Good Dirt

The Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) invites community members for a free guided tour of the newest portion of the Sakonnet Greenway Trail, which opened to the public last month. The tour, to be held on Saturday, November 24^th at 9:00 a.m. is part of ALT’s Land Matters Walk & Talk series intended to give residents an opportunity to see firsthand the work of the Aquidneck Land Trust in preserving open spaces throughout Aquidneck Island. The November 24^th Walk & Talk will feature the newest section of the Sakonnet Greenway Trail, a level 1.5-mile walk from The Glen in Portsmouth, past the Pennfield School, across Sandy Point Avenue, to a loop around the 3S field owned by the Town of Portsmouth. The tour will begin behind the historic Brown House (which is yellow) at The Glen off of East Main Road. Please wear comfortable shoes and clothing appropriate for walking outdoors and RSVP at csabato@ailt.org.

Once finished, the 7.5-mile Sakonnet Greenway Trail will be the longest walking trail on Aquidneck Island and  the only trail to allow both leashed pets and equestrian riding (on some portions of the trail). Strategically and naturally forged amidst a greenway of more than 1,000 acres of conserved land on the eastern side of Aquidneck Island, the Sakonnet Greenway Trail will also be the only pedestrian corridor connecting Middletown and Portsmouth and linking recreational areas for golfing, polo, soccer and more. The trail passes through acres and acres of diverse habitats such as agricultural fields and wooded wetlands called home by many endangered and at-risk wildlife species and is designed to minimize negative environmental impacts. Benches, information kiosks and parking will help make the trail user-friendly. 

The Sakonnet Greenway Trail is made possible through the generous support of landowners and donors. Visionary landowners who have granted Trail Easements necessary for public access to the trail include the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth, The Pennfield School, Newport National Golf Club, the van Beuren family, and the F. James Hodges Family.  The following generous financial donors contributed more than $285,000 for the construction of the trail: BankNewport, the Hope Goddard Iselin Foundation, the Tiffany Foundation, Newport Harbor Corporation, Ronald Lee Fleming of the Fleming Charitable Trust II, Sue and Jim Klau, and the State of Rhode Island.

For a map of the complete Sakonnet Greenway Trail, click here.

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 over 1,886 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.

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 csabato@ailt.org.