$3.9M in grants given by state to preserve 1,200 acres

FIFTEEN R.I. COMMUNITIES received grants totaling $3.85 million to conserve open space and farmland Monday. The 18 grants will help preserve 1,193 acres of inland and waterfront properties. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
FIFTEEN R.I. COMMUNITIES received grants totaling $3.85 million to conserve open space and farmland Monday. The 18 grants will help preserve 1,193 acres of inland and waterfront properties. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee awarded $3.85 million to 15 Rhode Island communities, land trusts and conservation organizations Monday to protect more than 1,000 acres of open space and farmland.

A number of municipal officials, land trust representatives and nonprofit organizations joined Chafee and Janet L. Coit, director of the state Department of Environmental Management, in the Governor’s State Room for the award ceremony. The 18 grants will provide funds to protect 1,193 acres of land, according to a press release.

“I am proud that we will be preserving these beautiful spaces for Rhode Islanders to enjoy for generations to come,” Chafee said. “Rhode Island is fortunate to enjoy unparalleled natural beauty. These grants will help us preserve and protect precious open space and farmland, and will also benefit our tourism industry, which is one of our state’s key economic assets.”

Residents and tourists spend more than $360 million annually in Rhode Island on trip and equipment-related expenditures for fishing, hunting and wildlife-watching activities, according to a 2011 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s survey.

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Funding for the grants comes from the Open Space Bond Authorizations of 2008 and 2012 and will be matched by local bonds and federal grants, totaling more than $11.6 million in land preservation, according to a press release.

“By protecting the forests, farms, shorelines and open spaces that dot the Rhode Island landscape, we are enhancing the state’s tourist economy by preserving lands that will be enjoyed by the thousands of residents and visitors each year,” said Coit.

The grants will provide 50 percent of the funding up to a maximum of $400,000, according to the release. The largest grants – totaling $400,000 – will go toward the purchase of a 50-acre parcel of forest land near Handy Pond Conservation Area in Lincoln, the acquisition of 34.6 acres of the Dawson family farm on Old Bull Lane in Little Compton, and buying 433 acres of forested land in Westerly.

The Warwick Land Trust is receiving two grants totaling $127,910 that will go toward the preservation of about 9 acres of open space.

“My administration is deeply committed to forever protecting our scenic natural resources, and these funds will enable us to build upon the momentum we’ve gained,” said Scott Avedisian, Warwick mayor.

The 18 grant recipients were selected from 22 applicants, which were reviewed by the Natural Heritage Preservation Advisory Committee. The State Natural Heritage Preservation Commission made the final decision, according to the release.

“These grants are an important investment in the future of our beautiful state, and represent another milestone in our efforts to help protect and preserve Rhode Island’s open spaces and natural heritage,” said Coit.

The grants are as follows (in alphabetical order by community and/or grant recipient):

  • Bristol: $280,750 to acquire the 14.5 acre Tavares Farm East property on Metacom Avenue
  • Burrillville: $105,475 to acquire a 58-acre portion of a larger, 72.53-acre tract of land on Eagle Peak Road in Pascoag
  • Charlestown Land Trust: $328,250 to protect over 50 acres of land and nearly 4,000 feet of riverfront along a pristine section of the Pawcatuck River in the Village of Carolina
  • Coventry: $187,500 to acquire 48 acres of property on Ledge Road abutting the Coventry Greenway and other protected lands
  • Foster Land Trust: $170,000 to acquire a 73-acre wooded parcel on the hills of southeast Foster
  • Lincoln: $400,000 to acquire a 50-acre parcel of undisturbed forested land that abuts the Handy Pond Conservation Area, which contains several interconnected wetland complexes that feed into Handy Pond and Meader Pond
  • Little Compton Agricultural Conservancy Trust: $400,000 to acquire development rights and title to 34.8 acres of the historically scenic Dawson family farm on Old Bull Lane
  • The Nature Conservancy/West Greenwich: $44,000 to acquire a 12-acre parcel of land in West Greenwich
  • North Kingstown: $124,500 to acquire a 5.32-acre vegetated peninsula on Gilbert Stuart Road that extends into Carr Pond
  • Pawtucket: $34,250 to acquire a two-acre site within the Conant Thread/Coats and Clark National Register District that includes Mill Pond
  • Richmond Rural Preservation Land Trust: $176,750 to acquire 112 acres of forestland on Corey Trail
  • South Kingstown Land Trust: $300,000 to acquire 22.7 acres of forest and open meadow on Torrey and Middlebridge Roads within the Narrow River Watershed
  • Tiverton Open Space Commission: $273,400 to acquire a total of 68 acres on two parcels of forestland located on Main Road and Lake Road as well as $213,700 to acquire 115 acres of land within the Stafford Pond Watershed Overlay District
  • Warwick Land Trust: $100,640 to acquire 5.5 acres of saltwater marsh in Conimicut as well as $27,270 to acquire 3.5 acres of pristine waterfront property with over 700 feet of uninterrupted shoreline on Passeonquis Cove
  • Westerly: $400,000 to acquire a 433-acre forested parcel within a natural resource corridor that is contiguous to active farm fields and large tracts of undeveloped woodland, including the state’s Woody Hill Management Area

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