Broadwall Farm in Coventry purchased by DEM, partners

THE BROADWALL FARM in western Coventry was purchased recently by the R.I. Department of Environmental Management in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
THE BROADWALL FARM in western Coventry was purchased recently by the R.I. Department of Environmental Management in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

COVENTRY – The historic Broadwall Farm, one of the last large unprotected farms in the state, has been purchased for $660,000 by the R.I. Department of Environmental Management in partnership with The Nature Conservancy.

The 224-acre property on Sisson Road in the western end of Coventry is now permanently preserved for agriculture and environmental conservation, the DEM said in a press release.

“It is such a thrill to preserve a beautiful working farm like historic Broadwall,” DEM Director Janet L. Coit said in a statement. “I applaud all partners involved in this effort to protect valuable farmland and habitat from development in perpetuity. The preservation of Broadwall would not be possible without the vision and trust of the owner, Meg Ferguson, and our partner, The Nature Conservancy.”

Enclosed by widestone walls, which provide the farm’s namesake, Broadwall Farm includes an 18th-century farmhouse and a beef heifer operation as well as pasture, forestland, wetlands and small streams. The property abuts 223-acre Griffith Farm. Broadwall’s frontage on Waterman Pond is partially protected by a 24-acre refuge owned by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.

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DEM said the purchase was made possible through state bond funds administered by the Agricultural Lands Preservation Commission and The Nature Conservancy, which provided $284,788 in grant funding through the Champlin Foundations.

“The protection of Broadwall Farm is a tremendous win for conservation and for the preservation of Rhode Island’s traditional working lands,” Scott Comings, interim state director of The Nature Conservancy, said. “The farm’s scenic vistas and wildlife values are irreplaceable. We’re very grateful to Ms. Ferguson and to our partners at DEM and The Champlin Foundations, whose support made it possible to protect this special place.”

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