Happenings this month

On May 8 – Branford is hosting the 10th annual celebration of the Shoreline Greenway Trail on Tuesday May 8 at the Branford Community House located on 46 Church St.  Members are meeting at 6:45 p.m. and the public is welcome for a real treat at 7:15!   Author Mary Collins will speak about her book, American Idle: A Journey Through Our Sedentary Culture.  The book highlights the need for greenway trails and the opportunity for outdoor recreation they provide.  Light refreshments will be served.  Everyone is welcome, so please join us for some fun and lots of information.

On May 12 – Come celebrate Branford’s Open Space from 1-4 p.m. on the Branford Green.  The Green will be decorated with maps,  posters and exhibits that will  help all visitors to learn more about the fabulous open space in Branford.  There will be special activities for children showing them ways to have fun in these open spaces.  Master of Ceremonies, First Selectman Unk DaRos, will proclaim May 12 Branford Open Space Day and will lead a ceremony honoring the citizens and community leaders who have made enjoyment of open space possible over the years.  This event is sponsored by the Town of Branford, The Branford Land Trust, The Branford Conservation Commission, and the Branford Parks and Open Space Commission.  Come join us and lend your support to keep the Branford open space available for all to enjoy!

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On April 28 the Branford Land Trust and the Town of Branford joined together for a Branford River Cleanup.  As you can see from the photos above, the day turned out to be beautiful and productive with many bags of assorted junk gathered.  One of the Shoreline Greenway team members said, “It was a worthwhile experience to walk along the shoreline and see where the Greenway Trail may be continued.”  Thanks to the Shoreline Greenway team participants –  Judy Miller, Leo Critofar, Dave and Peg Stamp, Chet Blomquist,  Courtney, Dan McGowan (from the Inlands Wetlands org) and Sean Barry.

Profile of the Month

Jack Wood is Vice Chair of the Shoreline Greenway Trail, Inc. and Chair of Trail Development.  We are extremely fortunate to have him on the Branford Team!

Jack Wood

Jack earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Clarkson College of Technology in upstate New York.  After serving in the Army Corps of Engineers, he worked in both the office in structural design and in the field in construction.  One of his fondest memories is of working on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.

Born in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, Jack and his family lived in many parts of the country before eventually moving to Stony Creek in 1999, retiring shortly thereafter.  He started working with the Shoreline Greenway Trail soon after its inception.

Jack has been married for 43 years to his wife, Jean, a wonderful cook and crafts woman.  They have three children, all of whom live in Connecticut.  In fact, Jack’s son, Josh is active with the Branford Green Team!  Besides Jack’s great sense of humor, his expertise in civil engineering has been invaluable as we work to build the Shoreline Greenway Trail.  Branford has benefited greatly from this tireless worker!

Trail Information Update

To date the following sections of Branford’s trail has been owner approved, and much of it is open to the public, though not SGT trail ready:

• 3600 ft – Tabor Property Drive to Pine Orchard Road
• 2400 ft – Pine Orchard Road to Young’s Pond Park
• 2100 ft – Young’s Pond Park to Blackstone Ave. (Rte. 146)
• 2000 ft – 146 Totoket Rd to Tilcon Drive
• 1000 ft – Tilcon Drive to Tilcon Parking Lot (next to RR tracks)
• 4224 ft – Tilcon Parking Lot to Stony Creek

Volunteering

There are many, many important tasks associated with the Shoreline Greenway Trail, which include:

• Building and maintaining trails
• Raising funds
• Increasing SGT membership
• Publicity
• Government Liaison
• Fiscal work
• Identifying and tagging trees along the trail.

If you would like to volunteer, call Co-chair Judith Miller at 203-481-3870 or click the Volunteer tab of this website.

We’d love to have you on board!

Branford Team Meetings

All those who wish to promote the trail in Branford are welcome to join us at 7:00 p.m. on the 3^rd Wednesday of each month at the Community House on the corner of Church and Prospect.

