Happy Walkers!
Attentive listeners
Bill Horne from Branford Land Trust explaining the purchase and trail development of the Weil property
Saturday, September 7 was a beautiful day for the Shoreline Greenway Trail’s First Saturday walk in Branford, which was led by Branford Co-Chair Judy Miller, accompanied by Bill Horne of the Branford Land Trust. Almost 40 walkers from several towns trekked from Stony Creek’s West Point field through the Land Trust Weil property, across Jarvis Creek, to a large glacial erratic on the abutting Yale property. Along the walk, Judy Miller described the issues involved in siting the Greenway Trail, a biking and pedestrian trail, between Stony Creek and the Guilford town line. Bill Horne described the importance of maintaining open space on the shoreline in this area, the process of building the Branford Land Trust pedestrian boardwalk over Jarvis Creek, and the impact of rising seas. As they looked out over the marshes and the waters of the Sound to the Thimble Islands, walkers listened intently and asked many good questions. The walk illustrated the different yet mutually cooperative open space uses among the Land Trust, the Shoreline Greenway Trail, and the Branford Trail, a 28 mile walking trail around the periphery of Branford, in preserving and providing access to open space in Branford.
Other Branford news
Stantac crew arriving ready to work
The beginning of the day
On Wednesday, September 10, a group of twelve stalwart community service volunteers from Stantec, Inc. worked on the Tabor section of the Shoreline Greenway Trail in Branford. This temporary trail goes seven tenths of a mile from Pine Orchard Road in the east to Tabor Drive at the west end, skirting beautiful Chet’s Pond. Despite unexpected downpours in the late morning, John Insall, Kathy Lehmus, Gabe Knight, Dan Preli, Rebecca Snelling, Mike Falcano, Kent Gannon, Phil Champagne, Antonio De Camillo, Tom Hammerburg, John Eberle, and Phil Katz showed up as planned at 12:30. Ready to go to work, they came equipped with handsaws, loppers, cutters and even a machete.
They cut down the mugwort, wild roses, and other invasives that threaten to overtake the trail and, even more important, they sawed down branches of the autumn olives that overhang the trail, clearing over head as well as under foot. Their cheerful banter as they hacked and sawed made it seem as if they were actually having fun. SGT Branford thanked them for a job well done with water, cookies, and fruit, but in truth we can’t thank them enough. This was community service with gusto!
Some of the invasives
John Eberle and crew ready to pack up for the trip home after an afternoon’s hard work.
You think this is easy?