Walking in an Urban Oasis
The New Haven Land Trust has installed new signs at the Quinnipac Meadows Preserve, providing visitors with an overview of the history, ecology, wildlife, and terrain.
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| New signs guide visitors to the Quinnipiac Meadows Preserve. Photo credit: Matthew Higbee |
During summer, you are almost guaranteed to see an osprey on a walk through the 35-acre Quinnipiac Meadows Preserve. And if you're really lucky, you might spot a Diamond Back Terrapin, a threatened species of turtle that lives in brackish waters along the East Coast. But even if these creatures are elusive during your visit, you can learn about them and other wildlife from the newly installed signs posted along the two loop trails.
The signs provide visitors with an overview of the history, ecology, wildlife, and terrain of the preserve. They were created through a partnership between the New Haven Land Trust and the Yale Peabody Museum and funded in part with a grant from The Quinnipiac River Fund.
Winding its way through eastern red cedars, shadbush, and other native plants and grasses, the trails offer sweeping views of the Quinnipiac River and coastal marshland. Artfully placed benches made out of stone slabs found scattered on the site by previous owners have been constructed by local resident Chris Ozyck.
"What I love most is having this peaceful natural area so close to the city," says Land Trust Operations Manager Lauren Bisio.
The New Haven Land Trust manages nearly 50 community gardens throughout New Haven and 6 coastal land preserves covering approximately 80 acres in the city. It offers educational programs at its preserves throughout the year. It's a year-round youth program, Growing Entrepreneurs provides local teens with a paid experience in urban agriculture and business creation.
The Quinnipiac Meadows Preserve is located at 1040 Quinnipiac Ave.
To learn more about The New Haven Land Trust, visit its profile on giveGreater.org.
Did you know?
The Northern diamondback terrapin is the only species of turtle in North America that spends its life in brackish water (water that contains some salt but is less salty than seawater). Source: CT Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection.
This story is part of the Inspiration Monday story series produced by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
