Recent news and events
April 2025: Most of the grant work is now finished! Members have been busy getting new signage up on 4 properties, including new maps (thank you Chris Mason LT member), kiosk signage and interpretive signs along the trails.
More detailed updates soon, including pictures but be sure to go out and visit the properties this spring and take in all of the amazing work thanks to federal and state grant funding. Please remember- no dogs at Lawton Farm now til end of August. Be sure to look out for the bobolinks that nest in the main grassland area. Bring your binoculars but keep your furry companion at home :)
Looking for a place to take your dog on a little hike though?
Check out Trott/Perry Preserve, and Esek Hopkins park. New maps via the property pages. We also ask that you respect the signage at Tasca Field where there are no dogs allowed on the field or track that circles it.
Special shout out must go to Rob Bower (LT chair), Cindy Gianfrancesco (LT vice chair/CC chair), and Laureen Avery (LT member) for all their hard work with the grant management and overseeing all of the work. We also appreciate the support we have received by the town council. We've already received a lot of great feedback and we hope everyone enjoys the improvements!
Stay tuned for our annual meeting information where we will celebrate with a ribbon cutting at Esek Hopkins sometime in the fall, which now hosts an accessible trail!
Land Trust and Conservation Commission chairs Rob and Cindy along with LT members Laureen and Chris have been busy with final grant work....producing maps, grant accounting and over seeing site work.
In early November, members were back at Lawton Farm to finish up boardwalk construction along a longer wet area just after the foot bridge, and among a new trail that will be part of the updated maps we'll upload soon for all of the properties.
Here's some pics from that day:
More detailed updates soon, including pictures but be sure to go out and visit the properties this spring and take in all of the amazing work thanks to federal and state grant funding. Please remember- no dogs at Lawton Farm now til end of August. Be sure to look out for the bobolinks that nest in the main grassland area. Bring your binoculars but keep your furry companion at home :)
Looking for a place to take your dog on a little hike though?
Check out Trott/Perry Preserve, and Esek Hopkins park. New maps via the property pages. We also ask that you respect the signage at Tasca Field where there are no dogs allowed on the field or track that circles it.
Special shout out must go to Rob Bower (LT chair), Cindy Gianfrancesco (LT vice chair/CC chair), and Laureen Avery (LT member) for all their hard work with the grant management and overseeing all of the work. We also appreciate the support we have received by the town council. We've already received a lot of great feedback and we hope everyone enjoys the improvements!
Stay tuned for our annual meeting information where we will celebrate with a ribbon cutting at Esek Hopkins sometime in the fall, which now hosts an accessible trail!
Land Trust and Conservation Commission chairs Rob and Cindy along with LT members Laureen and Chris have been busy with final grant work....producing maps, grant accounting and over seeing site work.
In early November, members were back at Lawton Farm to finish up boardwalk construction along a longer wet area just after the foot bridge, and among a new trail that will be part of the updated maps we'll upload soon for all of the properties.
Here's some pics from that day:
Members of the LT/CC and volunteers helped get boardwalks set up at the foot bridge! This will help keep everyone on the trail when walking to go over the small footbridge- an area that gets very muddy and wet in rainy seasons.
Special thanks to Tom Angell, former Conservation Commission chair!
Here's some pics from the day back in late August.
Special thanks to Tom Angell, former Conservation Commission chair!
Here's some pics from the day back in late August.
Author John Kostrzewa will lead a nature walk on Saturday, September 14, 10:00am at Westconnaug Meadows as part of the RI Land Trust Council’s “Land Trust Days” event series. John writes the “Walking Rhode Island” column for The Providence Journal and has been hiking across the state for years.
Following the 10am walk, he will present a slideshow* and share his observations about the history, geological features, vegetation and wildlife he has found along the trails. During his talk, he’ll also explain what makes Rhode Island’s trails unique and outline some of the challenges Rhode Islanders face to maintain the state’s public preserves.
