We had a great time at our Annual Meeting!

We had a great time at our Annual Meeting Tuesday night! The short (but required!) business meeting started with a welcome, land acknowledgment, and introductory remarks by land trust board president Rock Singewald. Then we had a financial report by land trust treasurer Jenny Flannigan. The meeting ended after the nominations of and vote for the next slate of board members and officers. After the business meeting we were treated to a nice presentation on “Natural Beautiful Gardening” by Master Gardener Sally Johnson of Ecoastal Design. Check out her webpage.


Fall-Winter 2022 Newsletter!

The WLCT’s Fall-Winter Newsletter is hot off the virtual presses. Highlights include:

  • – News from our new executive director, Paul Miller.
  • – A long-term environmental research project at Haile Farm Preserve by students and faculty with RISD’s Landscape Architecture program.
  • – Updates from Sowams Meadows Preserve on recent invasive species removal activities / clearing.
  • – Recap of this summer’s Moonlight Cruise.
  • – Highlights from Land Trust Days activities.
  • – Opportunities for volunteering with the WLCT.

 

READ THE NEWSLETTER

Work Begins at Sowams Meadows Preserve

Work has begun on the 4 year restoration of the salt marsh and meadows at Sowams Meadows Preserve on Market St. The restoration effort is a partnership between the Warren Land Conservation Trust, (WLCT) the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the USDA (NRCS), and Save the Bay. An initial mowing of the existing fields is complete and now we are working on removing invasive trees and vines from the borders of the fields. The work is being done by crews from Staton’s Landscaping in Warren under contract with NRCS. We will be working in the marsh as well to improve conditions there and starting a multi-year effort to transform the old hay fields into diverse native pollinator habitats. The full restoration plan is available here

Introducing our New Executive Director

We are delighted to announce that Paul Miller has accepted our offer to become Executive Director for WLCT. Paul has a long career as a biologist working on various research and conservation projects in Florida, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, and New England. He worked extensively to monitor and protect the endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow at the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve in Okeechobee, Florida. He also was Executive Director of The Island Heritage Trust in Deer Isle, Maine for over two years. He most recently worked with the Seekonk Land Trust as their Stewardship Coordinator. Paul brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to WLCT, which will help us as we strive to be responsible stewards of the properties in our care.

Paul is a native Rhode Islander and lived in Warren until his high school years. We are glad he found his way home again. He received his bachelor’s and Master’s in Environmental Science and Sustainable Natural Resource Management from Unity College in Maine. He lives in North Kingstown, RI with his wife Sue, a physician.