Calf Island (Connecticut)
Encyclopedia
Calf Island, between 27.5 acres (111,288.7 m²) and 31.5 acres (127,476.1 m²) island about 3000 feet (914.4 m) from the Byram shore in Greenwich
, Connecticut
it is connected at low tide to the Greenwich Land Trust's Shell Island. The size of the island is a best estimate as different sources cit different sizes for the island the oldest estimates put it at around 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) the GIS system puts it at 31.5 acres (127,476.1 m²) The island is open for visitors although as of the summer of 2006 it was getting relatively few of them.
The island is the largest one in Greenwich waters. More than half of the island (on the west side) is a bird sanctuary off-limits to members of the public without permission to visit. The island is available for overnight stays for those with permits, otherwise the east side is open from dawn till dusk.
The island is home to cowbird
s, yellow warbler
s, starling
s, catbird
s, Diamondback terrapin
s, osprey
s, great blue heron
s and Canada geese
. Great
and snowy egret
s can also be seen there. Sassafras
, hickory
, maple
and beech
trees along with oriental bittersweet and multiflora rose
grow there.
In 2006, the Greenwich parks department scheduled four of its "Cruise to Nowhere" trips to the island.
, a collection of federally owned islands along 70 miles (112.7 km) of Connecticut coastline from Greenwich to Westbrook.
The Calf Island Community Trust Inc. opposed the transfer of the island from the Greenwich Family YMCA to the federal government, in part because a permit would be required for some activities on the island, but the purchase was made.
Calf Island Conservation Inc., a volunteer group, helps maintain and improve the island. The group spent $65,000 on the island in 2005 and 2006. Upgrades of bathrooms, buildings, trails and docking facilities are planned.
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
it is connected at low tide to the Greenwich Land Trust's Shell Island. The size of the island is a best estimate as different sources cit different sizes for the island the oldest estimates put it at around 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) the GIS system puts it at 31.5 acres (127,476.1 m²) The island is open for visitors although as of the summer of 2006 it was getting relatively few of them.
The island is the largest one in Greenwich waters. More than half of the island (on the west side) is a bird sanctuary off-limits to members of the public without permission to visit. The island is available for overnight stays for those with permits, otherwise the east side is open from dawn till dusk.
The island is home to cowbird
Cowbird
Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus Molothrus in the family Icteridae. They are brood parasitic New World birds which are unrelated to the Old World cuckoos, one of which, the Common Cuckoo, is the best-known brood parasitic bird....
s, yellow warbler
Yellow Warbler
Dendroica petechia is a New World warbler species or superspecies; the subspecies group around D. aestiva is increasingly treated as good species Dendroica aestiva again. The name for the entire cryptic species complex is Mangrove Warbler, and another group of subspecies is known as Golden Warbler...
s, starling
Starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
s, catbird
Catbird
Several unrelated groups of songbirds are called catbirds because of their wailing calls, which resemble a cat's meowing. The genus name Ailuroedus likewise is from the Greek for "cat-singer" or "cat-voiced"....
s, Diamondback terrapin
Diamondback terrapin
The diamondback terrapin or simply terrapin, is a species of turtle native to the brackish coastal swamps of the eastern and southern United States. It belongs to the monotypic genus, Malaclemys...
s, osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
s, great blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
s and Canada geese
Canada Goose
The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....
. Great
Great Egret
The Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret, White Heron, or Great White Heron, is a large, widely-distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized...
and snowy egret
Snowy Egret
The Snowy Egret is a small white heron. It is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World Little Egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas....
s can also be seen there. Sassafras
Sassafras
Sassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.-Overview:...
, hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
, maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
and beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
trees along with oriental bittersweet and multiflora rose
Multiflora Rose
Rosa multiflora is a species of rose native to eastern Asia, in China, Japan and Korea....
grow there.
Use
The Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Audubon Greenwich, SoundWaters, church groups and high school athletic teams all have regularly scheduled trips to the island.In 2006, the Greenwich parks department scheduled four of its "Cruise to Nowhere" trips to the island.
Administration
When the federal government bought the island in 2003, it joined the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife RefugeStewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge
The Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in ten units across the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the Atlantic Flyway, the refuge spans of Connecticut coastline and provides important resting, feeding, and nesting habitat for many species of wading...
, a collection of federally owned islands along 70 miles (112.7 km) of Connecticut coastline from Greenwich to Westbrook.
The Calf Island Community Trust Inc. opposed the transfer of the island from the Greenwich Family YMCA to the federal government, in part because a permit would be required for some activities on the island, but the purchase was made.
Calf Island Conservation Inc., a volunteer group, helps maintain and improve the island. The group spent $65,000 on the island in 2005 and 2006. Upgrades of bathrooms, buildings, trails and docking facilities are planned.
External links
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Web page on Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge
- Calf Island is at 40.993°N 73.6395°W
- http://www.calfisland.org/
- http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2006/06/05/1/?nc=1
- http://www.topix.com/forum/city/rye-brook-ny/THC6E58JV19QGS93Q