Open space grants go to 15

PROVIDENCE – Fifteen communities, land trusts and conservation organizations were selected to receive $4.3 million in open space preservation grants.

The funding comes through the state’s 2004 $70 million Open Space, Recreation, Bay and Watershed Protection Bond, supplemented by $1 million re-programmed from the 2008 open space grant round.

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“By protecting the farms, forests, shorelines and open spaces that dot our landscape, we are enhancing the state’s tourist economy by preserving lands that will be enjoyed by thousands of Rhode Islanders and visitors each year and making an important investment in the future of our beautiful state,” said Janet Coit, director of the R.I. Department of Environmental Management.

The grants provide up to 50 percent of funding with a maximum of $400,000, and will protect 900 acres of land through direct purchase or conservation easements, selected for “significant natural, ecological, agricultural or scenic value.” Special consideration was given to projects expanding on, or linking, existing preserved lands, the DEM said.

The state grants will be matched by local bond funds and general grants to generate more than $12.29 million in land preservation throughout Rhode Island. There were 30 applicants to the current round of grants.

The grants will go to:

• Aquidneck Land Trust: $400,000 grant to acquire a conservation easement on 70 acres located in Portsmouth within the Center Island Greenway contiguous to three previously conserved properties (Saint Mary’s Pond, Oakland Forest and Meadow Preserve, and Three S Corporation Farmland parcel). The forest, fields and wetland on the property provide diverse habitat supporting a wide variety of wildlife species. Contact person: Ted Clement, (401) 849-2799.
• Audobon Society of Rhode Island: $370,000 to acquire the 50 acre Quaiapen (Green family) property located in the Towns of Exeter and South Kingstown. The land will be purchased to add to Audubon’s 1,100 acre Marion Eppley Wildlife Sanctuary and will provide further protection of the Queen River watershed. The property is home to native brook trout, rare dragonflies and damselflies. Contact person: Scott Ruhren, (401) 949-5454 ext. 3004.
• Barrington Land Conservancy Trust: $240,690 to acquire the 10.6 acre Stanley Farm located on the Palmer River in Barrington. This land contains estuarine intertidal wetlands, providing habitat for the Northern Diamondback Terrapin, a state endangered species. The land trust will manage this property for public access with the provision of hiking trails and open fields. Contact person: Beth Rondeau, (401) 433-4304.
• Block Island Conservancy: $400,000 to acquire a conservation easement on a 6-acre parcel that is currently managed in grassland, which is an important (but uncommon) habitat for wildlife in Rhode Island. Grasslands are important habitats for the federally endangered Burying Beetle and the state endangered barn owl. Contact person: Stephen Record, (401) 466-3111.
• Charlestown Land Trust: $367,000 to acquire the YMCA property on the eastern shore of Watchaug Pond in Charlestown. This acquisition includes 28 acres of important habitat with more than 700 feet of frontage on the pond. The preservation of this parcel will allow for the continued use and enjoyment by the public, including those with limited mobility, for access to the pond. Contact person: Mike Maynard, (401) 364-9124. ext. 23.
• Town of Coventry Land Trust: $325,000 to acquire 175 acres in western Coventry adjacent to Neylon Property Conservation Area. The recreational value of the property is very high, since it abuts the greenway and there is an existing trail system on the property. Contact person: Paul Sprague, (401) 822-6230.
• Glocester Land Trust: $387,825 to acquire a 56-acre property south of the village of Chepachet. This parcel has an extensive trail system, substantial frontage on Smith and Sayles Reservoir, and is adjacent to other property owned by the Land Trust. Contact person: Bruce Payton, (401) 743-6460.
• Town of Johnston: $170,800 to acquire the 84-acre Vacca parcel. This heavily-wooded land contains vernal pools, and oak and maple forest, and is contiguous to the town forest and Johnston Memorial Park. This project will greatly expand outdoor recreational opportunities for Johnston residents. Contact person: Judith Kawa, (401) 639-6391.
• Narrow River Land Trust: $400,000 to acquire more than 207 acres of land in 11 different parcels located south of Snuff Mill Road in North Kingston. These parcels contain an extensive wetland complex, including forested wetlands, vernal pools and six tributary streams that feed into a river which flows into the Upper Pond of the Pettaquamscutt (Narrow) River. Contact person: Julie Sharpe, (401) 783-6740.
• The Nature Conservancy: $159,000 to acquire the 35-acre Rihonen property in Richmond. This parcel is located on the Usquapaug River, which is a tributary to the Queen River. The preservation of this parcel will provide important preservation of the water quality and provide public recreational trails to the river and throughout the parcel. Contact person: Kathleen Wainwright, (401) 331-7110 ext. 23.
• North Smithfield Land Trust/Town of North Smithfield: $400,000 to acquire the 38-acre Booth Pond property that includes the southern boundary of Booth Pond. The property will be further developed with public access trails linking other protected lands in the Woonsocket to this parcel of land. Contact person: Carol Shumwy, (401) 480-5172.
• South Kingstown Land Trust: $300,000 to acquire a conservation easement on the 31-acre Wells Farm in South Kingstown. The property contains a rare and undisturbed coastal pond shore community with 900 feet of frontage on Yawgoo Pond. Funds for this project will also come from the USDA’s Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program and a private donation. The land abuts other protected SKLT properties. Contact person: Joanne Riccitelli, (401) 789-0962.
• Tiverton Land Trust: $187,500 to acquire the 16-acre Clark parcel. This parcel is significant due to its location within the R.I. Natural Heritage Program’s Sin and Flesh Brook Habitat Area. This area contains coastal oak-holly forests and vernal pools. Future plans include the development of a new entrance and parking area to the abutting Fort Barton Revolutionary War historic redoubt. Contact person: Trish Sylvester, (401) 625-1300.
• Tiverton Open Space Commission: $81,250 to acquire the 23-acre Baier property. This land is contained within Tiverton’s Pocassetlands regional forest, an area comprised of more than 2,000 acres of land that includes Weetamoe Woods, the Pardon Gray Preserve and Pocasset Ridge. A partnership consisting of the Tiverton Open Space Commission, the Tiverton Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy have been successful in preserving more than 300 acres of land in this area to date. Contact person: Brian Janes, (401) 624-7636.
• Westerly Land Trust: $134,000 to acquire a 72-acre parcel formerly used as a summer camp by the Girl Scouts of Rhode Island. Mature upland forest and forested wetlands are the dominant vegetation, although the property also contains a stream and several small ponds. The parcel, which is contiguous to Woody Hill Management Area and Shelter Harbor Golf Course, provides a large tract of undeveloped land that is critical habitat for songbirds such Scarlet Tanager, Red-eyed Vireo, Ovenbird, Eastern Wood Pewee and Great Crested Flycatcher. Contact person: Harvey Perry, (401) 348-1269.