AQUIDNECK LAND TRUST ANNOUNCES MERRITT NEIGHBORHOOD FUND GRANT AWARDS

Middletown, RI. – July 24, 2017 – Aquidneck Land Trust (“ALT”) has awarded 15 grants totaling over $14,000 to local community and neighborhood groups through its annual grant program, the Merritt Neighborhood Fund. Grant awards ranged from $250 to $2,000.

Established in 1999 to honor the late Peter M. Merritt, the organization’s president emeritus, the Fund supports projects that strengthen community identity and character, and which model the ethic of land conservation and stewardship through community volunteerism. A recent donation of $50,000 to the Merritt Neighborhood Fund from the van Beuren Charitable Foundation allowed ALT to offer more grants than in previous years. “We are delighted to announce the recipients of this year’s awards and are excited to see the completed projects,” said Chuck Allott, ALT Executive Director. “A generous gift from the van Beuren Charitable Foundation allowed us to increase the number of awards given this year, and we will be able to sustain this higher level for several years. It is really a pleasure to support these projects as they will have a tremendous positive impact on thousands of Aquidneck Island residents and visitors.”

Awards were given to the following applicants:

  • Emmanuel Church and School: creation of raised garden beds ($500)
  • Daffodillian: purchase of daffodil bulbs ($1,000)
  • Friends of King Park: plantings for Rochambeau Wall Garden ($965)
  • God’s Garden: vegetable garden improvements ($1,837)
  • Norman Bird Sanctuary: installation/purchase of deer-proof fencing ($1,200)
  • Newport Tree Society: signage for Miantonomi Park ($2,000)
  • The Pennfield School: creation of pollinator garden ($700)
  • Portsmouth Middle School: creation of vegetable garden ($1,000), plus rain barrel
  • Portsmouth Dog Park: park improvements ($1,000)
  • Portsmouth Garden Club: improvements to Legion Park ($250)
  • Prudence Conservancy/Farnham Farm: improvements to community garden ($1,000)
  • Rogers High School/improvements to vegetable garden ($612)
  • Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation/purchase and installation of tree and plant tags ($500)
  • Town of Middletown/bench installation at Paradise Park ($1,200)
  • Town of Newport/Plug Park planting ($500)

Information on the 2018 Merritt Neighborhood Awards will be announced in February, 2018.

About the Aquidneck Land Trust: Aquidneck Land Trust’s time-sensitive mission is to preserve and steward Aquidneck Island’s open spaces for the lasting benefit of the community while connecting people with the land that defines the Island’s natural character. The organization has conserved 2,552 acres on 76 properties across Aquidneck Island since its founding in 1990. ALT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and the first land trust in Rhode Island to have received national accreditation. For more information, visit www.ailt.org