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Branford is in the process of preserving a 22-acre refuge comprised of trees, grasslands and marshes on the western side of town, near one of the heaviest areas of condominium development.
“It’s a gorgeous piece of property,” said Marleen Cenotti, a neighbor who is also president of the Friends of the Farm River Estuary.
The property, which is owned by Richard J. Kaczynski, is located at 8 – 46 Helen Road in the Branford Hills section of town. The land is part of the Farm River estuary, and is adjacent to the Menore property owned by the Branford Land Trust. It is strategically located within view from the Shoreline Trolley line and the Beacon Hill Preserve.
“We’re very fortunate to have another piece of property saved from development,” Cenotti said. “You have a feeling of serenity when you walk out there.”
Noted local environmentalist Bill Horne, who wrote the grant application, said the location of the property is key to its importance. “It enhances the viewscape from the recreational trails on Beacon Hill and for people taking the trolley or walking the trolley trails,” Horne said. “And it provides protection to the Farm River estuary.”
Horne said that the 22 acres of open space are especially important considering the town’s population density of over 1,200 residents per square mile.
There are numerous condominium complexes near the Helen Road property including Jefferson Woods, Plymouth Colony, and the Greens.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy recently announced more than $9 million in Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition grants for 35 communities across the state. Branford will receive $137,500 toward the purchase of the Kaczynski property.
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“I thought it was important to preserve this area,” said First Selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos. “It has good rolling grasslands and tidal marshes. When you’re up on Beacon Hill, you look right down on that property. When you ride the trolley and go through there, it’s like it was a hundred years ago.”
The state grant will cover almost half of the purchase price, which is $325,000. A sales agreement has already been signed, and DaRos said it is anticipated that the remainder of the funding will come from the Open Space Fund and the Land Trust. He hopes the sale will be finalized in a few months.
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There are also five acres of agricultural land in the tract, which are currently being used by a nearby farmer to harvest hay. DaRos said the town would like to keep that acreage as farmland.
DaRos and the Land Trust have been working together to acquire the Kaczynski property and other major tracts for about 10 years.
In 2002, the Select Committee on Open Space Acquisition (SCOSA) was formed after the Land Trust asked the selectman how the town could help acquire properties whose owners had expressed interest in selling. Mr. Kaczynski had approached the Land Trust about purchasing his land. “The Kaczynski property was one of the triggering properties for the formation of the committee,” Horne said.
Horne said that as early as 1972, the Farm River estuary was designated as an area for conservation in the town’s first Plan of Conservation and Development.
He said numerous local entities have supported the acquisition of the Kaczynski property, including the Conservation and Environmental Commission, the Parks and Open Space Authority and the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Letters of support for the grant were written by Patrick Comins of Audubon Connecticut; Adam Whelchel of the Nature Conservancy of Connecticut; the Friends of the Farm River Estuary; state Sen. Edward Meyer; and state representatives Lonnie Reed and Patricia Widlitz.
“The grant clearly is very important,” Horne said, and not just monetarily. “It is confirmation from the state about the environmental importance of this land.”
In the grant application, Horne noted the importance of the Farm River estuary as an environmental resource.
Horne said the area helps protect water quality in the Farm River, serves as a habitat for numerous species of birds, and provides a flyway for thousands of migrating birds each year. Importantly, he said the Kaczynski uplands will serve as an area for the tidal marsh to advance with the predicted rise in sea level. He cited work by Adam Whelchel of the Nature Conservancy to that effect.
Horne also addressed the recreational importance of the land.
“The Branford Trail, a 28-mile hiking route that circumnavigates Branford, traverses the crest of Beacon Hill and along the Shoreline Trolley Museum’s rails to Short Beach, with direct views of the Kaczynski property,” Horne stated. “The Friends of the Farm River Estuary conducts yearly bird watching trips for its members and other birdwatchers. The tidal creeks that bound the Kaczynski property are accessible to canoes and kayaks launched at Farm River State Park one mile downstream. Passengers on the Shoreline Trolley Museum trolleys enjoy the views of the Kaczynski property across the salt marsh.”
Cenotti, as president of the Friends of the Farm River Estuary, has conducted bird walks twice a year along the trolley line trail. The group has seen Great Horned Owls nesting there, and has also seen a rare Saltmarsh Sparrow.
“In migratory season, there are all kinds of birds there,” she said. “In all seasons it’s beautiful. When you walk out there, it really regenerates you.”
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