Acres of Middletown's Arnow Property will be Preserved Forever

MIDDLETOWN, RI—Twenty-seven-and-a-quarter more acres of land on Aquidneck Island will be preserved forever after the inking of conservation easements to protect two valuable sites in Middletown and Newport.

The Aquidneck Land Trust on Monday announced the conservation of 12.5 acres in Middletown known as the Arnow property and 14.75 acres known as the Wild Moor property in Newport.

In a press release, the ALT said that the Arnow property, located off Howland Avenue adjacent to Newport Memorial Park, features woodlands, open fields, stone walls and a scenic barn.

Owner Dr. Lewis Arnow sold the conservation easement at a discounted rate in an effort to ensure future generations will continue to enjoy its blend of open space, natural features and scenic vistas.

“I’m glad my mission and the land trust’s aligned. I’ve been on this beautiful property since the late 1960’s – It means a lot to me to know my property is now preserved forever,” Arnow said.

The site is private but games for cricket are played on one its fields. The woodland habitat offers shelter for wildlife and the land sits partially within the Maidford River drinking supply watershed.

“The Arnow property touches on almost every conservation value we try to protect: habitat, scenic, water resource, historic, prime farmland,” noted Executive Director of the land trust, Chuck Allott.

The Arnow property will be protected as open space in perpetuity via a conservation easement. The property adds to an impressive swath of protected open space lands on the eastern side of Aquidneck Island known as the Sakonnet Greenway.

The ALT said that the Wild Moor property, formerly the Berry Hill estate, has a ”storied history and significant conservation values with over 400 plant species and 35 animal species recorded on the property over the years.”

The conservation easement protecting the site was donated through a private LLC.

The property is home to stately beech trees, native plant species of remarkable variety and diverse habitats, ranging from cleared scenic rock outcroppings to woodlands and wet meadow wetlands.

The full 22-acre estate will be divided into quarters, of which two have homes already. New houses can be built on two of the remaining undeveloped lots in specified building zones. The lots will be privately owned but the Land Trust will hold conservation easements on sections of each lot, ALT said.

Allott said that while it would have been ideal to secure easements for the entire property, the arrangement is still an important addition to the library of protected lands across Aquidneck Island.

“We would have loved to have been able to protect the entire property, which has tremendous historic, scenic, and wildlife conservation values. However, through this donation, we ensure parts of the property, including significant tracts of wildlife habitat, will be protected forever,” Allott said.

Monday’s announcement marks the third closing for the ALT in less than a month.

In addition to the Arnow and Wild Moor properties in Middletown, a future waterfront park on 1.4 acres of land in northern Portsmouth was acquired in collaboration with the Town of Portsmouth. Planning and preparations for each of the transactions has been ongoing for several years. “It’s especially fulfilling to have a conservation project in each of the Island’s cities and towns to start the year. We are thankful to work with 3 different landowners interested in protecting their land for future generations. No time for celebration though - We’re back to fundraising for upcoming projects that are in the pipeline,” Allott said.

Photo courtesy: Sotheby’s International Realty.