ALT RECEIVES $250,000 BEQUEST FOR LAND CONSERVATION

Middletown, RI. – November 5, 2018 – Aquidneck Land Trust (“ALT”) announces the receipt of a $250,000 bequest from the estate of Beth Everett, a Middletown resident and long-time ALT supporter who died in 2017. The donation was made to honor her late husband Walter Everett.

“This is a tremendously generous gift and we are very honored to be remembered in this way,” said Chuck Allott, Executive Director at ALT. “Mrs. Everett’s bequest for land acquisition greatly increases our readiness for future projects. It will have a permanent impact on Aquidneck Island and will be a lasting reminder of the Everetts’ commitment to land conservation.”

Remembered by friends as a quiet, intelligent, meticulously organized woman with many interests, Beth Everett decided in 2006, a year after Walter’s death, to make plans for a bequest to ALT in his name. Her friend Chris Cotta noted, “She didn’t like to see houses going up. She had a lot of respect for the environment and the super job ALT had been doing to protect the island.” ALT plans to honor the Everetts by installing a bench in their name on the newly-conserved Spruce Acres Farm property, which will open to the public later this fall.

“THE AMAZING WORLD OF BIRDS” COURSE

Bird-image-from-flyer-website

Middletown, R.I. – December 18, 2018 – Aquidneck Land Trust (“ALT”) will offer a six-part course on bird biology taught by Dr. Charles Clarkson, ALT board member and professional ornithologist. The course will take place on four consecutives Tuesdays, beginning January 15, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the ALT office located at 790 Aquidneck Avenue in Middletown. There will also be two Saturday field trips on January 26 and February 2, from 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. The cost is $125 for ALT members and $150 for non-members; check the ALT website or call 401-849-2799, ext. 10, for registration.
The course will cover topics including migration, evolution, flight, and mating. The field trips will be guided and will address bird identification, biology, and behavior. Dr. Clarkson received his doctorate from the University of Virginia, where his primary focus was on the impact of mercury on the growth and development of nesting waterbirds. He moved to Rhode Island in 2011 and has taught at Salve Regina and Roger Williams Universities. In 2015, Charles was employed as the coordinator for the Rhode Island Bird Atlas, a five-year, statewide project aimed at documenting the distribution and abundance of the state’s birds. In addition to coordinating the project, Charles serves as a board member for the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and ALT, and as the co-chair of the Conservation Committee for the International Waterbird Society.