Letter: Please attend Monday’s meeting on Spruce Acres Farm

Posted 2/21/17

To the editor:

Aquidneck Island has a wonderful opportunity to preserve a prime 23-acre parcel with high farming, water and wildlife values, which is at immediate risk of development. We encourage …

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Letter: Please attend Monday’s meeting on Spruce Acres Farm

Posted

To the editor:

Aquidneck Island has a wonderful opportunity to preserve a prime 23-acre parcel with high farming, water and wildlife values, which is at immediate risk of development. We encourage our friends and neighbors on Aquidneck Island to support the preservation of this important property.

The Aquidneck Land Trust is leading the effort to purchase and conserve a beautiful 23-acre property, Spruce Acres Farm, on the Portsmouth/Middletown line that is in immediate danger of development. As part of the Sisson Pond watershed, an important water source for our island community, Spruce Acres has critical conservation value to our Island and communities.

It abuts other preserved land parcels and would enlarge the Center Island Greenway and preserve a core of open space and wildlife habitat forever (including a future trail system on the property up to two miles). In addition, it can provide the availability of farmland for lease to local farmers in an area where access to farmland is difficult. The publicly accessible open space, future hiking trails and 100 percent USDA prime soil make it a superb current and future asset for all Islanders and visitors.
This project has widespread community support. It has as the support of individuals, foundations and municipalities, including the Rhode Island Agricultural Lands Preservation Commission. The Land Trust has raised more private funds for Spruce Acres Farm than for any other acquisition to date, and in a shorter amount of time.

On Monday, Feb. 27, the Portsmouth Town Council will hear a request from the Aquidneck Land Trust for a grant toward the purchase of Spruce Acres Farm. If granted, this sum will be matched by the Middletown Town Council. Combined with other fundraising, ALT will be over 75 percent of the way toward the purchase price if the grant is approved.  The town receives an asset for its investment in the form of permanently protected open space, watershed protection, and healthy recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike to enjoy. 

We ask all those that support the preservation of this critically important resource to please attend the meeting at Portsmouth Town Hall, 2200 East Main Road, on Monday the 27th at 7 p.m. If you are unable to attend, please write to your town council members to voice support for the preservation of Spruce Acres Farm.

Emlen Drayton, Middletown

Tom Hockaday, Newport

Karen Menezes, Portsmouth

Board members, Aquidneck Land Trust

Editor’s note: On Monday night, The Aquidneck Land Trust will ask the Town Council to approve a $300,000 grant toward the acquisition of the Spruce Acres Farm property.

Spruce Acres Farm, letters, opinion

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