Pardon Gray Preserve: A Study in Cooperation The Pardon Gray Preserve (PGP) exists today because of the foresight, hard work, and first time co-operation of three groups: citizens; federal, state, and private conservation organizations and donors; and town committees and officials.

In 1997, the property (originally known as the “Matta Farm”) was under contract to a development company which named it Wildcat Estates. It proposed to build 80 houses on 239 acres. The eastern part of the property was primarily rocky hillside, and most of it was considered unbuildable. Scores of white “perc pipes”, intended to test water availability, were visible from Main Road. Local residents were concerned about the

The beginning of the Tiverton Land Trust [continued on page 4]

Promises to Keep at Pardon Gray PreserveWhen the Tiverton Land Trust received funding to acquire Pardon Gray Preserve (PGP) in 2000, it was in exchange for promises, actually legal obligations, to preserve the forest and to keep the old farm as grassland. Keeping the promise for the forest has been rather straightforward because it is a stable ecosystem – being a forest is easy in New England.

Being a grassland, however, is a lot harder these days. In past eras, non-forested habitats occurred naturally. In river valleys, spring floods and winter ice scouring kept trees away and floodplain meadows open. Millions of beavers performed the same service on smaller streams. Occasionally, hurricanes and ice storms took down whole regions of forest. Later, European settlers arrived and cleared even vaster areas for their settlements.

In the last century, however, much of what created these treeless habitats has disappeared, resulting in a serious decline in populations of grassland and edge nesting birds and their associated natural community – insects,

[continued on page 5]

Fall 2015

TIVERTON LAND TRUST BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers

PresidentConstance Lima

Vice PresidentJohn Foley

TreasurerMike Shand

SecretarySue Thayer-Kramers

Wayne BrowningRichard D’AddarioJennifer EscherCarmen GrinkisChristine RyanTrish Sylvester

Advisory CommitteeLeonard Chace, IIILouise DurfeeStetson EddyGarry PlunkettThomas Rodgers, IIIMartin VanHofMary WehleRoz Weir

NewsletterWalter BrownConstance LimaGarry PlunkettChristine Ryan Mary Wehle

Photo Credits Courtney BattWayne BrowningMichael HoldenGarry PlunkettChristine Ryan Mary Wehle

The long fight to save wild beauty represents democracy at its best.

It requires citizens to practice the hardest of vir tues – self-restraint.

~ Edwin Way Teale

Dear Friends of the Land Trust,

Most of us lead busy and oftentimes frenetic lives. The numerous health admonitions we hear or read about from experts can themselves add to our stress. To counteract these modern day strains, we are advised to: practice meditation or yoga; join a gym; walk 10,000 steps a day (close to five miles, if you’re wondering); or stand, don’t sit at your desk. We ask ourselves, what can we do to find moments of peace and serenity that don’t require membership fees, exercise paraphernalia or a drive through traffic?

The answer may lie in our own backyard. From its shoreline and marshes to its wooded trails, Tiverton provides us with a beneficent environment. Since its inception in 1997, Tiverton Land Trust has preserved approximately 450 acres. TLT has provided hiking trails at the Pardon Gray Preserve, Basket Swamp and Highland Woods. These beautiful havens offer solace, a place for contemplation. Take a hike, a stroll, or plunk down on an appealing spot along one of these trails. Let the noises of the day give way to the sounds of the woods. To quote Rachel Carson, “Those who contemplate the beauty of the

Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

TLT’s successes could not be possible without the goodwill of our town residents and the generosity of members like you. You have shown your support for our work by volunteering for various TLT activities and programs as well as your continued member-ship in TLT. As 2015 comes to an end, please consider renewing your membership. We are grateful for your support and confidence in TLT’s land preservation work. You make our work rewarding.

Constance Lima, PresidentTiverton Land Trust

OOPs! In our last newsletter, we omitted one of our truest, most reliable volunteers: Bill Jenkins. Thank you, Bill, for your dedication to the TLT!

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Celebrations and Good Times: Pardon Gray Day, Honky Tonk, Walnut Hunt

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water supply, the effect of so many individual sewers, the proximity to the town landfill, and traffic.

The Land Trust movement was in its infancy but, late in 1997, a group of five volunteers decided to adopt the Land Trust model and try to obtain the property for the Town. The formalities were followed and federal tax-exempt status obtained (although the federal examiner had to be convinced that all the objectives could be met with less than $100 in the bank). The Tiverton Land Trust became a legal entity in April 1998.

The most important task was to enlist public support, and an understanding of Land Trust objectives. This was sought through meetings, publicity, and programs. A cadre of volunteers initiated an art contest for posters in the public schools, and that delivered a message to the parents as well. Another group provided a full page Christmas gift request insert in the Sakonnet Times. Still others trolled for grants. Fund raising events included two concerts by renowned folk singer and activist Pete Seeger.

