Part of the Branford Land Trust’s Salt Marsh Celebration
Wednesday, August 27, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
at the Stony Creek Trolley Trail
The Branford Land Trust’s Salt Marsh Celebration continues with a Salt Marsh Plant Walk on Wednesday, August 27, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Stony Creek Trolley Trail. Join botanist Lauren Brown and Jack Matthias, Manager, Coastal Resilience for Audubon Connecticut, for this evening walk and learn about the importance of salt marshes and how various types of vegetation survive (and thrive) when the marsh is flooded by saltwater tides. Learn the difference between invasive and native plants of the marsh, and how beneficial marsh plants can provide essential habitat for birds and other species.
The Trolley Trail has long been a favorite among Branford residents, offering an intimate view of the tidal wetlands and a chance to observe osprey nesting on one of the many platforms hosted by the Branford Land Trust. It is complemented by the 15-acre wooded Goss Preserve and the Vedder Preserve along Pleasant Point Road with its remarkable views of Long Island Sound, the salt marsh, the Trolley Trail, and the Thimble Islands.
We’ll meet in Stony Creek at the far end of West Point Rd. across from the Willoughby Wallace Library. Mostly flat terrain with one steep, rocky hill. Families are welcome, but no dogs please.
All of the Salt Marsh Celebration events are free and open to the public. Please wear appropriate dress and comfortable, supportive walking shoes since some walking can be over uneven surfaces. Bring water and bug spray. Walking sticks welcome.
The ongoing Salt Marsh Celebration helps kick off the Jarvis Creek Farm Salt Marsh Migration and Restoration Project with a series of FREE, fun & educational activities for all ages to learn about the importance of salt marshes including “Marsh Migration at Jarvis Creek Farm” on September 17 and “Marsh Migration in Action!” on September 23.
You can also roll up your sleeves for some hands-on learning! Join us for our two Saturday Work Parties (AUGUST 23 & SEPTEMBER 20, 9AM-12PM) at Tabor Marsh; you’ll learn to identify and then remove invasive plants along the marsh
Photo by Jen Payne
ABOUT THE TROLLEY TRAIL
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the trolley was a dominant form of transportation along the shoreline. As the automobile gained dominance after World War II, the trolley was discontinued and its rails dismantled, but in many places the physical rail bed remained.
In the early 1970s, David Anderson of the Branford Land Trust conceived the idea of a trail through the salt marsh and oversaw its construction with help from Boy Scout Troop 422 and the New Haven Trap Rock Co. (now Tilcon). The Trolley Trail has long been a favorite among Branford residents, offering an intimate view of the tidal wetlands and a chance to observe osprey nesting on one of the many platforms hosted by the Branford Land Trust.
The Trolley Trail is complimented by the Goss Preserve in Pine Orchard and the Vedder Preserve along Pleasant Point Road. The 15-acre wooded Goss Preserve was donated to the Branford Land Trust in phases in 1983 and 1986 by Nancy B. Goss, a longtime Pine Orchard resident. A short trail with gentle ups and downs encircles the property.
The 27-acre Vedder Preserve was donated in 1980. No one should miss the climb to the Vedder monument, with its remarkable views of Long Island Sound, the salt marsh, The Trolley Trail and the Thimble Islands. There is also a plaque that tells the moving story of the donor, Jennie Vedder.
Vedder grew up in Pleasant Point, where her father earned a modest living building and repairing boats. Jennie taught school in Branford and then moved to Greenwich Village, where she worked for the American News Company and attended night school at New York University. She made frequent weekend trips back to Branford, never losing her love of the place where she grew up. Whenever a piece of land on Pleasant Point came up for sale, she found a way to buy it, once even borrowing from her boss to do so. In 1963 Vedder retired and moved back to Branford, where her closest relatives were surprised to learn she harbored a secret love for writing poetry. Vedder could have sold all of the land she accumulated and lived a lavish life, but instead she chose a lifestyle similar to her modest upbringing. In 1980, she deeded 27 acres, nearly all she had accumulated, to the Branford Land Trust. She died in 1981 at age 90. A book of her poetry is available at both Branford libraries.
