The Town of Jamestown, The Nature Conservancy and individual donors last week celebrated the $9.75 million purchase of development rights to 119 acres at the Dutra and Neale family farms.
The conservation effort preserves 80 acres at Dutra Farm, a founding member of the Rhody Fresh Dairy Collaborative, and 39 acres at Neale Farm, a scenic property devoted to the raising of organic beef.
“Anyone who has crossed the Newport Bridge has seen and appreciated the expanse of the Dutra and Neale farms running through the heart of the island,” said Bruce Keiser, the town administrator. “And they are also in the hearts of the community, which by preserving them has showed how important they are to the local heritage and way of life on the island.”
Last year, in a unanimous vote, Conanicut Island residents authorized a $3 million bond to help with the purchase. Jamestown augmented the bond issue with another $500,000 from its reserve fund, bringing the town’s total contribution to $3.5 million – though the bond obligation has been partly offset by contributions from individual donors.
Matching federal funding of $3.5 million was provided by the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program works with state, local and tribal governments to acquire conservation easements or other development interests, to help keep productive farmland under agricultural use.
“This project is a perfect example of our agency’s mission goal of protecting working farms in Rhode Island and across the country,” said Roylene Rides at the Door, the Natural Resources Conservation Service state conservationist for Rhode Island.
“Protecting our working farmland is critical to preserving Rhode Island’s heritage and maintaining a diverse economy,” added U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, a vigorous supporter of USDA conservation funding in the federal Farm Bill. “This money will help ensure that this land is preserved for future generations of Jamestown residents,” he added. “I will continue to work hard to secure federal funding for Rhode Island’s conservation efforts.”
Another $1.22 million for the project was provided by the State of Rhode Island through the R.I. Agricultural Lands Preservation Commission. That money came from state farmland protection bonds, administered by the commission with staff support from the R.I. Department of Environmental Management. And $1.08 million came from The Nature Conservancy, continuing its active role in local open space and farmland preservation. •
A longer version of this article was published online on Feb. 12. READ MORE.
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