Branford Team Contact Information

Co Chairs: Chet Blomquist (203-488-5640; chetandtheboys@sbcglobal.net) and Judy Miller (203-481-3870; j.miller@snet.net)

Trail Development: Jack Wood (woodbythesea@sbcglobal.net) and Pete Peterson (evapete@sbcglobal.net)

Web manager and publicity: Jo Zaehringer (jozringer@yahoo.com)

Grants and Project Manager: Peg Stamp (pegstamp@sbcglobal.net)

Local Points of Interest / Other Links

Branford Hikers – Geoffrey Smith 203-215-1175; isput@sbcglobal.net

Branford Land Trust – 26 School St., Branford 203-483-5263

James Blackstone Library – 758 Main St., Branford 203-488-1441

Collins will highlight the social, cultural, physical and even moral consequences of living in a society that no longer is active in everyday life, and how to integrate movement back into our everyday life.  In this quirky cultural snapshot she visits a potato chip factory and reflects on her own physical habits as an American.

A former part-time faculty member at Johns Hopkins University’s MA in Writing program, Mary Collins now teaches full-time at Central Connecticut State University where she won the 2011 Teaching Award.

At 6:45 PM, the Members Annual Meeting will be held to elect Board members and to recognize outstanding Volunteer Leaders as we celebrate our progress in building a 25-mile Trail through our four shoreline towns from Madison Hammonasset State Park through Guilford, Branford and East Haven to Lighthouse Park on the Eastern shore of New Haven.

Light refreshments will be served.  Branford Community House is located at  46 Church Street, Branford.

Last task - to complete the side dressing and shoulder of the trail in East Haven

“Awesome!” exclaimed  one East Haven homeowner living near the trail yesterday when he saw the newly-finished trail section near the Hoop Pole Lane trailhead. He ran for his bike to take his first ride on the completed trail!

Jack Woods, chair of our Trail Development Team, is thrilled to announce that after a three-year search, Shoreline Greenway Trail selected our own local Stony Creek Quarry in Branford as the supplier of our crushed granite stone topping material. And, we hired professional trail designer/builder/educator Josh Ryan, owner of Timber and Stone LLC from Central Vermont, to do the work!

Josh Ryan, professional trail builder

Josh, a life-long hiker, has twelve years of experience building sustainable bike trails that blend in with their surroundings, that are aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sensitive. We observed first-hand his impressive trail work using a granite topping mixture on four miles of trail for the town of Wolfboro, New Hampshire.

These first two weeks of April, Josh and his three-person crew have been installing the final topping on 1700 feet of trail  in Madison at Hammonasset, and 1200 feet of trail in East Haven at their Trailhead entrance off Mansfield Grove Road. In the fall, Josh’s team will install final topping on trail sections in Branford.

Kiteri compacts the topping with a mini-roller

They have good topping material to work with. For the past three years, Jack, a retired engineer, diligently searched different quarries state-wide, comparing and testing stone mixtures for the best result.

Toppings before spreading along trail in East Haven

The Stony Creek gradation mixture met all the engineering standards established by several experts Jack consulted with, including University of Pennsylvania, Acadia National Park and American Trails Association. The unique light-color Stony Creek granite will enhance the appearance of our Trail. And we are able to avoid long hauling costs, an important factor.

The work of laying the final topping over the rough gravel base layer is a complex process.  It involves a few expert workers,  a special mechanical Ditch Witch digger,

Josh's crew guiding the DitchWitch

a trail-building hauler to disperse the crushed stone and topsoil for side dressing, a roller compacter, and finally, rain.  Water is critical to thoroughly wet and settle the new 7-9” of topping before compacting, to make the surface firm enough for bicycles and strollers.

The current drought presents a huge challenge.  Undaunted, Jack has found water trucks to substitute temporarily, chalking it up to just one of many struggles and setbacks we have managed to conquer over these past 10 years.

Stop by and walk or bike  these awesome new trail sections! And special thanks to an anonymous East Haven homeowner who left a box of fresh donuts on the roller machine to greet the crew one morning, her ‘thank-you’ to Shoreline Greenway Trail!

