Branford Land Trust

WORK PARTY: DeLeo Field
2019-01-19 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
On January 19, we will work at the DeLeo field to remove the woody trees and shrubs that have encroached on the edges of the field, limiting the area that the Pages can mow for hay. Meet at 9:00 am. Bring loppers, small handsaws, sturdy hand clippers, and work gloves. Park on the wood road on the left just past 150 Laurel Hill Road. Call Matt Reed (203-376-6199) for more information.

JANUARY BOARD MEETING
2019-01-21 19:30 - 21:30 | Branford Land Trust House, 26 School Street, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
Branford Land Trust Board meetings are open to the public.

WORK PARTY: Tinker Woods
2019-02-16 08:00 - 09:00
Tinker Woods – We will reestablish a trail along the boundary from Stony Creek Road to the rear of the property. Meet at 9:00. Park on Pepperwood Lane near Stony Creek Road/Rt. 146 (just east of the Tilcon rail tracks) and walk east on Stony Creek Road (toward Stony Creek). Enter the woods across the road from the first house on the left. Bring loppers, small handsaws, sturdy hand clippers, and work gloves. Call Bill Horne (203-488-6146) for more information.

FEBRUARY BOARD MEETING
2019-02-20 19:30 - 21:30 | Branford Land Trust House, 26 School Street, Branford, CT, 06405, United States

Animal Tracking Class
2019-02-23 09:30 - 11:00 | Lake Saltonstall Preserve, Hosley Avenue, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
Not just a walk in the woods, the Branford Land Trust’s popular Animal Tracking classes are led enthusiastically by naturalists Tom Cleveland and Chris Woerner each winter. Come find out how to recognize animal footprints and other signs of their passage through the woods during two Animal Tracking Classes scheduled for Saturday, January 26 and Saturday, February 23 from 9:30 to 11am at the Lake Saltonstall Recreational Area. We’ll hope for snow, but it will be fun even without it! (Read More)

March WORK PARTY: Goss Preserve
2019-03-09 09:00 - 11:00 | Goss Preserve
Note Second Saturday date. We will work at the Goss Tract cleaning along the Totoket Road edge of the preserve, removing litter and invasive plants, and trimming the trails as needed.
Meet at 9:00 am at the Tilcon parking lot at the west end of the Pine Orchard/Stony Creek trolley trail.
Bring work gloves, mattocks, clippers and loppers.
For more information, call Bill Horne (203-488-6146).

Climate Change Demonstration
2019-03-15 12:00 - 14:00 | Branford Green, Town Hall Drive, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
A demonstration organized by a Branford High School student is planned for noon Friday, March 15, on the town green.

The demonstration is to protest government inactivity on global change and to show solidarity with Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish high school student who started the #FridaysForFuture movement. Greta has missed school almost every Friday since last August to sit outside the Swedish parliament, demanding politicians bring her country into line with the Paris climate agreement.

You can learn more about the FridaysForFuture movement here: https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/

MARCH BOARD MEETING
2019-03-18 19:30 - 21:30 | Branford Land Trust House, 26 School Street, Branford, CT, 06405, United States

April Work Party -- Vedder Preserve
2019-04-06 09:00 - 11:00
Note first Saturday date!
We will return to the Jenny Vedder Preserve to clean up chronic party sites, do any needed trail maintenance, and continue the removal of invasive plants, especially a large patch of garlic mustard, which should be leafing out but not yet starting to flower.
Meet at 9:00 am at the pull-off on Pleasant Point Rd. just south of the Amtrak line. Bring work gloves, mattocks, clippers and loppers. The Land Trust will have several weed wrenches available.
Call Bill Horne (488-6146) for more information.

APRIL BOARD MEETING
2019-04-15 19:30 - 21:30 | Branford Land Trust House, 26 School Street, Branford, CT, 06405, United States

Long Island Sound Blue Plan Public Meeting
2019-04-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Thimble Island Brewing, 16 Business Park Dr, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
The Branford Land Trust and the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) are co-hosting a public meeting on the Long Island Sound Blue Plan.
The Blue Plan is a new paradigm in Connecticut’s management of Long Island Sound that seeks to identify and protect Significant Human Use Areas and Ecologically Significant Areas, as well as reduce conflict in the siting of new structures and activities. The complete draft Long Island Sound Blue Plan is available online, and we’d like to hear from you!
The plan development team, led by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and in association with Thimble Island Brewing, the Branford Land Trust, and the Town of Branford, will hold a public meeting at Thimble Island Brewing to present on the Blue Plan and invite comments to improve the final document. We would like to invite you to join the discussion at this event; by participating in this process you are helping shape the future of the Sound. Your input will make a difference in how the Sound is preserved for our access.
If you have any questions about this event, please contact Christian Fox, Blue Plan Outreach Coordinator at DEEP.BluePlanLIS@ct.gov or 203.568.6307. More information about the Blue Plan is available at www.ct.gov/deep/lisblueplan.

