AUDUBON GUILFORD SALT MEADOWS SANCTUARY

Directions:

The Anne Conover Nature Education Trail:

Take Interstate-95, Exit 59, to Goose Lane. Just north of Interstate-95, turn onto Clapboard Hill Road. Cross over the East River, and turn right onto the Meadow Lands Road. Follow Meadow Lands Road about a quarter mile to an open grass field, bear right into designated parking area. Parking is available for up to ten cars.

Water Way Access:

In addition to the Sanctuary's walking trail, the Sanctuary can be viewed from the East River. Public access to the East River for canoes and kayaks is available from a State of Connecticut boat ramp off Neck Road in Madison or the Town of Guilford boat ramp off of Whitfield Street, both of which are located on the East River south of the sanctuary.

For more information on
The Guilford Salt Meadow Sanctuary
Contact Frederick Hill III
Sanctuary manager
at (203) 458-2582 or
e-mail to Frederick Hill III

Guilford Salt Meadow Sanctuary

The Guilford Salt Meadow Sanctuary is located in Guilford, CT. along the East River, a tidal river that drains into Long Island Sound. The tidal wetlands that form the heart of the Guilford Salt Meadows Sanctuary are a remnant of the great salt and brackish water marshes that once extended nearly continuously along the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Georgia. These wetlands support specialized saltmarsh vegetation and animal life. They also provide vital refueling and nesting stops for thousands of migratory birds.

Guilford Salt Meadows Sanctuary provides critical habitat for increasingly rare saltmarsh dependent species including the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, which due to its limited range is a species of global conservation concern. It is only found nesting in a thin strip of coastal salt marshes from Maine to North Carolina, and considering the scarcity of this habitat, its entire breeding range is smaller in area than all of Connecticut. The lower reaches of the Guilford salt marsh support one of the highest density populations of nesting Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows found anywhere in the world.

The Guilford Salt Meadow Sanctuary can be viewed from the sanctuary's nature trail, a one mile loop that is an easy walk for people of all ages, or from the East River. The sanctuary's nature trail is open to the public daily from dusk to dawn.

Printable Map in PDF format
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The Anne Conover Nature Education Trail Map