British […]
Read More...Dutchman’s Breeches by Marjorie Kahl Lawrence The fairies washed their panties And hung them up to dry. Who else could wear So small a pair? I’m sure not you nor […]
Read More...Lucy T. Hammer moved to Branford in 1927 after marrying her husband, Thorvald. He soon succeeded his father as president and general manager of Malleable Iron Fittings, a company that […]
Read More...In March, BLT Trails Crew volunteers Dave Andrews, John Ruckes, Bob Hull, Bob Baker, and Matt Reed spent a day retrieving a discarded jet ski from the Beacon Hill Preserve. […]
Read More...Scavenger hunts are a great way to get kids outside, especially during our nice spring days…even more so now since we’ve been sheltering in place for a while! Check out […]
Read More...In late February, a BLT work party replaced two osprey platforms, one at Summer Island and one near the Trolley Trail in Stony Creek. UPDATE: At least 2 of the […]
Read More...Vernal Pools, like this one at the Red Hill Woods preserve, appear in the spring and disappear by midsummer. Frogs and salamanders lay their eggs in these pools. The eggs […]
Read More...A glacial erratic is a rock resting on today’s land surface that has been deposited by the retreat of glacial ice at the end of the last Ice Age 11.000 […]
Read More...Presented by the New Canaan Land Trust and sponsored by the New Canaan Pollinator Pathway partnership, Doug Tallamy, PhD Entomology, discusses simple steps that each of us can and must […]
Read More...By Jonathan Katz In a war-torn election season, punditry is everywhere. Pundits prattle and pontificate about politics. It’s what they do. Or do they? The first Pundits were Hindus from […]
Read More...Dave Andrews, Property Management One of the requirements of Land Trust Alliance accreditation is to annually monitor our properties. This helps the Branford Land Trust assure we know the current […]
Read More...Take a look at Supply Ponds: Branford’s Hidden Escape, a new documentary video produced by Iryna Solomko and Adrian Bonenberger to acknowledge and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Town […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust is pleased to announce that it has achieved national recognition as an Accredited Land Trust! We join a network of more than 400 land trusts across […]
Read More...FROM CONNIE DRYSDALE The National Book Review calls The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, by Dan Egan “A literary clarion call.… Egan’s narrative reflects a nuanced understanding of […]
Read More...by Emily Oldfield, BLT Guest Writer What is soil health? Can you diagnose a soil as healthy or not? Recently, the concept of “soil health” has gained traction in policy, […]
Read More...by John Watson In February, the Town of Branford announced the creation of a $1 million fund to help finance future efforts to prepare for and mitigate the consequences of […]
Read More...By Jonathan Katz National Trails Day 2019. Good day for a bike ride, along the Folks on Spokes route in Milford, by the shore. I make a right, residential downhill […]
Read More...The Short Beach Preserve is a 40-acre parcel with rugged rock outcroppings, tall oaks, beeches, extensive groves of mountain laurel, wetlands, and a magnificent bluff offering spectacular views of Talmadge […]
Read More...A visit to Van Wie Woods is special any time of year and in any kind of weather, even a rainy spring morning. The Van Wie Preserve, abutting the Quarry […]
Read More...A person driving north on Brushy Plain Road might be forgiven for thinking that it’s just a long stretch of suburbia, with condominiums, houses, apartment buildings, a school and a […]
Read More...Take a walk on a BLT trail these days and you’re sure to discover a multitude of mushrooms and more. Take a look! CLICK HERE for more information and identification […]
Read More...The Leave No Trace Seven Principles are the bedrock of the Leave No Trace program. They provide guidance to enjoy our natural world in a sustainable way that avoids human-created […]
Read More...American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus A large, boldly patterned bird, the American Oystercatcher is conspicuous along ocean shores and salt marshes. True to its name, it is specialized in feeding on […]
Read More...Fifty-four birds were sighted during this weekend’s two bird walks led by Chris Woerner and Martha Rice. Here is an accounting… SPECIES OF BIRDS RECORDED: 54 American Crow American Goldfinch […]
Read More...As the last reminders of winter fade from our local trails, it’s a good time remind you of guidelines for use of BLT properties. This year, the BLT has adopted […]
Read More...by Peter Marteka, Nature’s Path & Way To Go, Hartford Courant A few years ago, I visited Ledyard’s Glacial Park, probably the state’s best example of a moraine field left […]
Read More...by Peter Marteka, Hartford Courant, Nature’s Path & Way To Go (August 20, 2016) A pile of rocks along the trails of Branford’s Red Hill Woods tells a story of […]
Read More...Branford resident Eric Johansson loved the outdoors! When he wasn’t out in his boat fishing, he was working at Vail Ski Resort, spending his free time skiing. But, summer was […]
Read More...The Branford Land Trust is pleased to announce the dedication of the Peter H. Borgemeister Memorial Trail, located in the Hoadley Creek Preserve on the eastern side of Branford. Peter […]
Read More...Did you know that the Greenland ice sheet is the second largest ice body in the world, after the Antarctic Ice Sheet? The Greenland ice sheet is approximately 1,500 miles […]
Read More...Take a video tour of Outer Island, presented by the Friends of Outer Island, a unit of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, located in Long Island Sound off the […]
Read More...A person driving north on Brushy Plain Road might be forgiven for thinking that it’s just a long stretch of suburbia, with condominiums, houses, apartment buildings, a school and a […]
Read More...FROM THE LONG ISLAND SOUND STUDY: The Long Island Sound coast has its share of highways and densely populated cities and towns. But there are also miles of beautiful seascapes […]
Read More...Coastal communities in Connecticut and elsewhere are considering how they can become more resilient to flooding from greenhouse gas-driven increases in sea level and predicted more frequent severe storms. Residents […]
Read More...Branford Land Trust
P.O. Box 254
Branford, CT 06405
(203) 483-5263
info@branfordlandtrust.org