Cedar Island is a former

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in Long Island Sound belonging to the town of

Clinton, Connecticut Clinton is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population of the town was 13,185 at the 2020 census. The town center along the shore line was listed as a census-designated place (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2020 ...

Middlesex County, Connecticut Middlesex County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 164,245. The county was created in May 1785 from portions of Hartford County and New London County. Middlese ...

. Currently the island is a peninsula attached to Hammonasset State Park in

Madison, Connecticut Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 17,691 at the 2020 census. Madison was first settled in 16 ...

due to the filling of the strait in a public works project to improve flow of the Hammonasset River through Clinton Harbor.

Physical description

The average elevation is at high tide; low tide can add . The island measures one and a half miles long by a quarter-mile wide and lies about a quarter of a mile from Clinton Harbor. It has about 54 houses and summer cottages (mostly built before 1950). Many have piers for boats and fishing. The normal summertime population of the island is between 100 and 150 people. The undeveloped western two-thirds of the island form one of the few unimproved areas of shoreline along the Connecticut coast. Notable vegetation includes salt marsh and salt meadow cord grasses (''Spartina species'') beach plum (''

Prunus maritima ''Prunus maritima'', the beach plum, is a species of plum native to the East Coast of the United States. It is a choice wild edible and its few pests and salt tolerance make it a resilient fruit crop for degraded lands and urban soils. Descri ...

''), rugosa rose (''

Rosa rugosa ''Rosa rugosa'' (rugosa rose, beach rose, Japanese rose, Ramanas rose, or letchberry) is a species of rose native to eastern Asia, in northeastern China, Japan, Korea and southeastern Siberia, where it grows on beach coasts, often on sand dunes. ...

''), and juniper trees that are referred to locally as "cedars" (''

Juniperus virginiana ''Juniperus virginiana'', also known as red cedar, eastern red cedar, Virginian juniper, eastern juniper, red juniper, and other local names, is a species of juniper native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico a ...

''). Abundant bird life is also present on the island. Protected nesting areas for the piping plover (''Charadrius melodus'') are provided in the spring. The

American oystercatcher The American oystercatcher (''Haematopus palliatus''), occasionally called the American pied oystercatcher, is a member of family Haematopodidae. Originally called the "sea pie", it was renamed in 1731 when naturalist Mark Catesby observed the ...

(''Haematopus palliatus'') is frequently viewed along with the

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

(''Pandion haliaetus'') and other seabirds common to Long Island Sound shore.

Amenities

The island does not have grid electricity or telephones, the sole exception being a solar powered telephone on the town dock connected directly to the Clinton Police Department for emergencies. Many of the houses and cottages use propane for heat and hot water, while some also have

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...

. The island is serviced by a public water supply, and the water system serving the homes is seasonal. A permanent water line has been installed to the island providing year round fire protection from a single hydrant. The project was completed over budget amid allegations of embezzlement.
Web page titled "Clinton alleges lawyer embezzled $90G from town / The New Haven Register, August 9, 2008", accessed 26 September 2008

Transportation

All transportation to and from the island is by boat. There is no airstrip or bridge, and foot travel via Hammonasset is possible but difficult due to the salt marsh conditions. The closest port is

Cedar Island Marina Cedar Island Marina, located on Long Island Sound in Clinton, Connecticut, United States, is a boatyard with 400 slips. It was operating at 94 percent of capacity in 1995, with many transient visitors filling slips vacated when home-port vessels ...

, approximately a quarter mile north. There are five roads on the island, forming a rough sideways "figure 8" pattern. Hammonasett Avenue and Central Avenue run roughly east–west. Wigwam Street, Indian Street and Fort Lane run roughly north–south. The roads cannot handle vehicle traffic.

Notes

{{authority control Clinton, Connecticut Coastal islands of Connecticut Landforms of Middlesex County, Connecticut