BLCT Mission
TheBarrington Land Conservation Trust protectsand stewardsour local natural, scenic, and historicopen spaces. Weadvocatefor protection of these landsand educatethe publicabout theseresources.
About Us
Founded in 1979, the Barrington Land Conservation Trust is a local nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization that has preserved approximately 300 acres of open space in perpetuity for the benefit of the public. Our volunteers also help to manage town-owned conservation land.
?I wanted somethingsaved. It?simportant to haveopen spacein themiddle of all this development.?
~ MaryDziedzicD?Arrigo, Land Donor
The Barrington Land Conservation Trust relies on volunteers and public support to fulfill our mission. We accept gifts of funds, securities, bequests, and in-kind donations. Donations of conservation land are subject to board approval. For information on how you can support the Barrington Land Conservation Trust, visit www.blct.org or contact Executive Director Cindy Elder at cindyelder@blct.org or 508-733-2443.
Thank you for helping us to preserve open space for future generations.
Design: Ian Donahue. Writing: Cindy Elder, Cindy Pierce. Editing: Kate Hamilton. Photography: Kathryn Beauchamp, Cindy Elder, Jasmine Malik, Charlie McCoy, Gail Read, Sara Sampieri Horvet, and Pat Tavares.
2024/2025 Board of Directors
Officers:
President: Ian Donahue
Vice President: Andrew Curtis
Treasurer: Andrew Curtis
Secretary: Steve Boyajian
Assistant Secretary: Kate Hamilton
Members:
Charles Brown
Meghan Frost
Lizeth Garcia Garcia
Sara Sampieri Horvet
Bill Kirkpatrick
Cindy Larson Moura
Charles McCoy
Cindy Pierce
Kelly Chinners Reiss
Vince Wicker
Richard Waterman
Committees
Acquisition and Planning: Steve Boyajian (chair)
Communications: Ian Donahue (chair)
Education: Bill Kirkpatrick (chair), Noelle Cooke, Teresa DeFlitch, Lizeth Garcia Garcia, Jill Lancaster, Cindy Pierce, Sara Sampieri Horvet
Finance: Andrew Curtis (chair)
Governance: Richard Waterman (chair), Steve Boyajian, Vince Wicker
Operation: Ian Donahue (chair), Richard Waterman, Steve Boyajian, Andrew Curtis, Charlie McCoy
Scout Projects: Richard Waterman (chair)
Stewardship: Charlie McCoy (chair), Ann Brouillette, Charlie Brown, Peter Burke, Ian Donahue, Norman
Dudziak, Frank Hearn, Bill Kirkpatrick, Cindy Pierce, Kelly Chinners Reiss, Sara Sampieri Horvet, Richard Waterman
Terrapin Conservation Project Liaison: Sara Sampieri Horvet
Executive Director: Cindy Elder
Contact Information:
Barrington Land Conservation Trust PO Box 324, Barrington, RI 02806 www.blct.org
Email: cindyelder@blct.org 508-733-2443
Dear Friends,
Over the last year, the Barrington Land Conservation Trust has seen a groundswell of engagement in our work. In this report, you?ll read about the stewardship activities of our growing volunteer force, both adults and students. We?ll share news about special projects funded by grants and charitable gifts, which have enabled us to expand our impact.
Our community-facing activities, like guided walks and the Land Trust Learning Series, have created opportunities for us to bring more people into the conversation about how we preserve and protect open space for future generations.
These successes belong to our supporters and volunteers. You have made our collective voice stronger. We have doubled our membership in the last two years, but we have more to achieve. Given the serious environmental threats facing coastal communities, we need to continue building a future where natural open spaces are part of our landscape and daily experience.
Since its founding in 1979, the Barrington Land Conservation Trust has been a volunteer-powered organization. That remains true today. With one half-time executive director, we keep expenses low and carefully steward every dollar we receive. Hundreds of hours of volunteer time make it possible for us to monitor and care
for approximately 300 acres of land owned by the Land Trust and three town-owned nature preserves.
We have strong internal financial controls to manage our day-to-day expenses. Slowly but surely, we are building a ?Future Fund?to ensure the Barrington Land Conservation Trust can withstand the winds of change. We feel this is essential to our commitment to care for the land under our stewardship not just for a year, or a decade, but forever.
As we look to the future, we are encouraged by the new generation of environmental leaders rising up in our community. Youth in elementary and middle school are discovering a love for the natural world through our environmental education programs. High schoolers in our Student Stewardship Team are actively engaging in conservation.
We are energized by the strength of our adult volunteer force which offers a diversity of skills and wisdom in addition to good old-fashioned hard work. These volunteers serve as property stewards, members of the Tuesday Trails Team, or members of our board and committees. They make it possible for us to participate in outreach programs and mentor youth who are interested in learning more about the environment.
Through strong partnerships with the Town of Barrington, the Barrington Public Library and partner nonprofits like the Barrington Garden Club and the Barrington Farm School, we are able to achieve a great deal more than we could do alone.
Thank you for being an important voice in the chorus of people who believe that we have an obligation to protect and preserve our natural places. Years from now, people will thank you for your foresight.
With Gratitude,
Ian Donahue President, Board of Directors Barrington Land Conservation Trust
Cindy Elder Executive Director
Barrington Land Conservation Trust
Year In Review: Land Acquisitions
The Land Trust?s Acquisition and Planning Committee, chaired by Steve Boyajian, had a busy year in FY24 with acquisition of two important properties, both of which were donated by the owners. These represent the largest land acquisitions since the 2017 Land Trust acquisition of the Vendituoli Farm on Federal Road, which is leased to the Barrington Farm School.
The Land Trust Board voted unanimously in 2024 to decrease the Farm School?s lease from $600/year to $1/year in support of their important work to educate the public about sustainable organic farming practices, while fostering engagement and a sense of community.
Dziedzic Family Preserve
More than 100 years ago, Joseph Dziedzic purchased several acres of undeveloped land off Sowams Road, at a time when this part of Barrington had few houses and plenty of farmland. Joseph grew potatoes and corn there for his family. He walked his milking cow over to the Sowams property from their house on Commonwealth Avenue so she could munch on the clover that grew abundantly in the field.
A century later, Joseph?s grandchildren have transformed their childhood playground into a gift that will live on in perpetuity: The Dziedzic Family Preserve. In August 2023, they donated a three-acre parcel of open space to the Barrington Land Conservation Trust. Work has begun to prepare the property for trail development with the help of volunteer Property Steward Peter Harrington and Student Stewardship Team member Jameson Hogan-Shaw, a Barrington High School student who adopted the property as his senior project. A wetlands survey will be
commissioned to determine the best location for trails before trails are established.
?This parcel of land has significant value because it is contiguous with the Hampden Greenbelt and offers the potential for trail extensions,?says Ian Donahue, President of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust. ?The Dziedzics worked hard to make this happen, and we are incredibly grateful.?
Every tree, rock and blade of grass resonate with memories for the Dziedzic family. The property was handed down to their father, Albert, in 1951. Albert and his wife, Josephine, built a small house on the property where they raised eight children: Albert, Joe, Mary, John, Paul, Peter, Tom, and Michael.
"Nowwe'll be ableto visit thisland becauseit'sbeen preserved."
