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. Maybe you’ve seen our blue and green striped signs as you drive through town.
The Branford Land Trust plays an integral role in our quality of life here in Branford, and it’s crucial that we have a homebase. Since the 1970s, that homebase has been the Land Trust House, located at 26 School Street in Stony Creek. It is comprised of two connected structures — a schoolhouse built in 1865 and a firehouse built in 1901 and expanded in the 1950s — that serve as the center of our operations for meetings and office space, as well as storage for equipment, supplies, maps, and our archives.
This summer, we began a desperately-needed renovation that includes repairing structural problems, resolving an obsolete electrical system, removing hazardous materials, and replacing the failing septic system, as well as addressing the energy inefficiency of buildings that are more than a century old!
Based on professional estimates, the project will cost approximately $500,000. A large portion of the funding will be provided by matching fund grants from the Connecticut State Office of Historic Preservation and the 1772 Foundation. Together, these grants will provide $210,000, leaving us to raise $300,000.
We’re asking you to help twofold:
- Join the Branford Land Trust to help support our efforts year-round
- Donate to the Land Trust House fundraiser to help us raise $300,000
All contributions are tax-deductible as provided by law. Donors who contribute over $1,000 will be individually named on a kiosk planned for the front yard.
CLICK HERE NOW to make a donation or watch your mail for an upcoming town-wide special mailing. Your contribution — large or small — will help ensure the continued protection of Branford’s history and its natural resources. Thank you!