The new trail surface in use at Hammonasset

creative"bike parts" sculptures on display

Shoreline Greenway Trail was there with a colorful photo display and lots of SGT handouts for customers.   Everyone enjoyed choosing favorite sculptures assembled from old bike parts, which hung from the ceilings and walls, enlivening the room.

Hmmm.... a multi-family bike!

Zane’s bike store was a perfect environment to expose active people to the Shoreline Greenway trail’s vision to build a  trail for family bicycling as well as walking.

It was wonderful to speak to and enlighten people who didn’t know anything about the Trail, and to update those who already support the Shoreline Greenway Trail on the progress we’ve been making.  There was a steady stream of traffic by our table (being situated near the cookies and coffee helped!) and people were genuinely interested.

If you were there, thank you for listening to us and we hope to see you out on our Trail someday soon!

Chris Zane, owner and bike enthusiast

Special thanks go to Chris Zane, owner, for his continued support, and to Tom Girard, store manager, who welcomed our participation even during such a hectic time overseeing their major sales event of the year.

And thanks to SGT volunteers Jo Zaehringer, Judy Miller, Peg Stamp, Pam Bisbee Simonds and Ginny Raff for representing Shoreline Greenway Trail at the event.

Happenings this month

On April 24 Branford Team co-chairs Chet Blomquist and Judy Miller will join Branford’s  third grade classes for a tour of the Greenway Trail in Branford. This year teachers are focusing on how Branford volunteers are working to improve the environment. Students will experience an introduction to the trail and its importance to public access and appreciation of open space through a short walk along the Stony Creek Trolley Trail. They will also be visiting the Branford Land Trust’s Vedder property, where a BLT guide will talk with them about ospreys, explaining the key role of the osprey nesting areas constructed by the BLT to their preservation as a species. The students will then go on to the Branford Supply Ponds for a full day of appreciating the great outdoors and the role it plays in a healthy community.

On April 28 – The Branford Land Trust and the town of Branford are joining together for a Branford River Clean-up.  Come join us and be part of this effort!  Meet at Town Hall on the Branford Green at 9am – you will see Shoreline Greenway Trail members there in our green shirts.

Zanes Big Wheel event

We would like to thank Zanes for allowing us to be part of their Big Wheel event on 3/31 and 4/1.  We got to meet many people and share the vision of the Shoreline Greenway Trail, encouraging them to be part of the dream!

Profile of the Month

This month we are initiating a new series to profile volunteers from Branford who are helping to make the Shoreline Greenway Trail a reality.

Pete Peterson

Pete Peterson, Trail Development Leader for Branford, sits on the back of his truck enjoying a well deserved rest from his trail work.  Pete has been on Branford’s SGT team almost from its inception.  Chet Blomquist asked him for help in getting the trail through Short Beach, where Pete lives, and he hasn’t stopped since. Pete was born in Short Beach, where he married his wife Eva and brought up a family of three children, one of whom, Jane Peterson Bouley, serves as Branford’s Town Historian.  Pete’s background is especially helpful to the Branford team; he was a contractor for many years, building and remodeling many homes in Branford and the surrounding area.  Branford SGT is fortunate to have this dedicated worker bringing his long experience to development of the Branford section of the Greenway Trail.

Trail Information Update

To date the following sections of Branford’s trail has been owner approved, and much of it is open to the public, though not SGT trail ready:

• 3600 ft – Tabor Property Drive to Pine Orchard Road
• 2400 ft – Pine Orchard Road to Young’s Pond Park
• 2100 ft – Young’s Pond Park to Blackstone Ave. (Rte. 146)
• 2000 ft – 146 Totoket Rd to Tilcon Drive
• 1000 ft – Tilcon Drive to Tilcon Parking Lot (next to RR tracks)
• 4224 ft – Tilcon Parking Lot to Stony Creek

Volunteering

There are many, many important tasks associated with the Shoreline Greenway Trail, which include:

• Building and maintaining trails
• Raising funds
• Increasing SGT membership
• Publicity
• Government Liaison
• Fiscal work
• Identifying and tagging trees along the trail.

If you would like to volunteer, call Co-chair Judith Miller at 203-481-3870 or click the Volunteer tab of this website.