Branford River and Town Litter Clean-Up Day
2019-04-27 09:00 - 12:00 | Branford Green, Town Hall Drive, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
Join other volunteers to clean up the littered location in Town that bugs you the most!
Don’t know where to start? Pick up trash bags on the Branford Green beginning at 9:00 AM on Saturday, April 27 and get directions to the best (worst?) locations in town. Or grab your own trash bags and head out directly. When you’re done, just bring your trash collection back to the Green and throw it in the big dumpster. Come do your part to help Branford look its best!

Spring Bird Walk
2019-05-11 08:30 - 10:30 | Vedder Preserve, West Point Rd, Stony Creek, CT, 06405, United States
Local birder Chris Woerner leads these popular walks along the Stony Creek Trolley Trail and into the BLT’s Vedder property. You’ll learn to identify birds by sight and by song. Mostly flat terrain with one steep, rocky hill. Choose either day or come to both! Families and children welcome, but no dogs, please.
Meet in Stony Creek at the end of West Point Rd. across from Willoughby Wallace library.

Spring Bird Walk
2019-05-12 08:30 - 22:30

May Work Party - Stony Creek Partnership Preserve
2019-05-18 09:00 - 11:00 | Stony Creek Partnership Preserve
We will prepare the field on the Stony Creek Limited Partnership Preserve for its annual mowing.
Meet at 9:00 am. Park on Long Point Rd or Wallace Rd (the far intersection of Wallace Rd with Thimble Island Rd, opposite Long Point Rd). We will walk in along the private road that goes off to the right just as Wallace Rd starts to climb the hill. Take the first driveway on the left (where the road curves right) and look for some stepping stones going up the hill on the right side of the driveway with a BLT signpost at the top. Follow the red blazes to the field, bearing left at the point where the trail splits.
Bring loppers, small handsaws, sturdy hand clippers, and work gloves.
Call Matt Reed (203-376-6199) for more information.

MAY BOARD MEETING
2019-05-20 19:30 - 21:30 | Branford Land Trust House, 26 School Street, Branford, CT, 06405, United States

Wildflower Walk at Red Hill Woods
2019-05-25 15:00 - 16:30 | Red Hill Woods, Red Hill Road, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
Join botanist Lauren Brown on an afternoon walk through Red Hill Woods in search of spring flora and fauna on Saturday, May 25 at 3:00 p.m. The event, hosted by the Branford Land Trust, is free and open to the public.
Wander along the Red Hill Woods trail and across the amazing 1200-foot bog walk that traverses this stunning 29-acre property with views of the sedge-red maple floodplain and adjacent streams. In the spring, this wetland is sunny and filled with clumps of sedges, different species of ferns, and numerous leafy herbaceous plants growing beneath a high canopy of maples and other hardwood trees.
Other property features include an upland forest with high ledge outcrops that overlook a vernal pool and a Native American rock shelter. It is a special place, representing the types of open spaces that have been protected by the Land Trust since its incorporation in 1967.
Branford is celebrating its 375th anniversary this year and the Branford Land Trust is proud to sponsor events that highlight the town’s natural beauty. Come and see what makes Branford so special!
From Leetes Island Road, turn onto Red Hill Road and continue past Van Wie Pond to the very end of the road. Park along the gravel lane.

CT Trails Day Hike: Supply Ponds & Pisgah Brook Watershed
2019-06-01 08:45 - 12:00
On Connecticut Trails Day, come out with the Branford Land Trust to explore the Supply Ponds & Pisgah Brook Watershed — and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Branford Supply Ponds — on Saturday, June 1 at 8:45 a.m. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the main Supply Ponds parking lot at the ends of Short Rocks Road and Chestnut Street, off Route 1. (Rain Date: June 2 at 8:45 a.m.)

Killam’s Point: Our Living Fossils, the Horseshoe Crab
2019-06-06 19:30 - 21:00 | Killam’s Point, Shore Drive, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
Join naturalist Martha Rice for an evening with horseshoe crabs, this Thursday, June 6 from 7:30 – 9:00pm. Learn about Sacred Heart University’s research and why this fascinating creature is vital to our existence. Get a hands-on look at these ancient wonders. Children love this program! Click here for details.

WORK PARTY: Branford Festival
2019-06-15 07:00 - 16:00
Join us at the BLT booth to chat with your friends and neighbors about how BLT helps make Branford a special community!

BLT Annual Meeting + Lecture by Mark Urban
2019-06-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Willoughby Wallace Library, 146 Thimble Island Road, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
Leading Climate Change Scientist Mark C. Urban to Speak at Branford Land Trust Annual Meeting on June 19
The Branford Land Trust’s 2019 Annual Meeting will feature guest speaker Mark C. Urban, an award-winning scientist, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut, founder and director of the Center of Biological Risk, and global expert on one of the most important topics of our time: climate change impacts on nature. The event will be held on Wednesday, June 19, 7:00 p.m. at the Willoughby Wallace Library (146 Thimble Island Road, Stony Creek). Urban’s presentation, “Climate Change Impacts on Connecticut Wildlife,” will follow a brief business meeting which will include the election of officers and directors and a proposed amendment to BLT bylaws allowing all officers to serve an equivalent number of terms. Refreshments will be served. The evening is free and open to the public. The Branford Land Trust is a non-profit organization, celebrating more than 50 years of protecting Branford’s open space and natural resources. For more information about the Annual Meeting, the proposed bylaws amendment, and other upcoming events, visit www.branfordlandtrust.org.

