For years to come, the Branford community will be able to admire and enjoy "Meadow Island," a legacy passed down from the late Mrs. Vivian N. Wies.

The Branford Land Trust recently received a splendid gift of 11 acres of upland and salt marsh from Mrs. Wies. She donated her property in memory both of her husband, Dr. Frederick A. Wies and their son, Frederick A. Wies, Jr. Sadly, Mrs. Wies died in late January, but not before sharing her memories of this property with us.

The Acquisition Committee had the opportunity to walk the land with Mrs. Wies. We were taken with her warm personality, her knowledge and appreciation of the wildflowers, and her genuine love of the property.

The acreage, known as "Meadow Island" by the Wies family, is indeed an island-a high outcropping of granite surrounded by salt meadow, and at spring tides, by water. It is attached to the "mainland" by a thin isthmus leading from Stony Creek Road, and bordered by Pine Creek Brook. The State of Connecticut and the Land Trust already protect some of the beautiful tidal wetlands and adjacent woods within sight.

The piece is quite unique, but the thinness of the soils, the presence of dead hemlocks, and the fragility of the vegetation deserve careful attention. Therefore, the Land Management Committee is scheduled to meet to begin to study, inventory and formulate a plan for maintenance and usage specifically for the property.

We welcome Mrs. Wies' surviving children, including Branford residents Richard N. Wies and Carl H. Wies, as Life Members of the Branford Land Trust; we are grateful to the whole family who enjoyed it through the years, but cared enough to keep it carefully in its natural state.

The members of the Land Trust will always be grateful to Mrs. Wies for entrusting this special property to our stewardship. It is a wonderful legacy and we are proud to be its spectator.