~ Paul Dziedzic
Michael grew up to become a skilled mason who lived in Warren. In 2018 he acquired their old family home on Sowams Road. He loved being surrounded by the fields and woods of his youth.
When Michael died in 2022 at the age of 52, his seven siblings came together, led by Mary (Dziedzic) D?Arrigo, executor of Michael?s estate, to ensure the natural area adjoining the house would remain forever wild. They subdivided the house from the rest of the property and donated the remaining three acres to the Land Trust.
?Mary said, we can do this,?said her brother Paul Dziedzic.
(Left to right) Victor Lerish, chair of theLand Trust'sStewardship Committee, Paul Dziedzic, Mary(Dziedzic)D'Arrigo, JoeDziedzic, and Mary'shusband, Joe D'Arrigo, gather on thepropertytheir familyhasdonated to theBarrington Land Conservation Trust.
JoeD?Arrigo (left), husband of Mary(Dziedzic) D?Arrigo, examinespropertymapswith Victor Lerish, who served chair of Stewardship for theBarrington Land Conservation Trust duringthisland acquisition.
?She told us, this is what we?re doing. And now we?ll be able to visit this land because it?s been preserved.?
Albert, the oldest sibling, recalled playing in the woods when he was a very young boy. ?My Mom made me wear a red hat so she could find me,?he said. ?The ditch was only a foot wide at the time. The land on the other side of the ditch was grass and clover. Big yellow machines came to widen the ditch when I was in elementary school.?Whether walking through the woods, leaning against a tree to read a book, or playing make-believe, this wilderness area became a special place for Albert and his siblings. ?I really enjoyed the solitude of the woods.?
Their father, Albert, was a firefighter for Barrington. The family ate a lot of home-grown vegetables, harvested quahogs at the shore, and fished off the Warren railroad trestle. The family took care of many animals including a pony, a pig, chickens, ducks, and geese. Their mother, Josephine, was a loving presence and extremely busy raising eight children. She would sometimes try to sneak off into the field with a book and a blanket.
Now, the couple who raised eight children in a humble house in the woods will be forever remembered through their children?s donation of the Dziedzic Family Preserve.
?I get emotional when I think about it,?says Mary. ?This is where we grew up. We had the freedom to be outside, which has stuck with me. I love to go to the mountains and hike. I love to rock climb. Just being outdoors gives me the sense of freedom, and that?s because of where we grew up. These days, everything?s so built up. I wanted something saved. I thought, if we could save our playground and leave it for other people to enjoy as well, we should do it. It?s important to have open space in the middle of all this development. Being outdoors is part of who I need to be, part of who I am.?
D?Ambra Realty Land Donation Expands Nature Preserve
There?s a corner of Barrington along Wampanoag Trail where you can look across the highway to Osamequin Nature Preserve, but you can?t find a wilderness trail on your side of the road. That?s changing.
Barrington resident Gary D?Ambra of D?Ambra Realty Corp. donated more than two acres of open space in December 2023 to the Land Trust. The land abuts a nine-acre parcel D?Ambra donated to the Town several years ago, creating 12 acres of uninterrupted open space.
?This is an important gift because it creates a much larger corridor of green space and a sanctuary for wildlife,?says Ian Donahue, President of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust. ?In collaboration with the Town, we?re looking forward to creating a walking trail on the property that can benefit
the surrounding neighborhood.?
The parcel, located off Peck Lane, once belonged to Barrington resident Helen Peck. She sold it to D?Ambra Realty as part of a larger land purchase, which included both parcels donated by the D?Ambras for preservation.
?It makes a nice preserve in the northern part of Barrington, with the two properties together,?said Gary D?Ambra. Gary?s son, Mike, is the third generation of D?Ambras to work in the business. Mike graduated from Barrington High School in 2007 and earned a degree from Endicott College, but always knew he?d return to work in the family business started by his grandfather, Vito D?Ambra.
?I view the two properties being together as a huge thing,? said Mike D?Ambra. ?This neighborhood is tough to walk. I see people walking their dogs along the breakdown lane of the highway. This will provide a safe place for them to walk and enjoy nature. Anytime you can preserve land with old growth trees, land that nobody has messed with in forever, that?s a good thing.?
Mikeand GaryD?Ambra stand at theedgeof a two-acreparcel off PeckLane donated byD?Ambra RealtyCorp. to the Barrington Land Conservation Trust.
D'Ambra NaturePreserve
Year In Review: Stewardship
The remarkable power of volunteerism was on full display last year, with more than one hundred volunteers across the age spectrum actively involved in stewarding both Land Trust and Town-owned properties.
We reluctantly said farewell to retiring Board Member Victor Lerish, who served for two terms as Chair of Stewardship. In that time, he founded the Tuesday Trails Team, managed grant contracts with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, coordinated with our property stewards to monitor our conservation land, and served as a tireless but thoughtful voice for land conservation. Victor has graciously agreed to continue managing the Tuesday Trails Team as a volunteer.
We are thrilled to welcome Board Member Charlie McCoy as our new Stewardship Chair. He has served on the Stewardship Committee for years and has jumped into his new role with enthusiasm and appreciation for the breadth of work involved.
The Stewardship Committee combines more than a dozen long-term and new volunteers who serve as a brain trust for our work, providing insight and experience that informs the Board?s decisions relating to care of our properties. Members include: Ann Brouillette, Kelly Chinners Reiss, Ian Donahue, Norman Dudziak, Frank Hearn, Bill Kirkpatrick, Sara Horvet Sampieri, Victor Lerish, Charlie McCoy, Cindy Pierce, and Dick Waterman.
Tuesday Trails Team
management practices we employ. The members require little guidance: point them in a direction, let them know what our objectives are for the session, and they're off to the races.?
These volunteers enable the Land Trust to implement best practices required under grants from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA). They also serve on the management committees for three Town-owned properties: Saint Andrews Farm, Osamequin Nature Preserve, and the Doug Rayner Wildlife Refuge.
?They share a deep commitment to protecting the environment and possess a diverse knowledge base,?said Victor. ?Whether it's bird or plant identification, formulating best management practices, clearing fallen trees, installing nest boxes or bat houses, planting trees and shrubs, or painting herbicide on cut stumps of invasive woody plants, they're always there to do the work without complaint.?
?The
volunteerssharea deep commitment to protectingtheenvironment and possessa diverseknowledgebase.?
~ Victor
Lerish, Stewardship Committee
Dozens of adult volunteers on the Tuesday Trails Team contributed more than 200 hours of time toward the stewardship of properties across the Land Trust?s holdings in FY24. The team meets on the second Tuesday of the month for two hours to clear trails, remove invasive species, restore areas that have been vandalized, prepare the nesting area for the Terrapin Conservation Project, and other activities.
?What continues to impress me about the Tuesday Trails Team volunteers is their dedication and willingness to contribute their valuable time to our land management efforts,?said Victor. ?We're a very cohesive group, well versed in the
Student Stewardship Team
The Student Stewardship Team, launched in May 2023, contributed 186.5 hours in FY24.
