Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment - Town of Guilford

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Natural Scenic Resources G2 Scenic Views and Scenic Areas Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, any categorization of a scenic area or view is necessarily subjective. To clarify meaning this section uses these definitions: Scenic area: an area that most people would agree has natural intrinsic beauty and character Scenic view: the sight obtained from a vantage point (See below.) The subject of the view may be a discrete feature, an area, or a panoramic landscape Vantage point: the public place from which a scenic view can be observed. These include public roads and right-of-ways, trails, lakes, ridges and bluffs, beaches, coastal waters and off-shore A preliminary list of Guilford’s public vantage points and corresponding scenic views follows. Areas that are both a public vantage point and a scenic area, as defined above, are indicated. Although not all are listed, Guilford’s water resources are recognized as scenic areas. PUBLIC VANTAGE POINT SCENIC VIEW Bluff Head* Panoramic views of North Guilford, Broomstick Ledges, Hartford, and Long Island Sound Bridge on Clapboard Hill Road East River Marshes Estuary Great Hill Road Fields looking west and east and northwest near Cook’s Lane Westwoods* Woodlands and marshes East Woods off Podunk Road Woodlands Guilford Town Marina Grass Island, marshes, Long Island Sound and Faulkner’s Island Route 77 North Bluff Head, Broomstick Ledges, and ridges to the west Route 77 and Lake Drive Lake Quonnipaug and ridges to the north and west Route 77, North of Route 80 West River valley floodplain, and fields and woods Chaffinch Island* West River inlet, Guilford coast & Long Island Sound Indian Cove*, Sachem’s Head*, Mulberry Point* Town beaches, coast and the Sound Joshua Cove*, Vineyard Point* Town beaches, coast and Long Island Sound Route 146 at Shell Beach Road Leetes’ Island, and tidal flats Route 146 at Lost Lake Great Harbor marshes and Westwoods Olmstead’s Outlook*, River Street West River marshes Chittenden Park* Marshes Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment Town of Guilford, CT
PUBLIC VANTAGE POINT SCENIC VIEW Scenic View Road fields, Lake Quonnipaug and Quonnipaug Mountain Long Island Sound* Guilford coast, coves and ridgetops West Street Totoket Mountain Overlook Road Totoket Mountain Hemlock Avenue Ravine on south side of Hemlock Avenue North Madison Road Guilford Lakes * a public vantage point which is also a scenic area or view in its own right Scenic Roads Guilford has many scenic roadways that lend a distinctively rural character to the Town. Many still follow the routes of the first roads built several hundred years ago on cow paths or carriage routes between villages. A number of Town roads have remained unpaved. Some roads are canopied, with mature trees that arch over the roadway, untouched by utility company trimming. Dozens of roads in Guilford meet one or more of the statutory criteria for protection as municipal scenic roads: roads that are unpaved, lined with mature trees or stone walls, crossing brooks or streams, possessing scenic views, or less than 20 feet wide. Examples of such roads in Guilford include Clapboard Hill Road, Moose Hill Road, County Road, West Street, Elm Street, Beaver Head Road, and Great Hill Road. (See Appendix G-3 for an example of how such roads may be assessed for their scenic characteristics.) Route 77 and Route 146, two of Guilford’s four state highways, are officially designated as Scenic Roads by the State of Connecticut. The view from the roadway is the scenic asset. Alterations within these designated scenic corridors are subject to review by the Guilford/Branford Scenic Roads Advisory Committee. Mature Trees It is easy to take Guilford’s lovely tree-lined roadways for granted. The Town is blessed with many mature trees along our thoroughfares. Seventeen Guilford trees are recognized in “Connecticut Notable Trees,” a state-wide catalogue of the largest trees by species, published by the CT Botanical Society, Connecticut College Arboretum, and the CT Urban Forest Council. (See Appendix G-4 for further detail.) Many of them are the largest examples of their type in the state, however most of them are not species native to the area. An inventory of outstanding native specimens within Town has not yet been completed for Guilford but such studies have been undertaken in several Connecticut communities. 1 Stone walls Stone walls are uniquely characteristic of New England as a result of glaciation and are a hallmark feature of our landscape. Whether lining roads or criss-crossing the woods as remnants of former agricultural use, they are scenic features worthy of preservation. Many are located within Town rights-ofway, and as such are maintained by the Public Works Department. Although not yet inventoried for the NRIA, stone walls can be identified on USGS topographical maps and on aerial photos. Ridgelines These landforms are visually prominent due to their elevation and expansive size. They anchor the landscape. The traprock ridges of Totoket and Pistapaug Mountains are protected by statute 2 and through the Metacomet Ridge Conservation Compact Agreement. (See Appendix I-3 and accompanying map.) Ridgelines or ridgetops, including traprock ridges and prominent hillsides, likely will be mapped in future editions of the NRIA. Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment Town of Guilford, CT G3 Natural Scenic Resources
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TOWN OF GUILFORD, CONNECTICUT Natur
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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 and 20: A.9 Summary Guilford’s geological
Page 21 and 22: Section B. COAST B.1 Introduction S
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: Section G NATURAL SCENIC RESOURCES
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
Page 75 and 76: References Demrow, C. and D. Salisb
Page 77 and 78: Section J SIGNIFICANT NATURAL RESOU
Page 79 and 80: J.4 Location and Ecological Content
Page 81 and 82: GAPS Areas for Future Study and Con
Page 83 and 84: Afterword Future Considerations As
Page 85 and 86: TOWN OF GUILFORD Natural Resource I
Page 87 and 88: APPENDIX B-1 Guilford Coastal Data
Page 89 and 90: APPENDIX B-2 Natural Resource Inven
Page 91 and 92: Natural Resource Inventory and Asse
Page 93 and 94: APPENDIX B-4 Quick Facts About Long
Page 95 and 96: APPENDIX C-1 Listing of Guilford’
Page 97 and 98: • Unnamed stream - flows under Ro
Page 99 and 100: APPENDIX C-2 Wetland Soil Categorie
Page 101 and 102: APPENDIX C-3 Water Protection Agenc
Page 103 and 104: APPENDIX D-1 Birds of Guilford, Con
Page 105 and 106: Page 3 - Birds of Guilford, Connect
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Page 5 - Birds of Guilford, Connect
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Page 7 - Birds of Guilford, Connect
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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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