Grills Family and Conservation Partnership to Preserve Environmentally Valuable Riverfront in Hopkinton

Hopkinton, RI — December 21, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy, the Hopkinton Land Trust and the Department of Environmental Management today announced the purchase of 670 acres of important ecological open space and riverfront land owned by the Grills family along the Pawcatuck River in Hopkinton. The property contains six contiguous miles along the Pawcatuck riverside and includes Phantom Bog, known locally as Nate Barbers, and considered one of the most environmentally significant bogs from Maine through Virginia. It will be dedicated as a nature preserve, with specific areas to be designated for hunting, fishing, passive recreation, and to provide river access for canoes and kayaks.

“We are extremely happy to have reached a sale agreement with Richard Grills, the owner of this valuable property, who is to be applauded for guaranteeing it will be preserved for the use and benefit of the public now and in the future,” said Janet Coit, R.I. state chapter director of The Nature Conservancy. “Maintaining its riverside buffer zone will also assure the protection of the water quality of the Pawcatuck River, which has added value as it is the largest provider of clean freshwater to Little Narragansett Bay.”

The Nature Conservancy provided the majority of the purchase financing, which was a mix of federal funds, Champlin Foundation grant monies and private donations. The purchase price was not revealed at the previous owner’s request, but the Grills’ family accepted considerably less than the appraised value in order to permit the ecologically important land to be protected. The Hopkinton Land Trust and Department of Environmental Management (DEM) combined their resources for the remaining funds.

“I was very pleased to have the chance to make this sort of contribution to my community and the entire region and state,” said Richard Grills. “The Pawcatuck River and Phantom Bog are natural treasures, and this will ensure they remain that way forever.” He added, “When I look down, the only changes I wish to see are the trees growing larger.”

The Town of Hopkinton and DEM will assume the ownership of the property. The municipality and state agency will also manage the nature preserve, and guide its use for hiking, provide access points for recreational watercraft, and designate hunting and fishing areas in the preserve.

“Good conservation is not just protecting open space and rivers, but allowing the public to enjoy those resources,” said Tom Thompson, head of the Hopkinton Land Trust. “Creating public access to the river was extremely important to the land trust, and the fact that we have also been able to preserve Phantom Bog and its wildlife and natural beauty is a huge bonus.”

The Pawcatuck River and Phantom Bog have been the subjects of intense efforts to preserve their special qualities by The Nature Conservancy, DEM and local land trusts for decades. The Pawcatuck River empties into Little Narragansett Bay, a high priority conservation area for waterfowl, shorebirds, and a host of other wetland dependent species. The Pawcatuck and its tributaries, particularly the Wood and Queens Rivers, comprise one of southern New England’s most pristine river systems, extending from the headwaters in West Greenwich, Rhode Island to the outlet on the eastern end of Long Island Sound, at the entrance to Little Narragansett Bay. It considered to be the last and best semi-wilderness river system left in the state, according to The Nature Conservancy. Mr. Grills also worked with Westerly Land Trust several years ago to preserve another 480 acres directly across the river from the current acquisition. With this current purchase, a total of 1,150 contiguous acres are now protected on both sides of the Pawcatuck River.

“The acquisition of this important property adds immeasurably to protection of this important watershed,” said DEM Director W. Michael Sullivan, “and demonstrates the effectiveness in leveraging public funds through partnership with organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, the Champlin Foundation, and the Hopkinton Land Trust, dedicated to preserving our dwindling open spaces and wildlife habitat. In this instance, Rhode Islanders have gained 670 acres of additional recreational space, much of it abutting DEM’s Burlingame Management Area, including Phantom Bog, an important area with a concentration of species of statewide significance and/or concern.” Under terms of the agreement, which includes $570,000 from DEM in anticipated federal funds toward the purchase, DEM will be deeded outright 251 acres of the property, and granted a conservation easement on the rest. The Town of Hopkinton will be deeded the remaining 419 acres,

The Grills land conservation marks the latest in a series of valuable land acquisitions by The Nature Conservancy in cooperation with local land and agricultural trusts, complemented by state and federal funding. In addition to Hopkinton, major notable open space preservation and protection projects headed by the Conservancy have taken place in West Greenwich, Little Compton and Tiverton during 2007. Information on these projects and other initiatives of The Nature Conservancy can be found on the organization’s Web site.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.