Exciting Enhancements at the Yannatos Preserve

If you have driven down East Clarks Falls Road in North Stonington during the last two months, it is likely you have noticed an increase in activity at our Yannatos Preserve. Sitting astride the junction of Wyassup Brook and Green Fall River and part of the larger Wood-Pawcatuck River watershed, this preserve boasts significant natural, cultural, and recreational resource value. Our recent work there is the first step in increasing accessibility to and enhancing the ecological function of one of Avalonia’s earliest conservation efforts.  Stewardship staff and volunteers, as part of an Access and Ecological Enhancement Project, funded in part by the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council, have initiated a number of improvements there.

Project funding allowed for elevational survey work, the drafting of site plans and details for an improved parking area, an elevated bridge over Wyassup Brook, a fishing area adjacent to the Green Fall River, and pathways connecting these prospective improvements. The permeable parking area, large enough for five vehicles, with one being an ADA spot and access aisle, and the fishing area were constructed during this initial phase of the project. We were also able to do some general site cleanup to include mowing, tree removal, and removal of several sizable log jams upstream of the existing brook crossings. Invasive plant management at the site opened up space for native plantings to include winterberry, iris, and rush among others with more and varied plantings planned over the next several months.

A subsequent phase of the larger project includes the purchase, site preparation, and installation of an elevated bridge, with ramps, across Wyassup Brook to allow for safe and year-round access to the interior of the preserve. With the addition of the bridge, volunteers and staff can begin to implement a plan for re-routing portions of the existing trails and erecting a new informational kiosk to supplement the existing signage. The relict granite bridge and associated stanchions have been left in place for the time being, assuring, during low water, a measure of access to the interior of the preserve.