125 Acres of North Kingstown Forest Get Permanent Protection

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI — A total of 125 acres of forest in North Kingstown received permanent protection for public recreational use, including hunting, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) said Thursday.

DEM received a $1.25 million grant from the US Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) Wildlife Restoration Program to purchase of the D'Ambra property.

"We are proud to have worked with the State of Rhode Island to preserve this beautiful piece of land ensuring more open space in Southern Rhode Island," said Maura Sayre, of Coldwell Banker Realty who represented the seller in the transaction.

The D'Ambra property abuts a spur of Silver Spring Lake, one of the state's premier freshwater fishing areas, in the village of Saunderstown, between Congdon Hill and Pendar Roads. It consists of upland forest with some wetland habitat and perennial streams, and contains the headwater tributaries of the Mattatuxet River.

"Forests perform many valuable ecological functions and are central to state efforts to preserve biodiversity and increase resilience to climate change, so to be able to preserve this swath of pristine forestland and help protect the Narrow River Watershed at the same time is a huge win for the public," DEM Director Terry Gray said in a statement. "DEM is grateful for the support of Rhode Island hunters and sportsmen, whose firearms and ammunition purchased in the state are taxed expressly for the purpose of funding conservation projects like this."

DEM officials said the conservation of this property will add to more than 1,100 acres of protected lands in the Narrow River Watershed and help to further protect the water quality of the Mattatuxet River and waters downstream, including Shady Lea Brook, Carr Pond and the Narrow River.

The D'Ambra property is sandwiched between two existing conservation parcels owned by the town of North Kingstown. Together, the properties total 224 acres of connected, protected high-value forested habitat.

The site will be open to the public. Hunting and fishing will both be allowed.