Securing the Green Heart of the

North End of Newport

After years of work together, the City of Newport and the Aquidneck Land Trust completed their efforts to secure the 30 +/- acre Miantonomi Memorial Park and the abutting 6 +/- acre Sunset Hill parcel, all located in the densely developed North End of Newport, with Conservation Easements so that these public park resources will remain protected and available for long-term use by the community.

In 2003, the City of Newport and the Aquidneck Land Trust began actively discussing Miantonomi Park and Sunset Hill.  The City was hoping to purchase Sunset Hill from The Housing Authority of the City of Newport so that Sunset Hill could be turned into a public park as this parcel was contiguous with an already existing park, Miantonomi Park.  The City requested that the Land Trust provide funds to help with the acquisition.  The Land Trust agreed provided it receive perpetual Conservation Easements on Miantonomi Park and Sunset Hill in exchange.  With great foresight, the City embraced this proposal that Miantonomi Park and Sunset Hill be permanently secured for the public with Conservation Easements.  On May 13, 2005, the Land Trust purchased a Conservation Easement from the City on Miantonomi Park for $30,000 with the understanding that these funds would be available to help the City acquire Sunset Hill.  Then in August 2006, the City acquired title to the approximate 6-acre Sunset Hill parcel from The Housing Authority.  Finally, on Monday, October 30, 2007, the Land Trust acquired a Conservation Easement on Sunset Hill from the City for $10,000 so as to further help offset the Sunset Hill acquisition expenses for the City.  A green heart in the middle of the densely developed North End of Newport had been secured for the benefit of the public for generations to come.    

Why be concerned about securing public parks?  The October 2006 edition of the National Geographic magazine focuses on the importance of parks and the various threats facing these valuable public resources.  The magazine states that, “The world needs parks.  Whether they’re slivers of green in a crowded city or 20,000 square miles of designated wilderness, parks nourish the human spirit, help sustain the planet, and reflect ideals of the societies that protect them.  But for some of these preserves, the future is uncertain.”  There are numerous threats facing parks such as overuse, encroachment, pollution, development, etc., and steps must be taken to secure and protect them.  Nationally, numerous parks have been partly or totally lost to development and other threats.  Even a portion of Miantonomi Park was lost to development in 1970.

In 2003, the Aquidneck Land Trust began an extensive mapping project that identified all of Aquidneck Island’s conserved lands.  The project demonstrated that not all conserved lands are equal.  In other words, there are different levels of protection afforded conserved lands.  For the 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.  This project, which the Land Trust completed in 2004, demonstrated that a number of municipal parks on Aquidneck Island fell into the latter two levels and thus were more vulnerable to threats like development pressures.  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, held by a qualified entity like the Land Trust, can act as such a set of checks and balances.  The Land Trust’s mapping project also had an educational component that included an island wide mailing of information on Aquidneck Island’s conserved lands and the associated different levels of protection and threats along with public presentations on the subject matter.  After an active public education campaign by the Land Trust, the organization began actively working with the three municipalities on Aquidneck Island to secure important municipal parks and conservation lands with Conservation Easements. To date, the Land Trust has now secured a number of municipal parks and conservation lands in each of the three municipalities with Conservation Easements.

The importance of this multi-year conservation effort to secure and protect Miantonomi Park and Sunset Hill is also highlighted when the conservation values of the parcels are considered.  The approximate 36-acre area provides refreshing scenic views to the multitude of passersby and residents in the area.  The area also has important wildlife habitat values due largely to the mature deciduous forest that dominates both parcels, a rare resource for an urban environment.  The area is known for providing important bird habitat in the region and attracts a wide variety of migrating warblers during the spring season.  It provides a number of public recreational opportunities too as it has nature trails and grassy playfields where children and families can picnic and play.  The area is known for its historical values as well.  It was once the seat of power for the Narragansett Indians who inhabited Aquidneck Island long before the Europeans came.  Miantonomi Park is named after the Narragansett Indian Sachem, or Chief, Miantonomi.  Because the area has one of the highest points on Aquidneck Island, European settlers used it as a lookout.  In 1667, a beacon was built on Miantonomi Hill, and then rebuilt at the start of the Revolutionary War along with a fortification.  Both the Miantonomi Park and Sunset Hill parcels still have remnants of Revolutionary War earthworks.  The Stokes family sold the Miantonomi Park land to the City in 1921.  In 1929, the Miantonomi Memorial Park Commission erected the stone tower on top of Miantonomi Hill to memorialize veterans of World War I. 

Regarding the project, Mayor John Trifero stated, “We are pleased to add six more acres to our newest open space area named Sunset Hill.  Through partnerships with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the Newport Housing Authority, the Aquidneck Land Trust, the City of Newport, and the Miantonomi Memorial Park Commission, we have not only been successful in protecting Miantonomi Park in perpetuity but add to the existing system of parks for the public to enjoy.”

“Parks are priceless resources that provide us with natural places where we can go to exercise our mind, body and spirit and reconnect with our deepest roots.  They are places where the next generation of environmental stewards can be born and nurtured.  Having just finished securing this beautiful area for the public, I am deeply grateful for the incredible foresight demonstrated by our partners on this project: the City for its leadership and for taking steps to permanently secure this approximate 36-acre area with the Land Trust; BankNewport and the Frank Stanley Beveridge Foundation for providing grants to the Land Trust for this project; the Miantonomi Memorial Park Commission for helping protect Miantonomi Park for years and for supporting this initiative; the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for providing the City with an important grant to help it acquire Sunset Hill; and The Housing Authority for conveying Sunset Hill to the City and for supporting our efforts.,” said Ted Clement, Executive Director, for the Aquidneck Land Trust.

The Aquidneck Land Trust’s mission is to preserve Aquidneck Island’s open spaces and natural character for the lasting benefit of our community.  The Land Trust has conserved a total of 1,860.78 acres on Aquidneck Island.  This year alone, the Land Trust has already conserved over 572 acres, the most acres ever conserved by the Land Trust in a single year since its inception about sixteen years ago.  The Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  For more information, visit www.AquidneckLandTrust.org or call (401) 849-2799.           

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 x19 or email mandersen@ailt.org