We’d love to have you on board!

Branford Team Meetings

All those who wish to promote the trail in Branford are welcome to join us at 7:00 p.m. on the 3^rd Wednesday of each month at the Community House on the corner of Church and Prospect.

Branford Team Contact Information

Co Chairs: Chet Blomquist (203-488-5640; chetandtheboys@sbcglobal.net) and Judy Miller (203-481-3870; j.miller@snet.net)

Trail Development: Jack Wood (woodbythesea@sbcglobal.net) and Pete Peterson (evapete@sbcglobal.net)

Web manager and publicity: Jo Zaehringer (jozringer@yahoo.com)

Grants and Project Manager: Peg Stamp (pegstamp@sbcglobal.net)

Local Points of Interest / Other Links

Branford Hikers – Geoffrey Smith 203-215-1175; isput@sbcglobal.net

Branford Land Trust – 26 School St., Branford 203-483-5263

James Blackstone Library – 758 Main St., Branford 203-488-1441

Exquisite views along the Camino trail.

Hiking the Camino De Santiago in Spain    by Ted Braun, SGT Volunteer and Board Member   An avid hiker and bicyclist, Ted has been a valued and articulate member of the Shoreline Greenway Trail Board for ten years. His dedicated leadership with trail development set us on the right course.  

Take a week.  Go with only a pack on your back.  Tread the same well-worn path trod by millions of pilgrims bound for Santiago de Compestella since medieval times. The Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain is a glimpse into unique and authentic Spanish culture unfolding before you, footstep by footstep, vista by vista, hamlet by hamlet, and town by town.

Choose any section you can manage in the time you have and step forward into this rich cultural heritage.   Your journey merges serendipitously with fellow pilgrims from all over the world as your steps fall in synch along the trail, or as you seek nourishment and a place to lodge.  These casual encounters morph into rapidly established friendships as your paths continue to cross.

Breaking bread with fellow hikers

A comment shared one day becomes an opportunity to break bread together two days later. Sharing stories allows for the recognition of the common threads that bind us all together.

We have now experienced the Camino a number of times in all conditions.  We have hiked in the 90 degrees through the vineyards of Rioja and through a snowstorm in the mountains around O Cebreiro.  We dined at the backside of the wonderfully warm wood-fired stove in Manuel and Esperanza’s farm kitchen with their daughter Susanna and a couple from Germany.

We learned about dragon boat racing sharing the dinner table with two couples from Singapore hiking for  breast cancer research. We  interlaced our last 3 days on the trail with Gertrude, a 75 year-old German woman completing her 1,500 mile walk from home shortly after double hips replacement.  What an inspiration!

The Camino is a metaphor for life. We all are on a journey.   We form community along the way with family and friends.   We try, as best we can, to share in life’s richness and to pause, at times, to reflect on life’s mysteries and beauty.  The Camino allowed us to strip life down to its essentials, breathe deeply, and appreciate.

Bradford Preserve views in East Haven

An easy, pleasant walk with one small steep area. Leashed dogs welcome. Approximately 1.5 miles.  Meet by 10AM at DC Moore School.  We will hike in a light rain. Check our SGT website at 8am that Saturday morning for more information.  Directions: Exit 54, I95 South, left off ramp to Route 1 (No. Main St.) Right onto Rt.1, pass under RR bridge, turn left onto Route 142, go thru Short Beach. Cross Farm River, 4th left onto Mansfield. Grove. 2nd right onto Hoop Pole Lane to DC Moore School. Meet in the second Parking lot past school. 

Bike Sites
Bike & Pedestrian Alliance of Clinton (BPAC)
BIKE WALK CT
Elm City Cycling
Shoreline Bike/Ped Coalition 

Park Sites
Connecticut Parks and Forests
Farm River State Park 
Friends of Hammonasset 
Hammonasset Beach State Park 
Lighthouse Point Park, New Haven 

Nature/Conservation
Branford Land Trust
CT Audubon Society
East Haven Land Trust
Guilford Land Trust
Madison Land Trust
Trust for Public Land, CT