July Work Party -- Red Hill Woods
2019-07-20 09:00 - 11:00 | Red Hill Woods, Red Hill Road, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
We will be working at Red Hill Woods, removing Japanese barberry and other invasive plants from the stream floodplain and the area of dumped rock and fill east of the stream near the highway.
Meet at 9:00. AM Park on the unpaved end of Red Hill Road. If you’re running late and we’ve already headed for the worksite, walk down the unpaved road to where the White Circle trail enters from the left and follow the White Circle blazes across the stream and onto the Red Hill Woods preserve. Take the Blue Trail to the floodplain and filled area.
Bring mattocks (grub hoes), loppers, sturdy hand clippers, and heavy work gloves. We don’t plan to be working a lot in water but wearing shoes or boots that can stand getting wet is a good idea.
Note: Saturday is forecast to be very hot and humid. Bring plenty of water!

Killam's Point: Native Americans Summer at the Shore
2019-08-04 10:00 - 12:00 | Killam’s Point, Shore Drive, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
August 4
Native Americans Summer at the Shore
Sunday, 10:00am – Noon
Native Americans spent summers on Killam’s Point. Food was readily available, caves protected them from the elements, travel by water simplified moving and a spring supplied drinking water. Kids of all ages will enjoy this fascinating talk by Town Historian Jane Bouley.

Environmental Day Camp
2019-08-16 09:00 - 16:00 | Killam’s Point, Shore Drive, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
The Branford Land Trust is pleased to announce the 24th Annual hands-on Environmental Day Camp to be held on Friday, August 16. Children ages 5-9 will enjoy hands-on activities, including touch tanks, woodland and Long Island Sound exploration, nature crafts, and more. The day will run from approximately 9:00am to 4:00pm. Click here for more information.

Work Party - Goss Preserve
2019-08-17 09:00 - 11:00 | Goss Preserve
We are returning to the Goss Preserve to focus on cutting the wisteria vines that are strangling trees on the tract. Time and volunteer numbers permitting, we will also clean along the Totoket Road edge of the preserve, removing litter and invasive plants, and trim the trails as needed.
Meet at 9:00 am at the Tilcon parking lot at the west end of the Pine Orchard/Stony Creek trolley trail.
Bring work gloves, mattocks, clippers, and loppers. Call Bill Horne (203-488-6146) for more information.

Work Party - Lower Sybil Creek Preserve
2019-09-21 09:00 - 11:00 | Sybil Creek, Block Island Road, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
We will return to the Sybil Creek property next to the Bruce & Johnson marina to continue cutting bittersweet and other climbing plants that are strangling the trees on this important upland part of the Sybil Creek Preserve.
Meet at 9:00 am. Park next to the woods between buildings #3 and #4 (on the left shortly after entering the Bruce & Johnson Marina at the end of Block Island Road.
Bring loppers, small handsaws, sturdy hand clippers, and work gloves. Call Bill Horne (203-488-6146) for more information.

BLT's Annual River Parade
2019-10-12 10:30 - 13:30 | Branford High School, 185 E. Main Street, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
Celebrate the beauty of the Branford River on Saturday, October 12! Join kayakers, canoeists, and paddleboarders from Branford and surrounding communities as we paddle in a boat parade from behind the Branford High School to Branford Point. (Read More)

Work Party - Red Hill Woods
2019-10-19 09:00 - 11:00 | Red Hill Woods, Red Hill Road, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
Red Hill Woods: We will continue removing Japanese barberry and invasive plants from the stream floodplain and the area of dumped rock and fill near the highway. Meet at 9:00AM.
Get to know some of the BLT properties and spend a little time with some great people. A great chance for school-age kids to pick up some community service credits. Additional Work Parties scheduled for November 16, December 7, January 18, and February 15. For details, call Bill Horne (203-488-6146).

Killam's Point in Fall Splendor
2019-10-19 10:00 - 12:00 | Killam’s Point, Shore Drive, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
Led by educator and naturalist Jim Goggin. Walk the trails and enjoy magnificent views from granite bluffs. Watch the birds and animals preparing for winter. Wonder over the forest in amazing color. Diversity and serenity awaits those joining us for a family outing. Registration required. Call 203-314-7128. (Read More)

Work Party - Lucy Hammer Woodland
2019-11-16 09:00 - 12:00 | Hammer Woodlands, Cherry Hill Road, Branford, CT, 06405, United States
Lucy Hammer Woodland – We will return to the trail that runs along the top of the ridge, which has become overgrown by Euonymus. Time and number of volunteers permitting, we will clear the top of the dam and check the other trails. Meet at 9:00AM.