This event is sponsored by the Rhode Island Land Trust Council.
Info on their website:
*Bring lawn chairs if you are staying for the talk. Use 106 George Washington Highway, Scituate RI for GPS / mapping to the location. There’s a large parking area to the left of the driveway when you entire in, and the Scituate Animal Shelter is on your right.
Following the 10am walk, he will present a slideshow* and share his observations about the history, geological features, vegetation and wildlife he has found along the trails. During his talk, he’ll also explain what makes Rhode Island’s trails unique and outline some of the challenges Rhode Islanders face to maintain the state’s public preserves.
This event is sponsored by the Rhode Island Land Trust Council.
Info on their website:
*Bring lawn chairs if you are staying for the talk. Use 106 George Washington Highway, Scituate RI for GPS / mapping to the location. There’s a large parking area to the left of the driveway when you entire in, and the Scituate Animal Shelter is on your right.
For the second year in a row, we had the pleasure to work with local teens from the Youth Conservation League in mid August. Work included removal of multiflora rose at Lawton Farm, connecting an existing trail with a new one at Trott Perry Preserve in Hope and more invasive removal and trail work at Westconnaug Meadows. Over 4 days, the 2 crews tackled a lot of work! Thanks to Cindy Gianfranceso (CC chair), Rob Bower (LT chair) who led the teams, and Chris Mason (LT) for invasive and trail/mapping work, and Greg Thuotte (CC) for assistance with both. And thanks to the Audubon Society for sponsoring this excellent program that gives young people a chance to work outside and learn about conservation!
If you're curious about multi flora rose and other invasive plants to watch out for and take action on your own property, check out the link here for starters www.invasive.org/browse/subinfo.cfm?sub=3071
If you're curious about multi flora rose and other invasive plants to watch out for and take action on your own property, check out the link here for starters www.invasive.org/browse/subinfo.cfm?sub=3071
The LTCC held their annual meeting on May 14th.
Article from the Foster Home Journal, written by Land Trust Chair, Rob Bower:
Article from the Foster Home Journal, written by Land Trust Chair, Rob Bower:
At their May 14th Annual Meeting, the Scituate Conservation Commission (SCC) and the Scituate Land Trust (SLT) recognized Richard Blodgett as this year’s recipient of the Alice M. Howland Conservation Award.
Cindy Gianfrancesco, chair of the SCC, introduced Rich as a friend and partner with the Conservation Commission and the Land Trust for over two decades. As the manager of environmental resources at Providence Water, Rich has spent his career protecting and caring for the Scituate reservoir watershed, comprising more than 12,000 acres of protected land in Scituate. While that vast expanse of open space is closed to the public, Rich has worked with the SCC and the SLT over the years to organize walks to share his vast historical knowledge about Scituate and the reservoir, and to educate the public on the importance of managing the property not only for protecting the water supply serving a majority of the citizens of Rhode Island, but also for promoting wildlife habitat and reforestation so vital to combatting climate change. Through his stewardship, Providence Water has partnered with the Northern RI Conservation district to support important programs such as the Scituate Reservoir Watershed Education Program, which provides education programs in our elementary and high schools, the Neighbor-to-Neighbor packet sent to all new residents, and well water workshops. Largely through Rich’s efforts, Providence Water has bought 90 parcels of land totaling 4,000 acres over the past 35 years. Cindy noted that over the years, Scituate has been fortunate to have talented foresters living or working here (including Paul Dolan, Chris Modisette, and Rich’s former boss, Hans Bergey)—all of whom are previous recipients of the Alice M. Howland Conservation Award. It gives us great pleasure to add Rich Blodgett’s name to this elite group of foresters who have been so helpful to the Conservation Commission and Land Trust.
