Protecting Sybil
Creek
In January 2001, the Land Trust completed the protection
of the salt meadow on the north side of Sybil Creek between
the Branford River and South Montowese Street, adding 15 acres
of prime salt marsh and five acres of upland to the marsh
donated to the Land Trust several years ago.
This acquisition represents a major accomplishment of the
Land Trust and the Branford community. The upland, a densely
wooded fist of land that juts out into the marsh close to
where Sybil Creek enters the Branford River, provides important
habitat for a large number of birds and animals. Deer and
foxes shelter in the woods. The kingfishers, egrets and herons
that fish the marsh and creek roost in the trees along the
edge, waiting for the right tide, as do the osprey who nest
on the platform in the nearby marsh.
The purchase of the property marks the successful conclusion
of a major effort by many Land Trust members from Indian Neck
led by Maria Storm, Chair of the Branford River Project, and
Louise Lamontagne Resnick. Faced with the challenge of raising
as much as possible of the $98,500 purchase price while the
Land Trust was already engaged in fundraising for the Short
Beach Preserve, they generated more than 300 donations totaling
over $50,000. Nearly $10,000 that the Land Trust had been
given in recent years to use for protecting coastal properties
and donations to the Land Trust's town-wide campaign in excess
of the price of the Short Beach property brought the total
to about $93,000. The Land Trust made up the remaining cost
from its reserve funds, adding another important piece to
the legacy of open space that we are building for Branford's
future.
See Also: Sybil Creek
Restoration |