Projects have included:
? Maintaining and improving nature trails
? Planting trees and removing invasive plants
? Cleanups and removal of debris from conservation areas
? Helping to plant the Pokanoket Community Garden
? Establishing an educational pollinator path at Barrington Middle School
? Building protective screens for the Terrapin Conservation Project
? Photography, filmmaking, and website design
? Event management, research and administrative work
?I?ve been so impressed by the skills and work ethic demonstrated by our Student Stewardship Team,? says Cindy Elder, Executive Director of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust and coordinator of the team. ?They?ve tackled some tough jobs, and they?ve done a lot of real-time problem solving, working in partnership with their peers.?
High school students ages 14-18 are welcome to participate, regardless of where they attend school. Stewardship events are held throughout the year at a variety of properties, with experienced adult supervision.
Property Stewards
Property Stewards are the sometimes invisible ? yet essential ? volunteers who ensure that our properties are monitored and maintained. With more than 80 properties covering approximately 300 acres of land, it?s a tall task that requires nearly two dozen stewards.
Property Stewards accept responsibility for one or more properties which they visit regularly to assess the conditions and concerns that need to be addressed. They identify invasive plants that need to be removed, encroachments on conservation land such as dumping of leaves or placement of structures, problems with trash or vandalism, trail obstructions such as downed or dangerous trees, the creation of unapproved trails that may be harmful to wildlife, and many other issues.
Property Stewards help to maintain trails and receive support from the Tuesday Trails Team and the Student Stewardship Team when needed. Many also deliver guided walks on Land Trust properties, sharing their intimate knowledge of the places they steward.
Our stewardship volunteers donate hundreds of hours each year to care for the conservation properties owned by the Barrington Land Conservation Trust and the Town of Barrington. Here are some ways you can help:
- Volunteer for the Tuesday Trails Team for adults. It meets once a month on a Tuesday at 10 am for two hours. There's no commitment - just come when you're available. To register, visit blct.org/volunteer.
- We'd like to build an adult team that meets on the weekend to allow more people to participate. If you're interested in joining or co-leading a team with an experienced volunteer, email cindyelder@blct.org
- Do you know a high school student aged 14 to 18 who cares about the environment?Tell them about our Student Stewardship Team. To learn more, visit blct.org/student-stewardship-team
- Do you have a special talent or professional skill you would like to share?We'd love to hear from you! Email cindyelder@blct.org to get the conversation started.
- Financial support is essential to our stewardship activities. Your gift will help us purchase supplies and cover the increasing cost of surveys, engineering, and permitting that are often required before we can build new trails. Visit blct.org/donate or send a check to BLCT, PO Box 324, Barrington, RI 02806.
- Establish a legacy gift that will help us continue providing stewardship programs long into the future. Contact cindyelder@blct.org or call 508-733-2443 to discuss planned giving, named funds, and transfers of securities.
Thank you for helping us to care for our natural places!
Stewardship: Cleanups
We participated in three cleanups involving approximately 90 people in FY24, providing opportunities for the public to get involved in caring for our environment.
In January 2024, we partnered with the Barrington Garden Club on a cleanup at Osamequin Nature Preserve which drew 30 people on a winter day for a massive effort that covered dozens of acres. In April, we held a cleanup at Allin?s Cove Conservation Area as part of the RI Department of Environmental Management?s ?Litter Free RI?campaign. A shocking amount of small plastic was found embedded in the salt marsh and sand.
We also partnered with Save the Bay in September 2023 at Barrington Beach as part of International Coastal
Cleanup Day. Unlike other cleanups which focus simply on picking up trash, this event requires volunteers to document the type and amount of trash by category as a way to understand the environmental challenges we face. Across the state, 2,830 volunteers collected 132,912 pieces of trash weighing 22,480 pounds. The largest percentage ? 33%-- was drinking bottles. Cigarette butts and tiny pieces of plastic and foam tied for the next biggest offenders at 18%each.
If you're a member of an organization that would like to hold a cleanup on one of our properties, contact Executive Director Cindy Elder at cindyelder@blct.org or 508-733-2443. We have all the tools and supplies needed and can provide a leader for the cleanup.
Year In Review: Education and Outreach
The Land Trust?s education and outreach activities multiplied in FY24, thanks to an active Education Committee chaired by Bill Kirkpatrick. The Education Committee is composed of board members and volunteers who help us plan, manage, and deliver a variety of programs. The FY24 Education Committee included: Noelle Cooke, Teresa DeFlitch, Lizeth Garcia Garcia, Sara Horvet Sampieri, Bill Kirkpatrick, Jill Lancaster, Cindy Larson Moura, and Cindy Pierce.
Community members had opportunities to engage in hands-on activities, outdoor experiences, and environmental education.
Land Trust Learning Series
In partnership with the Barrington Public Library, the Land Trust hosted a wide range of speakers in the Land Trust Learning Series. Nearly 1,000 people attended these events in FY24, either in person or virtually.
From inland flooding to ?forever chemicals,?we dug into a host of environmental issues topping the headlines with award-winning environment reporter Alex Kuffner with the ProvidenceJournal. We also heard from Tom Kutcher of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey about threats to our salt marshes and remediation strategies underway.
featured in his book, WalkingRhodeIsland. Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Elizabeth Rush took us on her adventure into Antarctica and motherhood with her book, TheQuickening
?I appreciateyour hard workto keep our minds focused on problemsand solutionsto climate change.?
~ Attendee, ?AConversation with AlexKuffner?
Our environmental film festival highlighted Indigenous communities around the world where ancestral lands and foodways are threatened. We learned from filmmaker Daniel Byers what?s involved in traveling to these remote areas as he photographed wildlife in extreme conditions and worked alongside local experts.
Closer to home, we were honored to hear from members of the Pokanoket Tribe about their efforts to create a community garden to increase access to healthy food among their families. The discussion followed an airing of the documentary Gather, about Indigenous food sovereignty. Several members of the Land Trust?s Student Stewardship Team
have had the honor of assisting Tribal members with their garden.
We featured three authors with newly released books. Uli Lorimer, Director of Horticulture and the New England Wild Flower Society, energized local gardeners with a discussion of his book, 235 Plantsfor an Earth-FriendlyGarden ProvidenceJournal columnist John Kostrzewa introduced us to nearby nature hikes
Volunteers took center stage in two presentations. ?Behind the Scenes: The Barrington Terrapin Conservation Project?featured reflections and stories from the dedicated team of volunteers who are the lifeblood of this local project. The event also included an airing of the movie, Turtleson theHill. The presentation,?This Land Is Your Land,?provided an introduction to Land Trust properties presented by volunteers who help to manage these conservation lands.
Guided Walks
The Land Trust led 27 guided walks in FY24, attended by a total of 387 people. Walks were offered at several Land Trust properties including Sowams Woods, Johannis Farm Wildlife Preserve, Allin?s Cove Conservation Area, PIC-WIL Nature Preserve, Andreozzi Nature Preserve, and Lombardi Park. We also offered walks at Town-owned properties including Doug Rayner Wildlife Refuge, Osamequin Nature Preserve, St. Andrews Farm, and the Hampden Greenbelt.
We offered two walks designed for ?young explorers,? where we traveled at a child?s pace and allowed plenty of time to run and explore. They tested their detective skills on a winter scavenger hunt, danced the Hokey-Pokey around a champion oak tree, and sang hiking songs. After a new fallen snow at St. Andrews Farm, kids slid down the hill in their snow pants.
