EXETER – Another 73.6 acres of woodlands were added yesterday to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge. The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The Champlin Foundations and the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM)assisted in acquiring the property from “conservation-minded neighbor Marion Joslin of Exeter,” the local Audubon said.

“This is an example of a longstanding and strategic partnership between TNC, DEM, Audubon and the Joslin family that dates back to the early 1990s,” Lawrence Taft, director of the local Audubon Society, said in a statement. “Without such a partnership, this area of the state would be much different today. These forests and streams would likely be lost forever.”

The latest acquisition brings the Fisherville Brook Refuge’s total acreage to 1,011, making it the Audubon Society’s second-largest protected space in Rhode Island, second only to the 1,053 acres of the nearby Marion Eppley Wildlife Sanctuary.

The local Audubon branch described the transaction as “a true partnership effort.” The acquisition “was made possible by a collaboration with The Nature Conservancy … financial support from The Champlin Foundations and an open-space grant from the R.I. Department of Environmental Management,” the nonprofit said, explaining that “the property was acquired by TNC and transferred to Audubon, with the DEM purchasing a conservation easement.” The purchase price was not disclosed.

The state “is pleased to continue its partnership with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and The Nature Conservancy, and proud of our collective success in preserving and expanding protection in a critical-resource area,” said DEM Director W. Michael Sullivan. “The exceptional water quality, wildlife habitat and fishery resources in the region are well served by this conservation easement, and I applaud the Joslin family and all participants for their dedicated efforts to preserve this valuable property.”

The new parcel includes the headwater of the Queen River, a Pawcatuck-watershed waterway that the Audubon Society described as “one of the highest-quality streams in Rhode Island.” Species found on the property include native trout and freshwater mussels, rare dragonflies and damselflies, salamanders and wood frogs. The forest habitat ranges from white-pine uplands, with an understory of black huckleberries and hardwood saplings, to oak-hickory forest dotted with groves of American beech.

“The Nature Conservancy is delighted to be part of ensuring the long-term protection of this ecologically rich property, and the collaborative effort with Audubon, Champlin and DEM made this possible,” said Janet Coit, Rhode Island state director for The Nature Conservancy. “Adding this land to the Fisherville Brook Refuge makes sense.”

The refuge, like the rest of Audubon’s nearly 9,500 acres in and around Rhode Island, is managed by Audubon Society staff and volunteers.

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island is an independent nonprofit environmental organization – with 17,000 members and supporters across the state – dedicated to environmental education, advocacy and conservation. The ASRI also owns or protects more than 9,500 acres of woodlands and coastal property. For additional information, visit www.ASRI.org.

For more information about The Nature Conservancy, and its operations in Rhode Island, visit www.nature.org. For information about The Champlin Foundations, visit FoundationCenter.org/Grantmaker/Champlin. To learn more about the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, visit www.dem.ri.gov.