The Greenwich Land Trust is removing invasive plants and restoring native habitat on Shell Island with more than $278,000 in federal grant money.

About 27 people boarded the 80-foot SoundWaters schooner on Oct. 10 for a firsthand look at the 5.25-acre preserve in Great Captain's Harbor. Chris Aldrich, the Land Trust's director of stewardship, told passengers the grant came from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the Long Island Sound Future Fund, the Greenwich Sentinel reported.

Aldrich described the project as "managing invasive plant species and restoring island habitat at Shell Island Preserve."

Shell Island sits along the Atlantic flyway, a major corridor for migratory birds. Nearby Great Captain's Island hosts one of the largest rookeries for wading birds. Many are listed as species of greatest conservation need in Connecticut, according to Aldrich.

The invasive species problem traces to the island's residential past. The Eimer family, German immigrants who ran a pharmaceutical business in New York City, purchased the island in 1910. They developed it as a summer compound with multiple houses, a boathouse, a pier and a tennis court. Ornamental plantings from that era, including wisteria, have spread across the island.

Aldrich said the Trust is targeting Tree of Heaven first because it attracts the spotted lanternfly. Crews are also removing beach rose that competes with native grasses along the shoreline.

In their place, the Trust plans to plant beach plum, hackberry, inkberries and American basswood. The goal is restoring native diversity across coastal grasslands, forest canopy gaps and dunes.

The island's stone memorial tower, built in 1925 from Byram Quarry stone, adds historical weight. Aldrich told passengers the tower was a memorial to August Eimer Jr., who died in his 40s. It was placed on the historic registry in 2008.

Julius Silver bought the island in 1961 for $50,000 and donated it to the Greenwich Land Trust in 1990 with the wish to keep it in its natural state for wildlife.

The Land Trust now protects 1,014 acres across 82 preserves in Greenwich. That milestone came during the organization's 50th anniversary year.

At a Sept. 13 celebration at Mueller Preserve, Executive Director Will Kies reflected on the organization's mission. "Our responsibility now is to make sure that when the time capsule is opened in 2076, the people of Greenwich can look around and see that we kept protecting the places that make this community special," Kies said, according to Greenwich Free Press.

SoundWaters environmental educator Aidan Fahey said during the sail that the scientific recovery in Long Island Sound has been "remarkable." Toxic waste has been removed, and microorganisms like plankton are returning, he said.

After circling Shell Island, crew members brought out tubs of marine life pulled from the Sound. The haul included horseshoe crabs, sea robins, flounder and blackfish. Aldrich's 4-year-old son Michael eyed a whelk up close.

Alice Duff, a longtime Land Trust supporter, called the $15 sail "absolutely a bargain." She said she had always heard about Shell Island but never knew the people who built it. "You want the kids to be interested in the Sound," Duff said.