Calf Island, between and island about from the Byram shore of Greenwich, Connecticut in

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

. 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 cite different sizes for the island; while the oldest estimates put it at around the

GIS A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...

system puts it at The island is open for visitors; although, as of the summer of 2006, it was getting relatively few of them."Upgrades make Calf Island more attractive to visitors," by Michael Dinan, "Greenwich Time," and "The Advocate" of Stamford, August 15, 2006 to, page 4, "The Advocate" 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 cowbirds,

yellow warbler The yellow warbler (''Setophaga petechia'') is a New World warbler species. Yellow warblers are the most widespread species in the diverse genus ''Setophaga'', breeding in almost the whole of North America, the Caribbean, and down to northern S ...

s, starlings, catbirds, diamondback terrapins, ospreys,

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

s and canada geese. great and

snowy egret The snowy egret (''Egretta thula'') is a small white heron. The genus name comes from Provençal French for the little egret, , which is a diminutive of , 'heron'. The species name ''thula'' is the Araucano term for the black-necked swan, app ...

s can also be seen there. sassafras,

hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexi ...

, maple and

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

trees, along with

oriental bittersweet ''Celastrus orbiculatus'' is a woody vine of the family Celastraceae. It is commonly called Oriental bittersweet, as well as Chinese bittersweet, Asian bittersweet, round-leaved bittersweet, and Asiatic bittersweet. It is native to China, wh ...

and

multiflora rose ''Rosa multiflora'' — ( syn. ''Rosa polyantha'') is a species of rose known commonly as multiflora rose, baby rose, Japanese rose, many-flowered rose, seven-sisters rose, Eijitsu rose and rambler rose. It is native to eastern Asia, in China, ...

s, grow there. Islands off Port Chester NY (6969398687)

Use

The

Boys and Girls Club Boys & Girls Club may refer to: * Boys & Girls Clubs of America * Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada * Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Clubs, Bronx, United States * Essex Boys and Girls Clubs, in Essex and East London, England * The Boys' and Girls' Clubs A ...

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 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 ...

, a collection of federally owned islands along 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; nevertheless, 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.

Board of Directors (2018)

President: Paul Barbian
Secretary Treasurer: Franklin Bloomer
Directors: Lloyd Bankson, Paul Barbian, Franklin Bloomer, Anthony Carvette, Nancy Dickinson, George Friend, Alan Gilbert, Lucy Guillet, Lisette Henrey, Rosemary Loudin
Advisory: Sue H. Baker
Ex Officio: Denise Savageau, Craig Whitcomb

Footnotes

External links

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Web page on Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge
*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 {{authority control Greenwich, Connecticut Coastal islands of Connecticut Long Island Sound Landforms of Fairfield County, Connecticut Protected areas of Fairfield County, Connecticut