Home Economy State conserves 982 acres in Burrillville; largest land acquisition in a decade

State conserves 982 acres in Burrillville; largest land acquisition in a decade

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PBN Staff

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12/02/2024

buck hill — THE R.I. DEPARTMENT of Environmental Management is conserving 982 acres of forest land in the Buck Hill section of Burrillville for public recreational use, the agency announced Monday. / THE R.I. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

BURRILLVILLE – The R.I. Department of Management is conserving 982 acres of forest in the Buck Hill section of town for public recreational use, the agency announced Monday. DEM completed the purchase of the Rhode Island Boy Scouts’ property with a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Wildlife Restoration

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1 COMMENT

Howard Schulman 12/02/2024 At 8:56 pm

seems like a very reasonable price for almost 1000 acres. i wonder if there were restrictions regarding development on the property at the time of the sale.

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BURRILLVILLE – The R.I. Department of Management is conserving 982 acres of forest in the Buck Hill section of town for public recreational use, the agency announced Monday. DEM completed the purchase of the Rhode Island Boy Scouts' property with a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Wildlife Restoration Program and a $301,250 award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, with a $101,250 match from state bond funds. This is the largest single acquisition by DEM since 2014 and one of the last large undeveloped parcels in the state, the agency said. “Conserving such a large parcel of connected forestland is a huge win for preserving Rhode Island’s natural resources and increasing public access to the outdoors,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “I led campouts at this property when I was a scout leader, so I’m deeply grateful that DEM’s partnership with the Boy Scouts, NFWF, and USFWS have preserved this land for the public, thanks to the funding support of Rhode Island hunters and target shooters, whose firearms and ammunition purchased in the state are taxed expressly for the purpose of funding conservation projects.” The conservation area provides connectivity between the 4,000-plus acre George Washington Management Area and Pulaski State Park to the south, the 2,220-acre Buck Hill Management Area to the north, as well as a large tract of conservation land in Connecticut to the west, and the Douglas State Forest to the north in Massachusetts, resulting in a total contiguous protected area of more than 13,000 acres. The Boy Scouts will retain approximately 200 acres of land on the northern side of Wakefield Pond for continued scout use as a weekend camp.The property will be incorporated into Buck Hill Management Area and will be managed by DEM’s Division of Fish & Wildlife for outdoor recreation, including hunting and fishing. The agency said about 140 acres of the property on Buck Hill Road will be temporarily closed to public access for site improvements.