Nature Conservancy buys 161 acres in N. Kingstown for protection

WITH ASSISTANCE FROM THE CHAMPLIN FOUNDATIONS, The Nature Conservancy has purchased 161 acres along the Narrow River in North Kingstown to put into conservation. / COURTESY THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
WITH ASSISTANCE FROM THE CHAMPLIN FOUNDATIONS, The Nature Conservancy has purchased 161 acres along the Narrow River in North Kingstown to put into conservation. / COURTESY THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

NORTH KINGSTOWN – The hundreds of acres of protected land along the Narrow River is expanding, as The Nature Conservancy on Friday announced the acquisition of an additional 161 acres in North Kingstown.

The conservation group, with funding from The Champlin Foundations, purchased the property for $760,000 from the Girl Scouts of Southern New England, according to an announcement. The group says the 161-acre purchase marks the largest single acquisition in the Narrow River watershed, which it has been working toward preserving from more than 20 years.

“The Nature Conservancy’s work on the Narrow River – from the headwaters at Gilbert Stuart to the mouth at Whale Rock – is a great example [of] our approach to conservation all over Rhode Island and around the world,” said Terry Sullivan, state director of the conservation group.

The added acreage – along Boston Neck Road – brings the total combined conservation area by the Narrow River to more than 700 acres, according to the group. The Nature Conservancy says hundreds of thousands of river herring swim in the Narrow River – along with Gilbert Stuart Brook and other headwater streams nearby – each spring and it is one of the “most productive herring runs in Rhode Island.”

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“We are integrating our traditional mission of land protection with the best available coastal science. That gives us a complete picture of how the ecosystem is functioning and allows us to be strategic in deciding where to allocate scarce resources,” Sullivan said.

The acquisition is a continued effort from 2010, when The Nature Conservancy and The Champlin Foundations assisted the R.I. Dept. of Environmental Management in purchasing Camp Nokewa from the Girl Scouts. The camp, now known as Nokewa Management Area, protects Carr Pond, which the conservation group says is where the herring go to spawn.

The group says it will establish a hiking trail system on the property with access points from both Boston Neck Road and Snuff Mill Road.

To date, the group bills itself as having protected about 33,000 acres in Rhode Island and about 120 million acres worldwide.

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