By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI.org
News staff
PROVIDENCE — Many of
Rhode Island’s lesser-known, yet exceptional natural places, are open for the
public during this year's Land Trust Days multi-week event.
Until Sept. 29, the
state’s 47 land trusts will be highlighting their properties — many with limited
public access — for hiking, kayaking and other activities.
Here are a few:
- Aug. 9 bat watching at the 1,053-acre Eppley Wildlife Refuge in South Kingstown.
- Aug. 10 Prudence Island ice cream social at Farnum Farm.
- Aug. 15 geocatching treasure hunt at Mill Pond Preserve in Charlestown.
- Aug. 29 Hot Dog Roast and storytelling around the campfire in South Kingstown.
The Aug. 1 kickoff at
the Southside Community Land Trust heralded the diversity of protected lands in
Rhode Island.
“We don’t want these
gems to stay so invisible, that’s why we created Land Trust Days,” said Rupert
Friday, director of the Rhode Island Land Trust Council. Land trusts, Friday
said, have preserved urban gardens and country farms across the state since the
trusts were established in 1972, “so that all Rhode Islanders have some space
just outside their backdoor.”
Gov. Lincoln Chafee
touted his father’s founding of the state's Green Acres land protection program
when he served as governor in the early 1960s. The program led to the preservation
of the 464-acre Colt Farm, now Colt State Park, in Bristol in 1965.
Today, the state
relies on bond referendums, grants and federal funds to preserve farmland, open
space and blighted city lots.
Urban farming, said
Mayor Angel Taveras, brings together residents from various cultures, speaking
many languages. “They can communicate in terms of farming," he said.
Taveras also said
farming creates jobs, and pledged that all residents will live within a
10-minute walk of a city farm. “Urban agriculture is now an important part of
our economy, and it’s growing," he said.
A tour of Southside's
City Farm showed how a three-quarters-of-an-acre farm has evolved from a string
of vacant lots into a full-time agricultural center, classroom, employer of
neighborhood youths and community hub since it was founded in 1986.
In all, 60 Land Trust
Days events will be held in urban and rural areas across the state, including
on Block Island.
This year’s Land Trust
Days also features a prize drawing for those attending
multiple activities. Click here for
the roster of activities and calendar of events.