Our self-guided Day After Thanksgiving walk attracted lots of families home for the holidays on a perfect autumn day. Land Trust volunteers posted across the property answered questions and helped with directions.
In a first for the Land Trust, we offered a Spanish-language tour of Sowams Woods, presented by Land Trust Board Member Lizeth Garcia Garcia. The event attracted native Spanish speakers and people seeking to improve or exercise their Spanish while enjoying the outdoors.
We partnered with Barrington Middle School Librarian Melanie Roy and Barrington Public Library YA Librarian Tanya Paglia on a program called ?For the Birds.?Based on the book, Where HaveAll theBirdsGone?by Rebecca Hirsch, the program involved a book club, craft projects, and a wilderness walk at Johannis Farm Wildlife Preserve with birding enthusiasts Jerry and Ginny Gonville.
Projects in the Schools
On a cold gray day in January 2023, fifth grade teachers Jennifer Reynolds and Deena St. Angelo reached out to the Barrington Land Conservation Trust for help. With Hampden Meadows School positioned on the edge of a forest and an outdoor classroom at their disposal, they wanted to create an outdoor environmental education program for their students.
?Studentsfeel so luckyto collaboratewith the Barrington Land Conservation Trust. Theylove gettingout into thewoodsbehind theschool.?
~ Jennifer Reynolds, Fifth GradeTeacher, Hampden MeadowsSchool
The result of this collaboration is a curriculum entitled ?A Tree of My Own,?piloted by Ms. Reynolds and Ms. St. Angelo during the spring 2023 semester. They completed their first full year with the curriculum during the 2023/2024 school year. Additional fifth grade teachers are now participating.
of it when I walk in the door and they say, Herecomesthe treelady!?
The program enhances the fifth-grade science units on Ecosystems, States of Matter, Observing Our Sky, and Human Impact. ?A Tree of My Own?also reflects the school?s multidisciplinary focus with tie-ins to English Language Arts, Social Studies, Arts and Math.
?Students feel so lucky to collaborate with the Barrington Land Conservation Trust,?says Ms. Reynolds. ?They love getting out into the woods behind the school. Groups have even given their trees special names.?
The Land Trust developed the curriculum and volunteers attended several sessions, but Ms. St. Angelo and Ms. Reynolds took the leading role, scheduling outdoor lessons around the weather and classroom priorities. A special unit on pinecones was added this year due to the unusually high production of cones (known as a ?mast year?). The Land Trust brought in hundreds of pinecones for the students to paint and taught the students about methods of seed dispersal. Students even learned to
Over the course of the year, small groups of students team up to ?adopt?a tree near their outdoor classroom and study it from multiple perspectives. They map the location of their trees, sketch and measure them, study changes in and around the tree through the seasons, and discuss threats to their tree. Students consider the plants and animals which relied on their tree and learn about the history of the area where their tree now grows.
?I?ve had a great time participating with the students,?says Land Trust Executive Director Cindy Elder. ?I get a kick out
identify the Fibonacci Sequence in pinecones. Each student went home with an extra pinecone and instructions for making a pinecone bird feeder.
In FY25, Land Trust Board Member Sara Sampieri Horvet will partner with Ms. Reynolds and Ms. St. Angelo on a new environmental program focused on measuring water quality, using nearby Kent Street Pond as a study site. Sara is a frequent speaker at the schools, engaging students in environmental topics and sparking their interest in science.
Look and Find
April school vacation saw the return of the self-guided ?Look & Find?Nature Walk at Osamequin Nature Preserve for kids, a partnership of the Land Trust and the Barrington Public Library. Numbers hidden along the trails provided clues to letters that were entered into a word scramble. This year?s secret phrase was ?Leave the world a better place.?
Children submitted their word scrambles to the Library in a raffle for a backpack filled with outdoor exploration gear and books. The project was led by Sara Sampieri Horvet, Cindy Pierce, and Librarian Lisa Lesinski.
Outreach
The Land Trust met lots of new people at the 2023 summer Farmers?Market held by the Barrington Business & Community Association and the Barrington Arts Festival at Town Center. Adult and student volunteers introduced visitors to the work of the Land Trust and engaged them in crafts and activities.
Recognizing that some people lack the mobility to attend wilderness walks, the Land Trust offered a series of ?virtual walks?at Atria Bay Spring Village, an assisted living facility in Barrington. Live presentations by Property Stewards and Executive Director Cindy Elder took residents on photographic journeys through Land Trust properties, where they learned about the history and ecological importance of conservation land. We enjoyed some great discussions!
Thispoem waswritten bya fifth grader named Truman duringhisstudyof treesat Hampden Meadows, based on a curriculum developed bythe Land Trust.
How to Stand Tall
I once saw a tree, tall and grand Its branches reaching to the sky, But at its trunk, a sight so sad
A split, as if it was about to die.
The bark had cracked, revealing wood
A wound that seemed impossible to mend, Yet still, it stood, as firm as it could
A testament to nature's resilience, in the end.
Even though it had been broken
The tree still bloomed, and leaves still grew, Its roots held firm, its spirit unshaken
A symbol of hope, for me and you.
So when life splits us down the middle And we feel like we're about to fall, Remember the tree and its riddle
Of how to stand tall, even through it all.
Year In Review: Special Projects
Pollinator Pathways
Barrington?s Pollinator Pathway is part of a regional effort to create public and private pesticide-free corridors of native plants that provide nutrition and habitat for pollinating insects and birds. Across New England and the world, the need for this effort is growing as an increasing amount of open space is carved up for residential, commercial and municipal development.
Barrington?s Pollinator Pathway gained dozens of new followers in FY24. The group's newsletter explores how to create habitat and offers book reviews and spotlights on local gardeners. The group is comprised of Board
members Cindy Pierce, Cindy Larson Moura, and Sara Sampieri Horvet, and Land Trust Stewardship Committee member Ann Brouillette.
A major project is now underway to establish a .7-acre pollinator meadow at Johannis Farm Wildlife Preserve, a Land Trust property. The project is funded by grants from the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Planting will take place in the fall of 2024. The meadow will serve as a teaching resource as well as an improved habitat for birds, bees, and other pollinators.
In partnership with the Barrington Farm School, Barrington?s Pollinator Pathway held a ?Pollinator Palooza?event in September 2023. Visitors viewed their pollinator garden, asked questions, and took home free pollinator plants for their own gardens. Land Trust Board Members worked with the Farm School to create curriculum units for community teaching on pollinators.
Land Trust Board Members spent a day with Barrington second graders across the District in May 2024, digging in on the importance of native plants to pollinators and empowering them to think about ways that their schools and their own yards could be part of the Pathway initiative.
The group held a Pollinator Meet Up at the Barrington Public Library in February, where several gardeners shared photos and stories of their journey into gardening with native plants. Participants shared successes, lessons learned, and resources that have helped them transition to a pollinator-friendly yard.
Members of Barrington?s Pollinator Pathway helped plan the ?resilience garden?filled with native plants in Town Center. They also joined a community education panel at Mt. Hope Farm to discuss ways that community members can engage around practices and programs that support pollinators in our state. They were joined by representatives from local businesses, the Audubon Society of RI, the Department of Environmental Management, and the University of Rhode Island Bee Lab.
