William "Doc" Skerlick  Saugatuck River Trout Management Area

Ford Road, Westport, Fairfield County, Connecticut

Directions:

Merritt Parkway north to Exit 42; turn right onto Weston Road; at the light turn left onto Ford Road.  Drive 0.4 of a mile and park in the pull-off by the picnic table on the right (west) side of the road. 

Fly fishing only from Dorr’s Mill Dam down river to Merritt Parkway bridge.

Two streams meet at this point.

History:

William "Doc" Skerlick 1903-1994 was a local trout fly-fisherman who had many "students."

Dedicated April 8, 1995.

Next to the Skerlick plaque:

Jennings Trail. British Fording Place. British troops forded the river on April 28, 1777 on their return from raiding Danbury, never to invade inland Connecticut again.

Habitat improvements made possible through the generosity of Leon Hirsch.

Clean up is done by the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Trails:

11/07/2005.  Just a brief stop; just wrote down a few plants around the parking area.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant blooming on date of field trip, 11/07/2005

Trees:
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore)
Quercus rubra (black oak)

Shrubs:
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow’s honeysuckle)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Smilax rotundifolia (round-leaved greenbrier)

Herbs:
Acalypha sp. (three-seeded mercury)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain)

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