For The Bronze: Girls 'Scout' Out Branford Land Trust's Trails

BRANFORD, CT —As part of their Bronze Award project, the girls of Troop 60701 spent a year working with the Branford Land Trust. Under the leadership of Mary Biehl, the girls chose to work with the Land Trust to help fulfill their requirements, and establish a relationship with their community.

The troop decided their focus would be on hiking trails, which Biehl said could be done independently and or as a group. During their exploration, the girls took pictures from two different trails: the Weil/Partnership Preserve, which hugs the coastline, and the Red Hill Woods trail.

“It was perfect to highlight what beauty Branford holds and how the community can benefit from these trails. The girls’ project was to use photography to identify plants, trees, and wildlife and donate them to the Branford Land Trust as a resource for the community to learn about and enjoy the hiking trails, Biehl said.

“It truly was such a great pleasure to work with BLT and we can't thank them enough for all their hard work and support for the troop,” she said.

Branford Land Trust board member Jen Payne told their story

Girl Scout Troop 60701 is a group of 5th graders, all Junior Girl Scouts who have been together since kindergarten including Angelina Biehl, Isabella Bricker, Calleigh Miller, Tessa Martens, Marin Roussatt, Lilly Panucchio, Emma McAdams, Lucy Frye, and Laila Keznik. This past school year, the girls had to fulfill requirements for their Bronze Award — a team effort designed to benefit the local community.

“The girls brainstormed a few ideas to come up with a project that they could work on together as a troop and individually if need be,” explains troop leader Mary Biehl. “As ideas were collected, we decided hiking trails would be best. They thought how great it would be to discover their own town’s natural environment. Being so close to the shoreline and woods this seemed like a perfect idea.”

Last September, Kelly Martens, a mother from the troop, reached out to Branford Town Hall to see who we could help the troop, and they suggested the Branford Land Trust. Through a series of connections, Mary Biehl met BLT board member Jen Payne, and the two worked closed together to develop a project for the girls.

Bronze Award project would be fulfilled throughout the year, allowing the girls to explore their environment in all four seasons. The girls visited the trail systems at Red Hill Woods, and on the Weil and Stony Creek Partnership preserves, which gave them a chance to see woodlands, wetlands, field, and coastal environments.

BLT members Dave Andrews, Tom Cleveland, and Matt Reed joined in to lead walks for the girls, and added their own take on the local flora and fauna.

“Both properties contain their own beauty and awesome sights,” said Mary. “The girls had the honor to work with these great BLT volunteers to explore the trails and discover names of trees, animal habitats, beautiful birds, flowers, vegetation, insects, rocks, and more.”

In addition to exploring the properties, the girls were tasked with taking photos, doing plant and tree identification, and proving material for the Branford Land Trust’s website as a resource for the town, the BLT, and those who love to hike the trails.

“The girls and leaders of Troop 60701 are so greatly appreciative for the time, support, encouragement, and help the Branford Land Trust has provided, and we can’t thank you enough.

What the girls leaned

Angelina Biehl:

What was your favorite part about exploring BLT properties?

"My favorite part of the project was seeing the wildlife on the trails for example osprey and seagull birds and getting to take very cool pictures of different trees, flowers, rock formations, and the ocean. They were great hikes to practice my love for photography."

What kinds of things did you learn about?

"I learned about some of the plants and trees and discovered we have a lot of birch trees and maple trees in town. I got to learn about different animals that live in Branford and even got to feel the furs of different animals that live in the wild here in Branford."

Did the project change how you see your Town?

"I now know about some of the different trails we have in Branford and I have more knowledge about different sites I can go and explore my love for nature and taking pictures."

Isabella Bricker:

“I’m Izzy from troop 60701. My favorite thing about exploring BLT properties was that we got to learn how to track animals by footprints and animal droppings. It was interesting to know all the different wildlife in our area, especially water birds. We learned how to identify trees as well. I couldn’t believe how many different types of oak trees there are in Branford. We learned how to tell the differences by the leaves and bark. This project changed the way I see my town because now I know that we have preserved land for wild life to flourish. I’m proud that we take such good care of our town and that there are places for us to enjoy being close to nature!”

Tessa Martens:

What was your favorite part about exploring BLT properties?

"My favorite part about exploring the BLT properties was getting to see frogs and other wildlife I would normally not otherwise see. I liked crossing the cement bridge over a rushing river to the other side to find little unusual pine cones. There was also a wooden bridge we crossed that had phragmites plants blowing alongside us. I appreciated that we had hiking guide experts to teach us about the Branford woods."

What kinds of things did you learn about?

"While on the BLT properties, I learned that there were allot more species than I thought there were in our woods of Branford. For example, I learned that Cedar trees grow in Branford. I was allowed to touch and smell cedar! I learned that a rock we saw on one of our hikes actually came from a glacier slide! I learned about a really neat project by a Branford Eagle Scout: on July 11, 1995 a Boy Scout gathered stones to mark the official boundaries of the town of Branford in Stony Creek. We saw the plaque commemorate the project."

Did the project change how you see your Town?

"Hiking in our Branford woods taught me that we have many more acres of woods where anyone can freely hike in and see native wildlife and some invasive species like the Emerald Ash Borer. I also learned, with the help of a hiking guide, that there are many fascinating facts about our town and its inhabitants and our unique coastline."

Calleigh Miller:

“I want to say thanks to you and everyone else that brought us on the hike. What I like most about the hike was it was a lot of fun to see how the trees changed from each season to each season. I also like seeing the different spots of animals that they would dig their holes and hibernate in...and learning different barks of trees and different trees ...and learning about invasive plants in plants that were meant to be in our area. They also explained to us why the moss grows upwards on rocks and how green it can be and that there are many types of moss. Also loved how the caves were amazing you can go in them you can climb on them I really enjoyed the hike and I can’t wait to do it again. I do with my family all the time now since I never knew that property was there. Thank you."

Read more about the Branford Land Trust and the Troop’s work there to get their Bronze Award, and the girls great photos from their experiences, here.