They tabled at the April 2024 Audubon Annual Conference, ?Transforming the Landscape,?with keynote speaker Doug Tallamy, who proposes a ?homegrown national park,?where private and public landowners transform their properties for the good of the planet.
If you?re interested in getting involved in the Barrington Pollinator Pathway, email pollinatorpathways@blct.org.
Barrington Terrapin Conservation Project
The 2023 season marked the 34thyear of operation for the Barrington Terrapin Conservation Project, which is currently co-led by Kathryn Beauchamp and Madeleine Linck. Volunteers work to ensure the safe nesting and hatching of state-endangered Diamondback terrapin turtles and track the number of returning terrapins that return to nest each year.
The nesting area was first discovered in 1990 by naturalist Doug Rayner. In 1992, Land Trust leader Charlotte Sornborger worked with Doug to create a systematic method of marking and recording the population, which has been carried on for more than three decades.
During 2023, a team of 30 dedicated volunteers contributed 878 hours during nesting and hatchling emergence. In addition, three outstanding interns ?Ashley Katusa, Alex Ledoux, and Hugh Tucker -- put in a combined 364.5 hours.Two Barrington High School students, Clover Burke and Izzy Mysak, were mentored by Kathryn Beauchamp as they completed their senior projects on the impact Diamondback terrapins have on estuaries and salt marshes.
When you go through a wholeseason, from nestingto hatchlings, there?ssuch a reward when you seethosetiny, perfectlyformed little babies."
~ NancyKellman-Maddocks, Volunteer
The Land Trust covered the cost of two of the three interns in 2023. Thanks to a generous contribution by Land Trust donor Ronald Russo, the Land Trust will be able to cover the cost of three interns during the 2024 season. Mr. Russo also funded
much-needed trail cameras for the project.
Volunteering can involve long days in every kind of weather, but those who come back year after year find deep meaning in the experience.
?I love being out in nature,?said volunteer Nancy Kellman-Maddocks, a former Barrington Middle School librarian. ?That calmness, that centering, that lack of artificial stimulation is so soothing, so healthy. When you go through a whole season, from nesting to hatchlings, there?s such a reward when you see those tiny, perfectly formed little babies. It gives you hope that nature still persists here in suburban Barrington. I feel a sense of pride that there?s a community who really cares about nature and is trying to preserve it.?
Financial Review
Andrew"Drew?Curtis, Treasurer
The Barrington Land Conservation Trust?s (?Land Trust?) budget prioritizes allocating financial resources for the preservation of open space and education of the public on environmental issues. With a half-time executive director and more than 100 active volunteers, we are able to fulfill our mission while keeping expenses low. The Land Trust carries no debt and is in good standing with local, state, and federal authorities. Our financial records are maintained by a volunteer Treasurer and Operations Committee, and our IRSForm 990 is prepared and reviewed by a local accounting firm.
In FY24, we realized our goal of maintaining the equivalent of a full year?s budget in cash and cash equivalents, thanks to our growing community of annual donors. This best practice helps the Land Trust withstand change and respond to opportunity. Through careful management of charitable donations, we were also able to contribute $30,000 to our unrestricted Land Trust Future Fund, an investment fund managed by Gunness Financial Services in Warren, RI. At the Board of Director?s discretion, this fund fuels the Land Trust?s long-term sustainability and strengthens our ability to acquire and maintain conservation land in combination with individual donations, grants, and government funding.
Expenses
Our volunteer force is key to our operating model. Our Tuesday Trail Team and Student Stewardship Team contributed a total of 376 hours in FY24. In addition, Property Stewards, Board Members, and Committee Members volunteered hundreds of hours to ensure the effective functioning of the Land Trust. This value is not reflected in our expenses but is an integral part of our operations.
We anticipate increased expenses in the years ahead due in part to the cost of permitting, wetlands surveys, engineering, and construction of footbridges and boardwalks on our properties. In years past, our trail structures were built by volunteers and members of the local Boy Scouts. While many of our structures continue be built by volunteers, the regulatory landscape. concerning wetlands and coastal areas is increasing, requiring a higher level of due diligence, permitting, and approval. In addition, we are seeing increased stewardship costs relating to removal of dead or diseased trees.
Community Support Revenue
The Land Trust relies on charitable donations from a variety of sources to support its work. Temporarily restricted donor revenue includes gifts and bequests which are for a designated purpose or are time restricted. These funds often are not spent within the same fiscal year in which they were received. Individual contributions fund the ongoing operating expenses of the Trust. Corporate sponsorships cover expenses associated with our education programs. Grants may support specific initiatives or operational expenses, depending on the grant.
We increased the number of individual donors by 30%(from 326 in FY23 to 425 in FY24), and we saw a 78%increase in total funds raised. With 7,100 households in the Town of Barrington, we hope to expand our community of support in years ahead.
The Land Trust Learning Series generated important sponsorship funding which covered speaking fees and other expenses, making it possible for us to offer these events to the public at no charge.
This year?s United Way 401Gives campaign raised $5,500. We are grateful to volunteers Alexis Kellogg, Cindy Larson Moura, Sara Horvet, and Lora Urbanelli for serving on the 401Gives team. Thank you to all the generous donors who participated. We applaud Barrington High School students Niki Sharif and Jasmine Malik for creating fundraising videos for 401Gives and #GivingTuesday.
We received continued grant funding from the USDA?s National Resource Conservation Service and the New England Grassroots Environment Fund. We were honored to receive a Legislative Grant in FY24, recommended by Rep. Jason Knight, Sen. Pam Lauria, and Rep. Jennifer Boylan. We also received grants from the Fields Pond Foundation, the Leiter Family Foundation, and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management?s ?Litter-Free RI?program.
Thanks to designated gifts by community members, we were able to achieve several items on our wish list in FY24. Ronald Russo funded the Land Trust?s scholarships for graduating seniors, trail cameras and stipends for interns with the Terrapin Conservation Project, expenses associated with our Student Stewardship Team, and costs involved in preparing the Dziedzic Family Preserve for public trails. Dick and Barbara McWhirter funded hats, t-shirts, tools and supplies for our adult and student volunteers. Kate and Michael Hamilton funded the Land Trust?s new interactive map on the property page of our website. We are grateful to all who contributed to our progress. For information on how you can support the work of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust, visit www.blct.org/donate or email cindyelder@blct.org. Thank you!
Morethan 82 peoplehaveserved on theBoard of theBarrington Land Conservation Trust since itsfoundingin 1979. The following individualsarecontinuingtheir serviceon theBoard in 2024-2025.
Current Board Members
Steve Boyajian
Steve joined the Board in 2022 and serves as Secretary and Chair of the Acquisition and Planning Committee, which reviews properties that have been offered to the Land Trust to determine if they fit well within our objectives for preservation of open space.
?Over the last year, I?ve had the good fortune to work with generous donors, like the Dziedzics and the D?Ambras, and the helpful personnel at Town Hall, to close on land acquisitions that make open spaces more accessible,?said Steve.
He has served as an attorney with Robinson+Cole for more than 12 years. A member of the firm?s Bankruptcy and Reorganizations Group, his practice includes bankruptcy, creditors' rights, real estate litigation, and utilities regulation. Steve is a member of the firm?s pro bono committee. He earned a bachelor?s degree in politics from Pomona College and a Doctor of Law from Boston College Law School.