The real impetus for the Land Trust came in September 1998, when the R. I. Department of Environmental Management pledged $400,000 for the acquisition of the Matta Farm. At that time, the property was the largest potential acquisition in the state, and though there were no models for multiple agency funding, the Land Trust forged ahead. In December it was announced that the Tiverton Land Trust would share in a grant from the North American Wetlands Council with the Little Compton Agricultural Conservancy, the Newport Water Department, and the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.

Up to the spring of 1999, there had been no resolution to the status of the Matta Farm. In May, the Tiverton Land Trust offered to purchase the farm, but had no response from the owners. It was not until

October that the owners accepted the Land Trust’s second offer.

Working with other conservation organi zations – a first in Rhode Island – it had assured grants from the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, the Nature Conservancy, the Norcross

Foundation, the North American Conservation Act, and Newport Water. But it still needed to raise additional money for the purchase and costs of the acquisition (survey, environmental assessment, title search,etc). The closing date of the purchase was March 31, 2000.

A vastly expanded capital gifts committee was called into action. Funds were received from individuals and organizations in Tiverton and Little Compton. An anonymous family trust offered a matching gifts challenge. This was the first town-wide appeal of any kind. The final $5,000 needed was received on the day before the closing.

The morning of March 31, 2000 saw the completion of the purchase, with an afternoon celebration including the governor of Rhode Island, state and town officials. In June, the Pardon Gray Preserve was dedicated, in honor of the family who had farmed it from the Pocasset Purchase until the 19th Century. The family cemetery there was later restored. ~ Mary Wehle

A Study in Cooperation [continued from page 1]

Editor’s Note: Many do not know the origins of the TLT or why/how its showpiece – Pardon Gray Preserve – came to be. Two of our advisors, Mary Wehle and Garry Plunkett, contributed pieces to explain the cooperative nature of funding and the changes we’ve been making to PGP to uphold our promises of preservation. ~ Chris Ryan, Editor

Promises to Keep [continued from page 1]

Short and Sweet

butterflies, and mammals. This has made the promise to preserve the PGP meadow very important.

Several things make sustaining conservation grasslands difficult. One issue is the late season mowing needed for ground nesters to successfully fledge. This is good for the birds but it allows broadleaf plants (forbs) to flourish, and that eventually alters the grass plant population. Another problem is noxious alien weeds. These invaders lack the natural bio-controls of their native ecosystems, so they can spread rampantly. Perhaps more serious, they have few interconnections to indigenous natural communities so their take-over has serious harmful effects in a working ecosystem.

One especially pernicious invasive is black knapweed (Centaurea nigra), which can transform a healthy, bio-diverse meadow into a sterile mono-culture. Knapweed threatens the survival of our local bobolinks, one of the few breeding populations remaining in RI. Consequently, the Land Trust is collaborating with several landowners, conservationists, and URI on how to deal with this plant.

The Land Trust strategy for stewarding grassland is evolving and multi-faceted. Thanks to the faithful efforts of Bill Hathaway, timely late season mowing is possible, and is working well where forage grasses are healthy. In the northeast sector of PGP, however, many invasive plants, including knapweed, have become entrenched. This is where the rotational grazing of Geoff Beresford’s beef cattle is showing positive results, similar to how bison herds were once

integral to the amazing tall grass prairie ecosystem of the Midwest.

In the south end, near the Town Farm, the soils are poorer, so that area is being allowed to evolve from grasses to native wildflowers – goldenrods, asters, etc. These natives address another ecological concern, the decline of pollinators that feed insects necessary for the birdlife. Left over the winter, they also provide bird food and cover during the dormant cold season.

In New England, open habitats typically undergo natural succession, gradually transitioning toward the region’s baseline ecosystem, hardwood forest. In times past, natural and cultural disturbances sustained a great variety of forest openings. Today, however, dedicated, informed, and flexible conservation effort is required. That is what will keep the Pardon Gray Preserve meadow as a good home for bobolinks, monarch butterflies, and honeybees. It’s our promise. ~ Garry Plunkett

• The TLT recently received two grants: The Bafflin Foundation awarded the TLT $50,000 and the 1772 Foundation Inc. $90,000 both to be used towards property acquisition.

• New maps are available for Pardon Gray Preserve and Basket Swamp. Go to the TLT website (www.tivertonlandtrust.org) to download your own copy.

• A mobile app is now available as a guide for visiting Pardon Gray Preserve. Go to the TLT website for the link or directly to www.sakonnethistorical.org to download the app. Click on Tours, then on Pardon Gray Preserve. Use the app as you hike along the trails to learn more about the history of PGP, the grasslands, the historic cemetery, the vernal pool, and the coastal oak/holly forest. Sign posts are located along the trails to indicate stopping points.

Help us continue our work with your year-end donation!

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Please be generous in your support of the Tiverton Land Trust – as you have been in the past!

Tiverton Land TrustP.O. Box 167Tiverton, RI 02878www.tivertonlandtrust.org

401.625.1300

OUR MISSION

Dedicated to preserving the rural character and scenic beauty of Tiverton for generations to come.

NON-PROFIT ORGU.S. Postage PAID

Permit No. 286Newport, RI