Branford High School and the
Branford Land Trust: A New Partnership

During 1999, in a new partnership with the Branford Land Trust Community Outreach Program, Branford High School students joined Land Trust and Branford River Project members in several projects coordinated both with the high school science curriculum and with the students' school/community service obligations.

CLASS AND SENIOR PROJECTS
Opportunities for students to join in Land Trust Activities are varied and plentiful. Students seeking ideas for science classes , senior projects, or community service are welcome to call the Land Trust for project ideas and development. For example biology students may be interested in helping with natural resource inventories. The Land Trust holds a wide range of properties from fields and meadows to densely forested areas and would like to begin comprehensive studies of all its holdings. Collecting information on the plant and animal life for each property helps the Land Trust better understand and care for the land under its protection.

Students may also be interested in investigating the effect of "invasive" plants on Branford's' natural areas. Sometimes even with the best of intentions plants from different countries or continents are introduced and choke out native species. Students may also wish to investigate the role of open space in community development.

In the spring of 1999, the Land Trust's campaign to purchase a portion of the Medlyn Dairy Farm provided the perfect opportunity for Land Trust members and high school students to join together to help the community understand the value of this property as open space. Several Biology students researched and designed poster displays illustrating the biological diversity of the property as part of their final Biology projects. The students then shared their research findings on the weekend public walks and exhibited their poster displays in the Land Trust and River Project booths at the Branford Festival.

Sophomore Aaron D'Amico examined the property's diverse habitats including meadows, woods and vernal pools; sophomore Shannon McDermott displayed vegetation samples from the forest, meadows, marsh and wetlands; sophomore Ashley Carrano examined and illustrated the trees of the Medlyn property; and sophomore Andrew Rollo focused on the effects of invasive plant growth in the Medlyn meadows. Freshman Kim Cartigiano conducted a storm drain education and labeling project for the Branford River Project. Kim not only designed a poster display illustrating the path of materials dumped in the drains, but helped affix plastic disks warning "Don't Dump, Drains to River" to the drains themselves.

COMMUNITY SERVICE
Opportunities for community service hours for Branford students are many. For example, Branford High students have taken an active role in maintaining the "Partnership" meadow in Stony Creek by helping clear the meadow of invasives in a series of work parties. Students have also been active in trail maintenance. During the River Project's annual clean up, students from both the high school and intermediate school gathered many bags of garbage.

The developing collaboration between Branford High School and the Land Trust has proven beneficial for all involved and provides an excellent means for developing a greater understanding and appreciation of Branford's natural resources for Branford's youth.