Good Dirt

    Last night the Aquidneck Land Trust and the Town of Middletown signed an important agreement which demonstrates the benefit of partnership achieved by these two entities and the resulting conservation innovation that can come from such a relationship.

    Under the terms of the agreement, Middletown is to purchase a 32 +/- acre parcel owned by ALT for a reduced price of $750,000 so that in the future Middletown will have the ability to manage this land, which abuts Albro Woods owned by the Town, as community open space with possible recreational fields, community gardens, etc.  In return for the discounted purchase price, Middletown will convey a permanent Conservation Easement and Trail Easement to ALT on this parcel which is located next to Mitchell’s Lane.  The Conservation Easement will ensure that the property remains as open space while the Trail Easement will enable ALT to build a segment of its 7 +/- mile public Sakonnet Greenway Trail around the perimeter of the land.  In addition, Middletown will convey permanent Conservation Easements to ALT on three other Middletown owned open space properties: Demery Park; Albro Woods; and the Middletown recreational complex on Wyatt Road.  The Conservation Easement for the recreational complex on Wyatt Road will update and replace an older ALT Conservation Easement currently held on the site.  Finally, per the agreement, Middletown and ALT are to sign a Memorandum of Understanding under which the parties are to work in good faith to protect the Town owned Second and Third Beaches with permanent Conservation Easements.   

    Nationally and locally, numerous municipal parks and conservation areas that lacked adequate conservation restrictions have been lost to development.  Some of these municipal lands have even been sold for residential and commercial development.  Under the agreement signed today, at least four Middletown municipal parks and conservation areas are to be placed under permanent Conservation Easements with the potential for two additional such areas, Second and Third Beaches, to be protected in the future.  Such efforts are especially important for the long-term sustainability of a place like Aquidneck Island where the precious remaining open space parcels are experiencing intense development pressure.

    A Conservation Easement is a legal agreement whereby a landowner, such as Middletown under the agreement signed today, transfers a partial property interest to a qualified conservation entity, such as ALT, to permanently limit a property’s uses in order to protect the property’s conservation values.  Conservation Easements are given special force and effect under Rhode Island law.

    Regarding the signing of this monumental agreement, Paul Rodrigues, Town Council President, stated, “I am very pleased with this agreement because it is a creative way for the Town and the Aquidneck Land Trust to preserve the quality of life for Middletown residents and others while also expanding the number of healthy outdoor opportunities available to people.  As the scenic 32-acre parcel to be acquired by the Town abuts Middletown’s Albro Woods, one can envision the creation of a stately municipal open space area someday like the Glen in Portsmouth.”

    Mason Hawes, Chair of the Middletown Open Space and Fields Committee, stated, “This project has been one of interest to the Middletown Open Space and Fields Committee for several years.  I believe it helps to fulfill our promise to supporters of open space conservation in Middletown.  The Open Space and Fields Committee appreciate the support that the Middletown Town Council and the Aquidneck Land Trust has given to its projects.  Our partnerships are critical to protecting what we hold dear in our community.  We anticipate more acquisitions in the future.  We would encourage those that support our initiatives to join us promoting open space.  Please contact me at dancingbear@cox.net if you’d like additional information or to help in our committee endeavors.” 

    “The agreement signed today is important for our community for so many reasons: it will give Middletown the ability to establish a new and impressive community open space area in the future; it will permanently secure many of the Town’s parks and open space areas with Conservation Easements; it will give ALT the ability to add another segment to its public Sakonnet Greenway Trail; it will lead to serious dialogue about protecting Second and Third Beaches for generations of Aquidneck Islanders; and it will provide critical financial resources to ALT so that we can protect more precious open space on Aquidneck Island, specifically Swan Farm.  We applaud Middletown for its leadership on conservation matters and are so pleased with all the long-term good we have created together.”, said Ted Clement, ALT Executive Director.  

    ALT’s mission is to preserve Aquidneck Island’s open spaces and natural character for the lasting benefit of our community.  With today’s closing, the organization has conserved 1,956.36 acres on Aquidneck Island.  ALT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  For more information about ALT, visit www.AquidneckLandTrust.org.

As always, thank you for your continued support
for conservation on our Island.

This email update has been sent to the entire Aquidneck Land Trust email list. Please let us know if you do not wish to receive these email updates by replying to this message. If you have any questions or comments, please call 401/849-2799 x18 or email jpohl@ailt.org.