ALT’s recent conservation success include twenty-five acres of Newport’s historic Swiss Village and 14.73 acres of a Middletown property known as Green End Preserve. A conservation easement on the Swiss Village property was donated to ALT in December 2021 by the Swiss Village Foundation. Local donors funded a ALT’s campaign to purchase and conserve the Green End land in March 2022. See details below for each, and see full press releases highlighting these and other ALT successes under the News section of our website.
Two other properties recently conserved by ALT are Rego Farmland and Jones Preserve. The properties total 27.4 acres of prime farmland and rare forested land, and were vulnerable to development. They are located along East Main Road and provide scenic views of Aquidneck Island landscapes (see short video). Our thanks to the hundreds of individuals, businesses, and foundations that contributed to this effort.
Green End Preserve
Green End Preserve is a 14.73-acre Middletown property located on Green End Avenue between Vaucluse and Howland Avenues. The property, now known as Green End Preserve, was purchased and conserved by ALT in March 2022. It features upland meadow habitat and prime soils on half of its area, and a large wetland area surrounding a portion of Little Creek. Green End Preserve is contiguous to other ALT-conserved land and is part of a scenic viewscape from Green End Avenue. Its upland and wetland riparian area provide habitat for foraging and nesting by birds, amphibians, insects, and mammals. ALT is grateful to the many individuals who contributed to the permanent conservation of this important property.
Swiss Village
Swiss Village is an historic Newport property that was first developed as a sustainable farm in the early 1900s. The Swiss Village Foundation donated a conservation easement to ALT in December 2021, covering twenty-five acres of the property. ALT is grateful to the SVF for its generous donation, marking the 86th property conserved by the land trust since its founding in 1990.
Originally known as Surprise Valley Farm, or what locals labeled “Swiss Village” due to its resemblance to Switzerland, Arthur Curtiss James developed the farm in 1916. Operated since 2002 by the SVF Foundation, the property has been taken over by Ocean Hour Farm.
Rego Farmland
Rego Farmland is a 12-acre active hayfield boasting 100% prime farmland soil. ALT has purchased this property and will lease the land for farming. It is located within the ALT Sakonnet Greenway Habitat corridor as well as a large east-west open space corridor, stretching across the middle of Aquidneck Island. It is connected to other open space properties and farms, creating an invaluable habitat patch for wildlife to migrate, forage, and nest. Rego Farmland fronts East Main Road and is part of the scenic view corridor that stretches to the Sakonnet River.
Jones Preserve
Jones Preserve is a 15.38-acre site located within a rare, 92-acre tract of contiguous forested and wild land. It features successional forest and scrub-shrub habitat, with a mix of native species such as bayberry, red maple, and birch. It serves as habitat for resident and migratory birds, raptors, and small mammals. Jones Preserve is contiguous to other ALT-conserved land, and is located within the corridor of connected lands known as the Sakonnet Greenway. This corridor includes 40 properties protected by ALT and covers 1,365 acres of land on the east side of Aquidneck Island. Aside from one home site, the land will be managed as a combination of wildlife habitat and farmland.
Sweet Berry Farm
Sweet Berry Farm is a beloved destination for Islanders and visitors alike. Eighty-four acres of the farm was already under conservation easement with ALT; a recent campaign to place an additional 5.49 acres of the farm was completed in March 2021. The property is within the Maidford River/Paradise Brook drinking supply watershed, has been farmed continuously since 1939, and is a vital link in the Sakonnet Greenway wildlife habit corridor. The property will be used to grow pumpkins and strawberries. Our thanks to 270 donors, including the Town of Middletown and the Agricultural Land Preservation Commission, for their support.
Glen Farm
Glen Farm was once part of a vast, 500-acre estate in 1882. The 7.5-acre section that will soon be conserved is along Glen Farm Road, a bucolic setting popular with walkers, bikers, and horseback riders. The land will continue to be sustainably managed as an essential grazing paddock for horses from the adjacent Glen Farm Stables, and will offer the public a short walking path around the perimeter of the pasture. The property is contiguous to a creek that drains into the Sakonnet River, just 500 feet north of Sandy Point Beach. Conserving the property will help protect the creek and the public beach.
Cushing Property
The Cushing Coleman property, located on Ocean Drive, includes the landmark geological formation known as Spouting Rock, which still explodes in high surf. It has 3,000 feet of rocky shoreline, natural vegetation, and lawn areas, jutting into the Atlantic Ocean between Bailey’s Beach and Gooseberry Beach. The property’s natural features, elevation, and topography provide unique scenic views from the east (Cliff Walk, Bailey’s/Reject’s Beach, and Ocean Avenue), the south (the public waters of Rhode Island Sound), and the west (Gooseberry Island, Ocean Avenue, Gooseberry/Hazard’s Beach, and Gooseberry Cove). In addition to the cultural and historic values that its setting provides, it offers other conservation values such as wildlife habitat and coastal water resource protection. The conservation easement on the 9.85-acre property was generously donated to ALT.
EC Properties LLC
The EC Properties LLC parcel, located on Ledge Road, has 200 feet of coastline and is visible from the publicly-accessible Cliff Walk trail. The site offers scenic views from Ocean Avenue, Bailey’s Beach, and Reject’s Beach, and to boaters and sailors passing by on the ocean. The site has typical Newport rock out-croppings, a scenic feature of the Newport Neck area, and a number of tidal pools. The conservation easement on the 3.77-acre property was generously donated to ALT.
