Aquidneck Land Trust and the Town of Portsmouth

Work Together Again on Conservation Transaction

with Carolann Brown

After months of work, on Monday, April 17th, 2006, Carolann Brown, the Town of Portsmouth, and the Aquidneck Land Trust signed a Purchase and Sale Contract to conserve approximately 28 acres of a wooded parcel on Sandy Point Avenue and Glen Farm Road in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

The property at issue, owned by Carolann Brown, has a number of important conservation values.  The wooded property provides beautiful scenic vistas to passersby on Sandy Point Avenue and Glen Farm Road.  The parcel also affords superb scenic vistas to people recreating at the Town owned Glen property as these parcels are contiguous to one another.  Mrs. Brown’s land will also provide an important scenic backdrop to the future Sakonnet Greenway Trail.  Furthermore, Mrs. Brown’s property has important wildlife habitat values and water resource values.  Someday, the property may also be able to support a nature trail.

Parcel to be conserved by ALT, the Town of Portsmouth, and Carolann Brown.

Pursuant to the Purchase and Sale Contract, the Aquidneck Land Trust will first purchase a perpetual Conservation Easement from Mrs. Brown on the approximate 28 acres for $150,000.  Then the Town of Portsmouth will purchase the fee simple title of the 28 +/- acres from Mrs. Brown for $150,000 thus becoming the new landowner of this important parcel that abuts the Town owned Glen property.  The Town awarded the Land Trust $150,000 for  this project from its open space fund.  The closing is to occur by June 30, 2006.

Regarding the transaction, Carolann Brown stated, “I am very happy to be part of this contribution to the Town of Portsmouth and the Aquidneck Land Trust and create a lasting un-developed space in the name of my late husband, Capt. Paul R. Brown, USN.  Paul and my family fell in love with this wonderful community with its open spaces, farms, trees, stone-walls and the warmth that can only be found in a rural community like Portsmouth.  Although I believe in growth, I think preservation goes hand and hand, and am very grateful to the Town of Portsmouth, the Aquidneck Land Trust and Ted Clement for making this happen.  It was a pleasure to work with such a wonderful team.”

Bob Driscoll, Portsmouth Town Administrator, made the following statement about the signing of the Purchase and Sale Contract, “This acquisition not only protects vital woodland habitat, it also protects Glen Farm by eliminating the negative impacts that future development of this parcel would necessarily cause.”

Ted Clement, Executive Director of the Aquidneck Land Trust, stated, “First, on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Aquidneck Land Trust, I wish to sincerely thank our partners Carolann Brown and the Town of Portsmouth.  They have demonstrated great foresight, and it has been an honor to work with them.  In the coming weeks, the Land Trust will begin to actively reach out to the residents in the area of the Brown property and others in order to help the Land Trust successfully raise the required $150,000 by the June closing as the Land Trust is on the hook for that amount.  This approach is necessitated by high real estate values and the fact that the Land Trust has a very full acquisition pipeline of parcels that we hope to conserve in the near future.  We need people to participate in these projects so as to help us make a greater positive impact at this critical time of intense development pressure.”        

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 now conserved over 1,293 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.