Spanning two states, the 200-square mile Pawcatuck Borderlands are home to one of the last remaining central-hardwood forests in New England. They comprise the southern end of a corridor of relatively undeveloped, rural lands that connect with "The Quiet Corner" of northeast Connecticut and the "Foster/Gloucester" area of northwest Rhode Island.
Thousands of acres of high quality forests, pristine streams and rivers and sleepy, rural towns like Plainfield and Oneco characterize an area bounded by heavily traveled interstates and highways. A satellite view of the Pawcatuck Borderlands at night offers a rare sight—this area is the only strip of darkness between Washington D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts.
The landscape within this corridor, 40 percent of which is already protected by the Pachaug State Forest in Connecticut and the Arcadia Management Area in Rhode Island, is remarkably diverse. An astonishing 80 percent is blanketed in oak, hickory, hemlock and pine forest, home to pileated woodpecker and Louisiana waterthrush, species that demand dense cover. Uncommonly large pitch-pine woodlands thrive on dry, sandy soils.
Some of New England’s cleanest watersheds are found here including the the Wood, the Pachaug, the Moosup and the Shunock rivers. Native brook trout, alewive and herring ply their waters. Wetlands harboring imperiled Atlantic white cedar and giant rhododendron dot the landscape. These clear rivers, streams and ground waters provide much of Rhode Island’s and Connecticut’s water supply.
Development pressures and strains on a limited water supply threaten to degrade this natural treasure. The area is only a 45-minute drive from Providence and Hartford, and is home to several world-class tourist attractions. There is increasing demand for housing and development, such as roads and shopping centers. Traffic is escalating on local roads and highways, preventing wildlife from migrating between habitats. Finite water resources are being denuded, impacting both the quality and quantity of local watersheds.
The Nature Conservancy is working across state lines in Connecticut and Rhode Island to protect these forests and watersheds through direct land acquisition, cooperative acquisition with state and local partners and innovative land management. The Conservancy is also safeguarding working landscapes that benefit both nature and people by fostering economic opportunities and traditions that rely on the health of this natural area.
Contact Pawcatuck Borderlands Program Director Kevin Essington at (860) 535-1355 or kessington@tnc.org
(Top to bottom, left to right): © Alden Warner (Pawcatuck Borderlands, North Stonington, Noyes Preserve); © Robert L. Anderson, USDA Forest Service (Rhododendron).
Join The Nature Conservancy on