By
Beth Sullivan
I
hope you have enjoyed getting insights into the work done by the
Connecticut College students. This is our fourth year together, and
each year we learn more. We learn what works and what doesn’t, what
projects are helpful, and which are most meaningful to the students
as well as to Avalonia
I
have been amazed at the enthusiasm of these students, and this year
has been no exception. We have attacked invasives, and shrubs and
stumps and poison ivy. In some cases the poison ivy attacked back.
We have uncovered and studied history, which is really exciting.
They even raised some funds for Avalonia while spreading the word
about our work.
High school to college to Avalonia
We
also made some great connections and some of these will continue long
after this year’s students have graduated. What wonderful
representatives these students were at the Farmer’s Market for us.
They made friends and recruited members. We now have a connection
with High School Students in Stonington. What better way to reach
out and connect with HS students than with College students.
Hopefully we may have a younger, stronger pool of enthusiastic
stewards to call on, and they will find a meaningful connection to a
land trust organization. And as for me, I enjoyed having someone
write this blog for several weeks as I sat back and enjoyed the
things that this spring had to offer.
 |
| Class of 2018 |
I
want to pay tribute to a special man from Stonington-Whit Davis, who
passed away this week. He was a local legend, and I am sad to say,
this is possibly the end of an era of those wonderful Stonington
farmers who loved their land so dearly; it was their life. Whit made
sure his lands would be protected and the history they hold, be
honored. Avalonia was the recipient of nine acres of very special salt
marsh property we call the Continental Marsh. I wrote about it not
long ago, but please take time to read again and think about it from
the perspective of history and the man whose family cherished that
land since Stonington was founded. Maybe take time to honor those
memories by taking a walk out onto Barn Island as spring advances
over the salt marshes.
Here
are some old articles about Whit Davis and his gift to the town, and
to Avalonia. A special man.
The Continental Marsh Preserve
Those
of us who live in Southeast Connecticut are very lucky to have one of
the largest coastal preserves in the state. Barn Island Wildlife
Management Area is more than 1000 acres of saltmarsh and coastal
forest, owned and managed by the State and the DEEP. There is a
little slice of this heaven that is owned by Avalonia Land
Conservancy with a special history and is a gem in its own right.
This is the Continental Marsh Preserve.
During
the American Revolutionary War, the Davis Farm , which is located
east of Barn Island WMA, provided the Continental armies with hay
harvested from the salt marsh and thus gave the piece its name.
Salt hay was valuable for grazing cattle and sheep. The marsh
provided income as the hay was also sold for livestock bedding and
food. That particular grass is Spartina patens and is a fine sturdy
grass that grows on a higher drier part of the marsh. Over the
decades, due to many causes such as changes in tides, sea level rise
and even peat compression due to more frequent flooding, the marsh
has changed. It's become more compacted, lower and wetter, and the
high marsh grass retreated to be replaced by Spartina alterniflora
and other grasses that tolerate the wetter conditions. This new
grass was not nearly as desirable for salt hay.
 |
| Cedar posts, stone walls, and swirls of saltmeadow hay remain on the Continental Marsh. |
The
area is secluded, almost like a “valley” of marsh, between the
slightly higher coastal forests with a creek of tidal flow flushing
it daily and bringing life deep into the marsh. It is this area
that was donated to Avalonia land Conservancy in 1978 . Reading the
deed to this property is like beginning a historical mystery using
shifting shorelines, tidal creeks and ancient stone bridges as marker
points to describe the boundary.
Photographs by Beth Sullivan.
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