From 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13, at Water’s Edge, town residents, colleagues, and state and local officials will come together to honor Westbrook resident Tom ODell and his half-century of public service in the cause of conservation. To honor his 46 years as the Conservation Commission chairman, the Board of Selectmen also voted on Sept. 29 to designate an area of Long Island Sound encompassing three barrier islands—Salt, Menunketesuck, and Duck—as the Tom ODell Wildlife and Conservation Area.

A “Tom ODell Wildlife & Conservation Area”

banner decal will be affixed to each of the town’s three wayside signs that identify and explain the importance of the offshore barrier islands.

As Town Planner Meg Parulis said at the selectmen’s meeting in recommending the designation, “He’s been instrumental in the protection of water resources.”

The new area’s perimeter is defined on one side by a meandering Westbrook shoreline; perpendicular to the shore on the area’s west edge is a line extending out into the Sound about 1.5 miles and on the east edge, a line that extends out about two miles. Between those two endpoints in the Sound is the conservation area’s southern edge that’s about 3.6 miles long. Within the space defined by these lines lie the three barrier islands (see the accompanying aerial photo).

In addition to tonight’s event in his honor, and the new conservation area designation, the Westbrook Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has created a Tom ODell Scholarship Fund. Scholarships from the fund will be awarded to students pursuing coursework in conservation, environmental, and scientific studies. Checks should be written to the Westbrook Foundation with a note or memo identifying the Tom ODell Scholarship Fund as the donation’s destination; send checks to the Westbrook Foundation, P.O. Box 528, Westbrook, Connecticut 06498.

The Oct. 13 event honoring ODell at Water’s Edge from 6 to 8 p.m. is free and open to the public. Light hors d’oeuvres will be offered and there will be a cash bar.