Bayberrys Grow, Alongside Mill River Trail

Dig. Plant. Donut — but not the kind you eat, the kind that helps the bayberry shrub retain moisture as it acclimates to its new home on the Mill River Trail.

The Mill River Trail gained two new bayberry shrubs Wednesday behind 451 Grand Ave., thanks to volunteer efforts to revitalize the community corridor.

Jasmine Gormley, an intern at Yale’s Urban Resources Initiative (URI), is the trail’s designated URI representative this summer. ​“URI equips communities near green spaces with eco-knowledge, tools, and plants, so that they can learn to maintain them,” she said about the Yale-affiliated environmental nonprofit’s work.

Maintenance of the Mill River Trail began nearly 12 years ago, before receiving funding from the city once its volunteer base received significant traction. Now, the trail has received various grants, including portions that have been deemed ​“Urban Oases” eligible for funding by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Audubon Society.

MakeHaven Executive Director J.R. Logan has been volunteering at the trail since it was just himself and a few friends clearing a path. ​“We’re fixing it by bit,” he said.

Currently, the trails run from Fair Haven’s Criscuolo Park to John Murphy Drive and from Humphrey Street to East Rock Park. ​“The Regional Water Authority is considering extending the trail through its recreational area. Don’t get too excited though, because these things take time,” Logan said.

The team started on Wednesday by identifying the ideal spot to plant the bayberry shrubs. ​“I don’t really have a preference in terms of pollination purposes, but I think we can give it a friend,” Gormley said, gesturing to a red cedar she had planted the previous week.

After deciding on two plots a few feet apart, volunteers got to work plucking knotweed and Tree of Heaven — two invasive species that have reduced local insect populations due to their toxicity. ​“You can identify Tree of Heaven by smell. It smells bad, like burnt peanut butter,” said Logan.

Once a spot had been cleared, teams of two began to dig holes deep enough to fit the plant and allow its roots to integrate with the soil.

Before placing the bayberry shrub, however, Gormley demonstrated how to ​“zhuzh” the roots to remove them. ​“Everything we’re doing is to make the plants more comfortable. This entire process is very unpleasant for them,” said Gormley.

Finally, once the shrubs had been planted, teams created a high ring of soil around each stem to pool water. Gormley explained, ​“The soil in Connecticut is really sandy, so water just slips right through.”

While volunteers will continue to tend to the Mill River Trail, the organization’s next goal is to connect to the northern portion of the trail via a short path to Humphrey Street. Logan is currently seeking land usage rights from the city for a stretch through which runs an abandoned railroad track: ​“It’s like no-man’s land.”

Logan also hopes to install historical signage to inform visitors of the site’s past. He obtained the funding for the project through donations to the Mill River Watershed Association, which is registered as a 501c3 nonprofit.

When asked why the Mill River Trail’s restoration is important, Gormley reflected on why she first decided to pursue Environmental Studies during her time as an undergraduate at Yale the past four years.

“Obviously, there’s the environmental benefits. But on the other hand, these projects make people feel engaged in their communities. Someone might pass by a park in their neighborhood and say, ​‘Oh, that’s the tree I planted,’ which makes them less likely to litter there, or ignore the space altogether. When a space feels like yours, you are so much more likely to appreciate it.”