In addition to his service with the Land Trust, Steve participates in the Rhode Island Bar Association?s Elderly Pro Bono Program by assisting elderly individuals faced with collection actions. He has served on the Barrington Town Council and is also a member of the Boards of Directors of Day One, an organization which advocates for victims of sexual abuse and violence; Barrington Little League; and the Rhode Island Bar Foundation, for which he also serves as Treasurer and chairs the Scholarship and Finance Committees.
Charles F. ?Charlie? Brown IV
Charlie joined the Board in 2023. He serves on the Stewardship Committee and is co-manager of the Doug Rayner Wildlife Refuge. ?It?s been a great experience getting to know the other members of the Board,? said Charlie.
Charlie served for 24 years with the RI Department of Environmental Management?s Division of Fish and Wildlife, where he was the expert on mammals and frequently quoted on issues relating to coyotes, bats, fishers, bears, foxes, bobcats, and even pumas. His work included bat research, wildlife rehabilitation, and nuisance wildlife control.
Prior to the DEM, he worked as a forestry technician with the U.S. Forestry Service and a wildlife biologist with the Coastal Resources Management Council. Charlie earned a bachelor?s degree in natural resources from the University of Rhode Island.
Charlie grew up in Barrington, where he lives with his wife and former Land Trust President, Virginia ?Ginger?Brown. He credits his family and the local environment for instilling his love for the natural world and recalls that every boyhood hour not spent in school or at the dinner table was spent outside?fishing, trapping, and exploring.
Drew joined the Board in 2022 and serves as Vice President, Treasurer, Chair of the Finance Committee and a member of the Operations Committee. He moved to Barrington in early 2020 and learned about the Land Trust as he explored the town during the early days of the pandemic. This led him to volunteer for the Tuesday Trails Team and become the steward for the Allin?s Cove Conservation Area.
?Every day I spend helping the Land Trust is memorable, as it goes towards protecting land for present and future generations,?said Drew. This awareness increased for Drew and his wife Alexis as they welcomed their first child, Maren, in late 2023.
Currently, Drew manages global real estate projects for a biotechnology company. His professional experience includes roles in accounting, internal controls, and financial planning. He earned a bachelor?s and master?s degree in accounting from the University of Connecticut and is a licensed CPA in Connecticut.
Andrew ?Drew?Curtis
Current Board Members,
Ian Donahue joined the Board of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust in 2017. He continues to serve as President, a position he has held since 2023. He also serves as chair of the Communications Committee and a member of the Operations Committee.
?It?s been great to watch the Land Trust Learning Series grow and engage so many members of our community,?said Ian. ?I?m encouraged to see new people getting involved in our work and supporting the Land Trust.?
Ian works as Project Manager for DCL Communications Ltd. in Avon, MA. He has also worked as a project manager for Mystic Scenic Studios, Inc., a marketing and sales manager for Creative Conners, Inc., and owner of Hope Street Improvement. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in design/tech from SUNYPurchase.
Ian has lived in Barrington since 2011 and served on the Barrington Zoning Board of Review, where he became familiar with the town?s building codes and development requests. He saw the Land Trust as a way to help preserve the town?s limited remaining open space. His wife, Kerrie, serves as Director of Development at St. Andrews School. They have a daughter, Megan, and a son, Brian.
Megan Frost joined the Board in 2018. She has participated on the Communications and Development Committees and has volunteered with the Land Trust Learning Series.
?One of the highlights of my time with the Land Trust was our environmental film festival and the showing of the movie, Gather,?said Meghan. ?It was great to greet visitors coming to a Land Trust event for the first time and educating them on our work prior to the films. It was also inspiring to view the natural world and native farms in this format. Truly a great way to learn and be immersed in a place!?
Currently, Meghan is a strategic philanthropic advisor to organizations and individuals. Previously, she served as Assistant Dean, Development and Alumni Relations, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Boston University. Her career also includes roles in senior development at Brown University, Harvard Business School, and Putnam Investments. She earned a bachelor?s degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania.
Lizeth joined the board in 2023. In the last year, she led our first guided tour of Sowams Woods in Spanish, which engaged native Spanish speakers as well as those seeking to improve their Spanish in an interactive outdoor experience.
Lizeth works as a DULCEFamily Specialist in Integrated Behavioral Health with Pediatric Primary Care at Hasbro Children?s Hospital. She also has worked as a community liaison and interpreter for a K-12 charter school, a Spanish tutor and translator, and an international customer service and technical support specialist.
Lizeth was born and grew up in San José, Costa Rica, where she studied English at La Universdad Interamericana. She is proud of her heritage, which she describes as White (Spain/Italy) and Brown (Native American from Nicaragua). She moved to Barrington in 2012 because she saw the town as a safe place for her children to grow up and attend school. She has two daughters, one of whom is in college and one who graduated from college in 2024.
?Our minds are best while we connect to Mother Earth," said Lizeth. P"reserving open spaces for future generations is primordial. Everything is interconnected. As a Native American once said (attributed to Chief Seattle), When thelast treeiscut down, thelast fish eaten and thelast stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money.?
Meghan Frost
Ian Donahue
Lizeth Garcia Garcia
Sara Sampieri Horvet?s current term on the Board started in 2023. She also served from 2016-2020. She is an active participant on the Stewardship Committee, the Terrapin Conservation Project, and the Education Committee, and she has led several programs in the public schools on environmental topics.
?Educating our community and students about the Pollinator Pathway was one of my most rewarding activities this year,? said Sara. ?I had the opportunity to visit all three elementary schools in town. I was able to witness first-hand the children's enthusiasm as they learned about the significance of native plants and eagerly learned how they could be environmental stewards in their own yards.?
Sara has worked as a Research Associate with the Coastal Systems Program at the UMass Dartmouth School of Marine Science and Technology for 22 years. She has a bachelor?s degree in environmental studies from Providence College and a master?s degree in Coastal Systems Science from UMass Dartmouth-SMAST. Her primary focus is on water quality and the impact of nutrient enrichment on the habitat health of estuaries and freshwater ponds.
Sara lives in Barrington with her husband and two children. She joined the Land Trust to preserve the town's natural habitats so that her children and future generations can enjoy the same beautiful places.
William ?Bill?Kirkpatrick
Bill joined the Board in 2022. He chairs the Education Committee and serves on the Stewardship Committee. He has served as Property Steward of Johannis Farm Wildlife Preserve since relocating from Maine to his hometown of Barrington nine years ago.
?My most meaningful experience on the board has been the opportunity to chair the Education Committee, which has been reformulated with many new members,? said Bill. ?We?ve had wonderful outcomes, including the Land Trust Learning Series and events by the Pollinator Pathway project, which has translated into a greater awareness of the Land Trust. I also get great joy and satisfaction from stewardship of Johannis.
Bill?s career in health and behavioral health spans more than 45 years. He currently serves as Lead Inpatient Behavioral Health Social Worker at Roger Williams Hospital. He serves on the Bio-Ethics Committee at Miriam Hospital and volunteers for the Alzheimer?s Association and Rhode Island Blood Bank. He has also served as Director of Clinical Social Work, Interpreter Services and Spiritual Care at Lifespan, Senior Teaching Associate at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and in senior positions with the Alzheimer?s Chapter (Maine), the PACEOrganization of RI, and Roger Williams Medical Center.
