Good Dirt

 Strategic Jepson Lane Property Conserved

Today, the Aquidneck Land Trust, the Town of Middletown and John B. Peckham successfully conserved 11.59 acres off Jepson Lane in Middletown.

The newly conserved property is strategically located near one of Aquidneck Island’s public water reservoirs, known as Sisson Pond, and is also near a number of other conserved parcels and priority open properties identified for future conservation, all of which are located within the Aquidneck Land Trust’s Center Island Greenway.

The Peckham property has a number of conservation values. For example, it has various habitat types, such as open/shrub habitat and a cattail marsh, that support a number of wildlife species such as the American Goldfinch, American Robin, White-tailed Deer, Northern Cardinal, and Red-winged Blackbird. The parcel also has important agricultural values as it contains acres of Prime Farmland and Additional Farmland of Statewide Importance as recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture. This property has water resource values too as it is located within the Narragansett Bay sub basin of the larger Narragansett Bay drainage basin and is near the headwaters of the Mother of Hope Brook and Sisson Pond. The parcel also affords scenic vistas to nearby subdivisions and public roads.

At the closing today, for a bargain sale price of $95,000, the Aquidneck Land Trust and the Town of Middletown jointly purchased a perpetual Conservation Easement from Mr. Peckham on 11.59 acres of his land off Jepson Lane. A Conservation Easement is a legal agreement whereby a landowner, such as Mr. Peckham, transfers a partial property interest to a conservation organization and/or a government agency, such as the Land Trust and the Town, to permanently limit a property’s uses in order to protect the property’s conservation values.

Shawn Brown, Middletown Town Administrator, stated, “Purchase of the perpetual Conservation Easement from Mr. Peckham benefits the Town by preserving open space without the additional cost associated with land acquisition and ownership, while allowing Mr. Peckham the opportunity to use his land in a manner that protects wildlife habitats and the watershed. This is another positive collaboration between the Aquidneck Land Trust, the Town of Middletown, and a land owner interested in preserving the open spaces of Aquidneck Island. The Town is very grateful for Mr. Peckham’s contribution to the open space preservation goals shared by the Aquidneck Land Trust and the Town of Middletown.”

“What a privilege it was to work with great partners such as the Town of Middletown and Mr. Peckham to create a lasting green gift for the Aquidneck Island Community,” said Ted Clement, Executive Director for the Aquidneck Land Trust.

Regarding the conservation transaction completed today, Mr. Peckham stated, “My family has lived on Aquidneck Island since the 1600s, so it was with great pleasure that we permanently conserved a piece of this special Island that has sustained us for generations.”
 

ALT’s mission is to preserve Aquidneck Island’s open spaces and natural character for the lasting benefit of our community.  The organization has conserved 1,983.26 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 jpohl@ailt.org.