Meffert Lands: A Gift to to Branford Land Trust Launch your canoe at Branford Point and head directly across the Branford River to Indian Neck. Paddle upstream hugging the shore at mid-tide. It is a lovely sight to see-healthy saltmarsh; lush, green and now protected land... We are pleased to announce a recent gift to the Branford Land Trust by Richard A. Meffert, as well as Carolyn F., John W., Lynn F., and Robert F. Meffert, Jr. This gift adds over 15 more acres to our holdings in this beautiful area. ...the river harbor swings south by the wetlands owned by the State of Connecticut, and turns east and then north. We pass by the Land Trust's Ecclesiastical Society tract and come to the Meffert wetlands. With a little bit of uplands, the Meffert wetlands wrap around properties on Pawson Landing Drive and extend almost to the point at Linden Shores. Next, as we paddle up Sybil Creek, we see additional Meffert properties-two small parcels on the left bank and three substantial pieces on the right, extending back to Linden Shore Ltd. Partnership. Continuing up the creek, we pass the Land Trust's Sybil Manor property), on the left, with its active osprey nest behind Lenny's restaurant. The creek continues under South Montowese Street (no passage for our canoe) and splits into two branches, draining two wetland regions on either side of Waverly Park Road. The large portion of these wetland acres are also owned by the Land Trust, the Foote Sybil and Newton-Crelin parcels on the west, and Gustufson and Foote Waverly on the east. Most of the preserve is below the mean high tidal mark and is healthy and important to the ecology of the area and the vitality of Long Island Sound. The Land Management Committee is looking for volunteers in the area to provide stewardship and we hope the neighbors will take an interest in keeping the properties free of debris. We also hope to erect one or two osprey platform in the near future. This newest addition to Land Trust holdings greatly strengthens our protection of Sybil Creek, augmenting the value of properties we own upstream, and completing a lovely protected sweep of the east bank of the Branford River. We thank the Meffert family for their gift which helps guarantee that this sweep of the river will remain protected for future generations of wildlife. It will serve to remind all of us how special the natural shoreline is in its undeveloped state.