Bill attended Barrington High School and earned a bachelor?s degree at Barrington College, a Master of Social Work at Boston College, and a certificate in Bioethics and Health Policy at Loyola University.
Cindy Larson Moura joined the Board in 2019. She participates on the Pollinator Pathway team of the Education Committee and the planning of a new pollinator meadow at Johannis Farm Wildlife Preserve. Cindy is the co-owner of Prickly Ed?s Cactus Patch Native Plant Emporium.
?My passion for conservation comes from a deep desire to thoughtfully preserve and maintain spaces for area wildlife that are being forced into quickly shrinking habitats,? said Cindy. ?I?m excited about the growing momentum of Barrington?s Pollinator Pathway.?
Her own yard has been a NWFCertified Wildlife Habitat for more than fifteen years, is part of the Homegrown National Park network, and is a Monarch Waystation and Certified Firefly Habitat. Cindy?s work, volunteerism, and advocacy helps residents and communities embrace resilient landscaping practices rooted in sound ecological practices.
As an independent consultant, Cindy assists nonprofit, philanthropic and government entities with strategic endeavors. She worked for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and led agencies in Rhode Island and Massachusetts where she grew and managed programs that benefited thousands of young children and their families. She?s lived in Barrington since 1999, where she helped to found the Barrington Partnership for Animal Welfare. She earned a bachelor?s degree from Roger Williams University.
Sara Sampieri Horvet
Cindy Larson Moura
Charlie McCoy
Charlie McCoy joined the Board in 2022 and now serves as Chair of the Stewardship Committee. He served as a property steward for several years and enjoys wildlife photography. ?My most satisfying and enjoyable experiences with the Land Trust have been working on the Tuesday Trails team and meeting other volunteers,? said Charlie. ?Open land is necessary to maintain the health of the environment and preserve native species. Being involved with the Land Trust is a way that I can contribute to protecting nature.?
Charlie retired in 2022 from a practice in nephrology. He served as Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, for the Warren Albert Medical School at Brown University, and as President of the medical staff and Rhode Island Hospital from 2000 to 2020. Charlie was named Physician of the Year at Rhode Island Hospital in 2022. He earned degrees at Lehigh University and Hahnemann, Medical College.
Charlie and his wife Lory have lived in Barrington for 33 years. They own and run the McCoy Community Farm which provides fresh food to East Bay food pantries. They are also members of the Barrington Yacht Club.
Cindy Pierce
Cindy joined the Board in 2017 and is currently a member of the Education, Stewardship, and Pollinator Pathways Committees. She and her family moved to Barrington in 2012 next to one of the Land Trust?s properties, which led to her volunteering with the Land Trust and joining the Board.
?I?ve especially enjoyed working on the Pollinator Pathway initiative this year and meeting new friends and neighbors interested in it too,?said Cindy.
In addition to her concern for environmental issues, she?s interested in promoting literacy and the arts. Cindy volunteers with several other organizations, including the URI Master Gardeners?Program, and she serves on the Board of the Friends of the Barrington Library.
She previously worked in arts education, connecting performing artists with school children through performances and in-school residencies. She earned a bachelor?s degree from the University of Oregon and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance/Arts Administration from Arizona State University.
Richard Waterman
Dick joined the board in 2019 and serves as Chair of Governance and a member of the Operations and Stewardship Committees. He also is our liaison with the Scouts, who conduct many helpful projects on our properties.
A lifelong New Englander, Dick is an environmental professional and an executive in a nationwide environmental science and engineering consulting firm. He earned a bachelor?s degree in chemistry and biology and a master?s degree in environmental engineering.
?I have always loved the outdoors, and I?m a lifelong sailor, fisherman, hiker, and bicyclist,?says Dick. ?From a young age, I believed it?s our collective responsibility to protect and steward the environment for the next generation.?
Dick and his family moved to Barrington 22 years ago from Massachusetts to live near the coast.
?As I learned about the Land Trust?s mission and walked the properties, I realized what an important role the Land Trust has in preserving land and educating the community on the importance of preserving open space. Barrington is mostly built out. It?s important that we protect open areas to sustain the local ecology and provide open spaces for all to enjoy."
Vince joined the Board in 2023 with a long history of community service, including 17 years as Board Chair of the Barrington Public Library Board of Trustees and the Barrington Public Library Corporation.
In his first year on the Land Trust Board, his knowledge of our community and nonprofit leadership have provided an important perspective for board discussions.
?I hope that everyone realizes - the way I have this year - how deeply the members and board are committed to the long-term sharing and caretaking of Barrington?s open spaces,?said Vince.
Vince works in Accenture's Data and Artificial Intelligence Group in Boston. He has founded Turnswing, an enterprise supply chain consultancy, and has held senior positions in marketing, industry research, and business development at several high-tech firms.
He earned a bachelor?s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business and a Master?s of Business Administration from Emory University?s Goizueta School of Business.
Kelly joined the Board in 2024 after serving on the Land Trust?s Stewardship committee and the Johnnis Farm Wildlife Preserve enhancement project. Kelly chairs the Town of Barrington?s Open Space Committee. She and her family moved to Barringtonin 2019.
Kelly is a professor of environmental science, policy and management with the American Public University System and an adjunct professor with the Feinstein School of Social and Natural Sciences in the Department of Biology, Marine Biology and Environmental Science at Roger Williams University. She serves as co-principle investigator of the Water Testing and Awareness Project .
Kelly has a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Environmental Engineering Sciences, Systems Ecology from the HT Odum Center for Wetlands, University of Florida, Gainesville, where she also earned a bachelor?s degree in forest resources and conservation.
?I grew up engaging with nature in southeast Florida,?said Kelly. ?My father and Papa, both recreational fishermen, would take my sister and I out on the boat. I am drawn to conservation. People are part of nature. Conserving green spaces allows people the opportunity to engage with nature, experience nature, and learn from nature. Local conservation efforts promote local community health, which is critical for a resilient and sustainable future.?
Kate joined the Board in 2024 after learning about the Land Trust through friends and participating in Land Trust events. She has a long history of volunteerism, including teaching mindfulness in schools, tutoring, working with Hospice patients at Hattie Ide Chaffee Home, and helping clients at the East Bay Food Pantry shop for food. In addition to her volunteer work, Kate is an accomplished poet and a former elementary school teacher with a bachelor?s degree in English from Connecticut College and a master?s degree in education from the University of Colorado.
?My grandparents lived in Barrington when I was a child,?said Kate. ?My grandmother loved the outdoors. She explored this town on foot, looking for mussels and edible mushrooms, and she loved swimming in the river near her house. I learned to love nature in part by her example. I played outside a lot as a child.?
She and her husband Michael moved to Barrington to raise their three daughters, all of whom are now in college or graduates. Kate makes frequent use of the nature paths around town. Sowams Woods and St Andrews Farm are two of her favorite walking spots.
