Land Trust Gets $10,000 Branford Community Foundation Grant

BRANFORD, CT — The Branford Land Trust announced it received a $10,000 grant from the Branford Community Foundation and its Deirdre Baker Schiffer Fund.

Inspired by his late wife’s love of nature and the shoreline, Joe Schiffer established the Fund in 2016 to support Branford environmental issues, education, and protection.

As part of its mission, the Land Trust actively works to develop an appreciation of Branford’s diverse natural features. Its Education and Community Outreach Committee organizes educational programs and events to promote environmental awareness in local schools and for the community. These include an annual lecture series and guided nature walks; a summer Environmental Day Camp; regular educational articles for the Land Trust newsletter and website; the Osprey Committee, which works to promote the health and well-being of the local osprey population; and Project Limulus, a university-sponsored research project on the local horseshoe crab population.

The Schiffer grant will be used to reinvigorate the Education and Community Outreach Committee after an extended COVID hiatus, with an emphasis on youth programs and community outreach. Reflecting the interests of Mrs. Schiffer — an artist who found inspiration in the tidal marshes and wildlife — there will be a special focus on marsh habitat education and protection and creative interpretation of the environment.

“We are grateful for this outstanding grant,” Land Trust vice-president Julie Wagner said adding, “and are honored to be part of Deirdre’s legacy in our community.”

The Branford Community Foundation is a public, nonprofit, tax exempt, charitable trust. It provides an administrative, philanthropic service – a means by which public-spirited citizens may make gifts or bequests, the income from which is distributed for educational, cultural, health, social and civic needs.

The Branford Land Trust is a non-profit organization, accredited by the Land Trust Alliance, established in 1967 to protect Branford’s open space and natural resources. Run by volunteers and supported by member families and businesses, the Land Trust manages and protects over 1,000 acres in more than 130 parcels and holds conservation easements on another 400 acres in Branford.