Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment - Town of Guilford

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Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment Town of Guilford, CT
Section B. COAST B.1 Introduction See separate Map Atlas for map references Guilford is fortunate to be one of 26 coastal Connecticut towns that front on Long Island Sound. Our unique coastline is a major determinant of the Town’s character and quality of life. The coastal zone is rich in wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and scenic beauty. The views along our coast also serve to remind us of the Town’s intimate relationship with Long Island Sound, a resource shared with other communities along the shoreline. This section describes the varied resources of our coast and explains how the Sound, the coast, and the upland areas are interrelated and interdependent. B.2 Definition and Components The coastal system is situated where the land meets the sea, and is comprised of marine and upland systems and species and the interactions between them. It is in a constant state of change, responding to a continuum of short- to long-term forces. These include short-term fluctuations from tides and stormwater runoff, seasonal changes in light, temperature, diversity and abundance of marine resources, and long-term changes such as rising sea level. Overlain on these natural changes are human influences. Several ecosystems comprise Guilford’s coast. Tidal wetlands are found in transitional zones between terrestrial and aquatic systems and are characterized by specialized plant species. The Town’s tidal wetland complex includes high salt marsh, low salt marsh, salt pannes, and mud flats. Tidal wetlands are found around small embayments, especially in areas where tidal creeks empty into the Sound. These areas are components of estuaries – semi-enclosed coastal waters where fresh water from rivers, creeks, or ground water mixes with salt water. Rocky intertidal habitats, benthic (bottom) habitats, shoals, islands, and pelagic (open-water) habitats are also important components of Guilford’s coastal system. Salinity is an important factor in any coastal region. Salinity gradients characterize and organize vegetation and wildlife in tidal marshes. As freshwater from Guilford’s rivers dilutes saltwater in the river estuaries and the Sound, salinity levels range from less than 0.5 parts per thousand (ppt) in freshwater tidal marshes, to 20 to 30 ppt in tidal wetlands and 27 to 32 ppt in Long Island Sound. As salinity decreases, species diversity increases. By the time salinity averages 15 ppt, there is a distinctive brackish marsh community. Where salinities average 5 to 8 ppt, typical salt marsh plants and animals largely disappear. (See Section C. Freshwater.) Open water, shoals and islands, beaches, and rocky headlands are also important components of Guilford’s coastal system. The mouths of the Town’s rivers and streams can be considered a series of estuaries opening into Long Island Sound. Due to the shelter provided by Long Island, the Sound is itself an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. B.3 Location For the purposes of the NRIA, the inland boundary of Guilford’s coastal system is that defined by the 1980 Connecticut Coastal Area Management Act (CAM), namely, the greater of one of three zones: a boundary 1,000 feet inland from the mean high water mark, the 100-year coastal flood zone, and a 1,000 foot setback from tidal wetlands (See Maps B-1 and C-2.) The CAM area includes sections along both sides of the East and West Rivers, as well as most of the downtown area between them south of I–95. The linear distance on the coast between the Branford Town border and the Madison border at Grass Island is only four miles. However, the Guilford coastline is more than three times as long because of its many Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment Town of Guilford, CT B1 Coast
Page 1 and 2: TOWN OF GUILFORD, CONNECTICUT Natur
Page 3 and 4: TOWN OF GUILFORD Natural Resource I
Page 5 and 6: Acknowledgments The Conservation Co
Page 7 and 8: Introduction What are natural resou
Page 9 and 10: INTRODUCTION 1 Orthophoto 2 Land Us
Page 11 and 12: ACRONYMS Acronyms used in this docu
Page 13 and 14: Section A. GEOLOGY A.1 Introduction
Page 15 and 16: of us give much thought. The reason
Page 17 and 18: former river delta. This material,
Page 19: A.9 Summary Guilford’s geological
Page 23 and 24: oysters and clams are raised in upw
Page 25 and 26: Mammals: Mink, deer, raccoon, otter
Page 27 and 28: Habitat destruction Before passage
Page 29 and 30: Section C. FRESHWATER C.1 Introduct
Page 31 and 32: Fishes: largemouth bass (non-native
Page 33 and 34: Floodplains are low-lying areas tha
Page 35 and 36: evaluation of current designated ar
Page 37 and 38: Section D. Uplands D.1 Definition a
Page 39 and 40: Black oak, red oak, and white oak d
Page 41 and 42: Traprock Ridges This ecosystem is r
Page 43 and 44: Invasive plants in Guilford’s upl
Page 45 and 46: Section E. AGRICULTURE E.1 Introduc
Page 47 and 48: E.5 Marketable Resources: Products
Page 49 and 50: Timberlands The approximately 600-a
Page 51 and 52: Endnotes 1 For statutory definition
Page 53 and 54: Section F THE DARK NIGHT SKY F.1 In
Page 55 and 56: Section G NATURAL SCENIC RESOURCES
Page 57 and 58: PUBLIC VANTAGE POINT SCENIC VIEW Sc
Page 59 and 60: G.4 Summary Guilford’s scenic res
Page 61 and 62: Section H OPEN SPACE H.1 Introducti
Page 63 and 64: the Scenic Roads Advisory Committee
Page 65 and 66: • State of Connecticut’s Guilfo
Page 67 and 68: Town of Guilford, Planning and Zoni
Page 69 and 70: Section I NATURAL RESOURCE-BASED RE
Page 71 and 72:
particularly in North Guilford, are
Page 73 and 74:
I.6 Threats and Concerns: the Futur
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References Demrow, C. and D. Salisb
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Section J SIGNIFICANT NATURAL RESOU
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J.4 Location and Ecological Content
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GAPS Areas for Future Study and Con
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Afterword Future Considerations As
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TOWN OF GUILFORD Natural Resource I
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APPENDIX B-1 Guilford Coastal Data
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APPENDIX B-2 Natural Resource Inven
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Natural Resource Inventory and Asse
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APPENDIX B-4 Quick Facts About Long
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APPENDIX C-1 Listing of Guilford’
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• Unnamed stream - flows under Ro
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APPENDIX C-2 Wetland Soil Categorie
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APPENDIX C-3 Water Protection Agenc
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APPENDIX D-1 Birds of Guilford, Con
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Page 3 - Birds of Guilford, Connect
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Page 111 and 112:
Appendix D-2 Natural Resource Inven
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APPENDIX E-1 Agricultural Products
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Dairy There are no longer any opera
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F-1 NEW YORK METROPOLITAN AREA AT N
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APPENDIX G-1 Natural Scenic Resourc
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NRIA’s Listing of Scenic Views Fr
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GPA’s Favorite Scenes and Places
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APPENDIX G-2 a Natural Resource Inv
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APPENDIX G-2b Natural Resource Inve
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APPENDIX G-3 Guilford’s Town Owne
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APPENDIX G-4 Guilford’s Notable T
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APPENDIX H-1 A Compilation of Guilf
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APPENDIX H-2a Metacomet Ridge Conse
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APPENDIX H-3 Public Act 490 Prefere
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APPENDIX I-1 Recreational Facilitie
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APPENDIX J-1 Benefits of Buffer by
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Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment - Town of Guilford

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