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Panoramic, aerial view of unbroken forest with open farm fields and a narrow estuary visible in the distance.
Pocasset Ridge TNC and DEM conserved the last unprotected property on the west side of Pocasset Ridge with support from the Forest Legacy Program. © Clint Clemens

Press Releases

DEM and TNC Conserve 27 Acres on Tiverton's Pocasset Ridge

Longtime partners achieve conservation milestone, connecting Pocasset Ridge Conservation Area with Weetamoo Woods.

Tiverton, RI | September 09, 2026

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The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have conserved 27 acres of forestland in Tiverton, connecting Pocasset Ridge Conservation Area with Pardon Gray Preserve and Weetamoo Woods. TNC purchased the property for $400,000, with support from the Thomas and Dorothy Ginty Memorial Endowment Fund, the Bafflin Foundation and individual donors. DEM secured a conservation easement from TNC with $225,000 from the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program through the Inflation Reduction Act. The property will be managed as an addition to the Pocasset Ridge Conservation Area.

Over the past 25 years, DEM, TNC, the Tiverton Land Trust and the Tiverton Open Space Commission have partnered to increase conservation beyond Pardon Gray and Weetamoo along iconic Pocasset Ridge, protecting more than 1,600 acres of contiguous forest overlooking the Sakonnet. The Forest Legacy Program has been a cornerstone of the campaign, contributing more than $750,000 in federal funding to the effort.

Map of Tiverton RI showing conserved lands in green and the newly protected property in orange.
Tiverton Conservation Map TNC and partners have protected more than 1,600 acres of forest along Pocasset Ridge since the late 1990s. © Kevin Ruddock/TNC

“Forest conservation projects are challenging, and this high-priority acquisition was successful because of strong collaboration, support, and partnerships,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “DEM is grateful for the support of the U.S. Forest Service, along with TNC’s proactive dedication to protect this property, which enabled this conservation win for the people of Rhode Island and our environment.”

“Pocasset Ridge is truly exceptional, a classic example of the type of the diverse, mature forest that covered the Southern New England coast 400 years ago,” said John Berg, TNC’s Sakonnet landscape manager. “We’ve come such a long way toward conserving it for the future, but we still have more work to do, and not just for the wildlife, but for clean water, clean air and a healthy climate.”

A low stone wall cuts diagonally through a lush forest as the sun begins to set below the tree canopy.
Stone Walls Large areas once cleared for livestock have reverted to forest. © Russell Laman
Two hikers, one with an orange hat and the other with an orange vest, stand on a rocky outcrop in the bare winter woods, looking at a body of water in the distance.
Overlook Pocasset Ridge rises high above the Sakonnet River in the distance. © John Berg/TNC
Stone Walls Large areas once cleared for livestock have reverted to forest. © Russell Laman
Overlook Pocasset Ridge rises high above the Sakonnet River in the distance. © John Berg/TNC

Rising dramatically from the Narragansett Bay basin, the two-mile-long ridge, which is now 80 percent conserved, contains a coastal oak-holly forest that is unique to southeastern New England and is considered globally rare. It provides vital habitat for wildlife including fishers, bobcats and many deep forest-nesting songbirds like wood thrushes and scarlet tanagers that winter in Central and South America. This forested ridge is also the last known location of a breeding timber rattlesnake population in Rhode Island, now considered extirpated from the state.

Pocasset Ridge protects the headwater streams that flow into the Seapowet Marsh Management Area and the Audubon Society’s Emily Ruecker Wildlife Refuge. These nearby conservation lands provide habitat for the federally endangered Saltmarsh sparrow, which is also designated as a Rhode Island Species of Greatest Conservation Need. In decline due to sea-level rise and coastal development, this tiny sparrow’s nest is especially vulnerable to stormwater runoff that’s often caused by loss of forest cover upstream of their marsh habitat. 

The Forest Legacy Program is administered by the U.S. Forest Service in partnership with state agencies to encourage the protection of important forest lands. Created by Congress in 1990, the Forest Legacy Program has conserved over 3 million acres of forestland in 53 states and territories. These “Legacy” forests protect water quality and provide wildlife habitat, forest products, opportunities for recreation and other public benefits. 

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more resilient. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 83 countries and territories (39 by direct conservation impact and 44 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. For more news, visit our newsroom or follow The Nature Conservancy on LinkedIn.