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Don't forget to call or email Courtney Watson at
401-849-2799 x18 cwatson@ailt.org
for an invitation to:
 Please take the time to
view the auctions items listed on our NEW website!
Click on the link below to
see a few of the
exciting items that will be auctioned off at
the Land Trust's summer party! www.aquidnecklandtrust.org
Travel packages include:
a weekend stay for 2-4 people at
Big Sur Land Trust's Mittledorf Preserve in Carmel, CA
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4 day and 4 night adventure through Thailand and Cambodia
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1 week stay at a gorgeous flat in Belgravia, London
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3-4 day stay on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico for "a moonless week for a great bio-luminescent bay kayak or boat trip"
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and beautiful artwork by:
Anthony Gill
Johanna W. McKenzie
Fred Cushing
Peter Hussey
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Even more exciting items including:
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jewelry, landscaping, party planning and catering
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will be available at
Fiesta Verde 2005,
"Green Expedition:
a journey to lost legendary places"
on July 30, 2005
at "Bellevue House," 304 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, Rhode Island
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Aquidneck Land Trust Signs Its
Largest Conservation Agreement for
483 +/- Acres Water Reservoir Area
MIDDLETOWN, R.I., Tuesday, June 28, 2005 -Aquidneck Land Trust is proud to announce it has signed an agreement to conserve its largest property to date approximately 483 acres that include three of Aquidneck Island's public water reservoirs.
The Land Trust has been working with the City of Newport and the Town of Portsmouth to conserve crucial open space on both water and land that could potentially be developed if not secured by a Conservation Easement.
The agreement concerns the City of Newport's Lawton Valley Reservoir, Sisson Pond, St. Mary's Pond, and all the associated buffer lands. The transaction will benefit all Aquidneck Islanders because residents from Portsmouth, Middletown, and Newport depend on these water reservoirs located in Portsmouth.
"The Land Trust has just entered its most important and largest conservation agreement since its inception," Clement said. "We will be securing three of the Islandıs seven public water reservoirs all at once."
As part of the agreement, the City of Newport is to convey a Conservation Easement to the Land Trust on the 483 +/- acre public water reservoir area in Portsmouth after the Town of Portsmouth helps Newport acquire a strip of land commonly referred to as ³Old West Main Road.² Newport needs to place public water works infrastructure on this land near Lawton Valley Reservoir.
Clement thanked the City of Newport and the Town of Portsmouth for their "great foresight and concern for the long-term welfare of their citizens and our environment.²
The Land Trust will use its conservation tool of choice on the 483 +/- acres a Conservation Easement. This is a legal agreement whereby a landowner, specifically the City of Newport in this case, transfers a partial property interest to a conservation organization. For this project, that organization will be the Aquidneck Land Trust. A Conservation Easement permanently limits a propertyıs uses and permanently protects the parcel's conservation values, such as water resources, scenic views, and wildlife habitats.
In 2004, the Land Trust completed an innovative and extensive mapping and research project that identified all of Aquidneck Islandıs conserved lands. That project demonstrated that not all conserved lands are equal. In other words, there are different levels of protection afforded conserved lands. For purposes of the project, three conservation levels were identified: the highest level, Land Conserved with a Perpetual Conservation Restriction (e.g., Conservation Easement); the middle level, Land Conserved with a Deed Restriction; and the lowest level, Land Held with Conservation Intent Alone. Conserved lands falling into the latter two levels can be further secured with a perpetual conservation restriction such as a Conservation Easement. Good conservation is like good government, it requires checks and balances. A Conservation Easement can act as such a set of checks and balances. The recent conservation agreement signed by the Aquidneck Land Trust, the City of Newport, and the Town of Portsmouth is an effort to move the 483 +/- acre area up from the Land Held with Conservation Intent Alone level to the Land Conserved with a Perpetual Conservation Restriction level.
Clement said the significance of these conservation level differences and the importance of this recent 483 +/- acre agreement are highlighted by the State of Rhode Island Big River Reservoir Area matter. There was a recent proposal to develop an approximate 18-acre portion of this State designated open space area in West Greenwich into a State Police headquarters. If legislation is adopted that allows for this conversion, Clement believes a dangerous precedent will be set.
"The Big River Reservoir Area crisis is a clear message to communities that they should move quickly to identify all their conserved lands along with the levels of protection afforded those lands so that the comprehensive process of better securing weakly protected properties can begin around Rhode Island," Clement said.
The Aquidneck Land Trustıs mission is to preserve Aquidneck Islandıs open spaces and natural character for the lasting benefit of our community. To date, the Land Trust has conserved over 1,213 acres on Aquidneck Island. The Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information, visit www.AquidneckLandTrust.org or call 401-849-2799.
Founded as an all-volunteer effort in 1990, the Aquidneck Land Trust is one of over 40 land trusts in Rhode Island. Its mission is to preserve Aquidneck Islandıs open spaces and natural character for the lasting benefit of our community. To date, the Aquidneck Land Trust has conserved over 1,122 acres on Aquidneck Island. The Aquidneck Land Trust is a 501(C) 3 non-profit. For more information, visit AquidneckLandTrust.org or call 401-849-2799. |