As a thank you for Rich’s dedication to conservation, the SCC and SLT presented him a beautifully handcrafted pen made by Village Woodturners in Scituate. The wood is Flame Box Elder and was harvested locally. In addition, Rich Blodgett’s name has been engraved on a metal leaf and added to the perpetual tree plaque commemorating all recipients of the Alice M. Howland Conservation Award, which will hang in the Town Council Chambers after current renovations.
The Alice M. Howland Conservation Award recognizes an individual, group or organization that has rendered outstanding service, either recently or over a period of years, to natural resource conservation in the Town of Scituate. Formerly of Hope, Alice M. Howland was one of Scituate’s pioneers. An 1896 graduate of Vassar College, Miss Howland (as she preferred to be called) donated her large barn and farm property along Hope Pond on the Pawtuxet River in 1932 to be used by the village as a community and recreation center. Today, Hope Associates carries on her legacy and continues to provide these opportunities to citizens of the town at this location. In 1951 Howland became the first certified Tree Farmer in Scituate. Her family’s interest in conservation can be traced back to their interest in forestry and tree planting efforts they undertook on the family farm as early as 1913.
Cindy Gianfrancesco, chair of the SCC, introduced Rich as a friend and partner with the Conservation Commission and the Land Trust for over two decades. As the manager of environmental resources at Providence Water, Rich has spent his career protecting and caring for the Scituate reservoir watershed, comprising more than 12,000 acres of protected land in Scituate. While that vast expanse of open space is closed to the public, Rich has worked with the SCC and the SLT over the years to organize walks to share his vast historical knowledge about Scituate and the reservoir, and to educate the public on the importance of managing the property not only for protecting the water supply serving a majority of the citizens of Rhode Island, but also for promoting wildlife habitat and reforestation so vital to combatting climate change. Through his stewardship, Providence Water has partnered with the Northern RI Conservation district to support important programs such as the Scituate Reservoir Watershed Education Program, which provides education programs in our elementary and high schools, the Neighbor-to-Neighbor packet sent to all new residents, and well water workshops. Largely through Rich’s efforts, Providence Water has bought 90 parcels of land totaling 4,000 acres over the past 35 years. Cindy noted that over the years, Scituate has been fortunate to have talented foresters living or working here (including Paul Dolan, Chris Modisette, and Rich’s former boss, Hans Bergey)—all of whom are previous recipients of the Alice M. Howland Conservation Award. It gives us great pleasure to add Rich Blodgett’s name to this elite group of foresters who have been so helpful to the Conservation Commission and Land Trust.
As a thank you for Rich’s dedication to conservation, the SCC and SLT presented him a beautifully handcrafted pen made by Village Woodturners in Scituate. The wood is Flame Box Elder and was harvested locally. In addition, Rich Blodgett’s name has been engraved on a metal leaf and added to the perpetual tree plaque commemorating all recipients of the Alice M. Howland Conservation Award, which will hang in the Town Council Chambers after current renovations.
The Alice M. Howland Conservation Award recognizes an individual, group or organization that has rendered outstanding service, either recently or over a period of years, to natural resource conservation in the Town of Scituate. Formerly of Hope, Alice M. Howland was one of Scituate’s pioneers. An 1896 graduate of Vassar College, Miss Howland (as she preferred to be called) donated her large barn and farm property along Hope Pond on the Pawtuxet River in 1932 to be used by the village as a community and recreation center. Today, Hope Associates carries on her legacy and continues to provide these opportunities to citizens of the town at this location. In 1951 Howland became the first certified Tree Farmer in Scituate. Her family’s interest in conservation can be traced back to their interest in forestry and tree planting efforts they undertook on the family farm as early as 1913.
Information on the Rhode Island plastic bag ban that went into affect on Jan. 1, 2024.
We've been busy with monthly meetings and grant work sessions! Please make sure to subscribe to the town's email blast to keep track of agenda's when posted and feel free to attend our meetings! Info on agendas and meeting minutes etc. can be found on the Monthly Meeting heading in the navigation bar at the top of this page.