?I believe teaching children and adults to love our planet has to start in small, tangible ways, close to home. If we learn to enjoy it and care for it, that care could spread out to other communities. I love working in the woods near our cabin in the Berkshires, making paths, and I enjoy gardening at our home in Barrington.?
Vincent Wicker
Kelly Chinners Reiss
Kate Hamilton
Victor joined the Board in 2016 and has served as Chair of the Stewardship Committee for several years. He also served on the Education, Communications, Operations, and Acquisition and Planning Committees.
From 1979 until 2020, Victor was a pediatrician at Barrington Pediatric Associates, caring for kids and their families in the local community. While completing his pediatric residency at RI Hospital/Brown University, Victor fell in love with Rhode Island.
Victor and his wife Joanna enjoy walking trails, camping, kayaking, canoeing ? anything outdoors. When not in Rhode Island, you can often find them in southern Maine where he also volunteers as the water quality advisor for his local pond association.
?I?ve always been interested in the environment and would probably have studied environmental science or wildlife biology had I not gone into medicine,?says Victor. ?Getting involved with the Land Trust was a natural fit for me.?He started as a property steward and went on to found the Tuesday Trails Team.?My involvement with the Barrington Land Conservation Trust comes out of a strong sense of the need and obligation to protect and preserve the natural world for our children and grandchildren.?
Thank you, Victor, for leading our stewardship efforts and guiding our efforts with wisdom and grace. Your deep involvement in our work has made us a better team.
Catherine joined the Board in 2016 and served on the Acquisitions and Planning Committee. She has lived in Barrington for 40 years, raising her family and pursuing interests in the arts, the environment, and the study of birds.
Catherine has served as curator and director at history museums in Connecticut, director of a Newport-based gallery of historic American fine art, and as an independent fine art appraiser.
Catherine?s interest in birding was revived with a course at the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. She has participated in birding surveys, banding, and research programs.
?Growing up in a pristine natural environment that became over-developed, and later learning how important birds are as indicator species for the health of the planet, gave me a new appreciation for how humans are inextricably linked to the natural world, even as that connection becomes increasingly attenuated. The study of birds has reinforced my belief in the importance of respecting and nurturing the natural world before it is lost."
Thank you, Catherine, for your thoughtful service. Your probing questions helped ensure we are doing our best to protect habitats for wildlife and the ecosystems which support them.
Cindy Elder
Cindy has served as the Land Trust?s Executive Director since 2022. During her tenure, she has focused on strengthening the organization, building the Student Stewardship Team, launching the Land Trust Learning Series, expanding outreach, and facilitating donations of land and funds.
She grew up in Barrington and attended Barrington Public Schools. Cindy earned a bachelor?s degree in writing from Roger Williams University and a Master of Public Affairs from Brown University. She lives in Barrington with her husband Bob. They have two children, Emily and Elizabeth.
?It?s immensely satisfying to work locally on environmental issues that matter to me and my family,?she says. ?Whether I?m leading a guided walk, mentoring students, or bumping into a Land Trust volunteer in the grocery store, I feel connected to my hometown in an immediate and powerful way. I?m honored to be able to make a difference in the place where I grew up.?
Cindy has held leadership positions with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Coggeshall Farm Museum, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of RI, the RI Community Food Bank, and Hospice of Central Florida.
Catherine Boisseau
Victor Lerish
Your Gift Preserves Open Space
Help us preserve and care for open space in Barrington by making a gift to the Barrington Land Conservation Trust. Every gift counts! Here are a few ways you can have an impact.
1. GIVE ONLINE:Go to www.blct.org/donate
2. SEND A CHECK: Make check out to BLCT and mail to: BLCT, PO Box 324, Barrington, RI 02806.
3. DONOR ADVISED FUNDS: We?re listed as Barrington Land Conservation Trust, Inc.
4. DONATE SECURITIES: Our financial advisor, Gunness Financial Services, LLCin Warren, RI, makes donations of stocks and other securities simple and secure. For details, email cindyelder@blct.org or contact Larson Gunness directly at 401-297-2900.
5. BEQUESTS: Emailcindyelder@blct.org or call Cindy at 508-733-2443 for more information or to request a personal meeting.
6. MEMORIAL AND TRIBUTE GIFTS: Our online giving form allows you to honor a special person, place, or animal with a gift. If you send your donation by mail, please include a note regarding your tribute and the name and address of anyone who should be notified that you have made a gift in their honor.
7. MATCHING GIFTS: Many employers will match your gift and increase the impact of your contribution.
8. IRAs: Donors age 70 ½ or older can support the Land Trust through IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs). QCDs allow you to make tax-free charitable distributions (up to $100K annually) and lower your taxable income. If you?re age 72 or older, they help you meet your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). Provide your IRA Trustee with this information: Barrington Land Conservation Trust, Inc., PO Box 324, Barrington, RI 02806. EIN #72-1591150.
9. DONATIONS OF LAND: Most of the land owned by the Barrington Land Conservation Trust has been donated. All offers of property donations are reviewed by the Board?s Acquisitions and Property Committee and must be approved by a vote of the full Board to proceed. To explore property donations, email cindyelder@blct.org or call Cindy at 508-733-2443.
10. VOLUNTEER: Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization. Fill out a volunteer information form at www.blct.org/volunteer to let us know your interests. Students age 14+ can sign up for our Student Stewardship Team at www.blct.org/student-stewardship-team. Email cindyelder@blct.org with questions. Thank you!
Supporters of the Barrington
Land Conservation Trust
Fiscal Year 2024 (June1, 2023 ? May31, 2024)
We are grateful to all of those who have supported the Barrington Land Conservation Trust during the last fiscal year through memberships, donations, sponsorships, grants, and in-kind donations. Our work wouldn?t be possible without you. We also honor members of our Founders?Circle who have made lifetime contributions of $10,000 or more.
Founders Circle
Lifetimegiftsof $10,000 or more
Anonymous
Linda Chapman
Elfriede and the late Charles Collis
Glenn and Mary Jane Creamer
James and Sabra Cregan
William and Tracy Daugherty
Pamela Faulkner and the late Robert Faulkner
Sarah Fogarty and the late Gerald Fogarty, Jr.
Anne and Robert Hall
Dorothy McCulloch and the late Norman E. McCulloch
Richard and Barbara McWhirter
Virginia Soutter
Barbara Spicer*
Helen Tjader
* deceased
Gifts from $6,000+
Ronald Russo
Gifts from $5,000 - $5,999
Fields Pond Foundation (grant)
Leiter Family Foundation (grant)
Gifts from $4,000 - $4,999
Anne and Max Makowsky
Richard and Barbara McWhirter
Gifts from $3,000 -$3,999
Natural Resource Conservation Service, USDA (grant)
Gifts from $2,000 - $2,999
New England Grassroots Fund (grant)
Kate and Michael Hamilton
Santander Bank (sponsorship)
Gifts from $1,000 - $1,999
E. Jane Carter
Giovanni Cicione
Cindy and Bob Elder
Jonathan and Ruth Fain
Alan Flam and Judith Semonoff
Barbara Hail
Legislative Grant recommended by Rep. Jason Knight, Sen.
Pamela Lauria and Rep. Jennifer Boylan (grant)
Dr. Charles McCoy and Lory
Snady McCoy
Dorothy R. McCulloch Fund
Shaw?s/Star Market (sponsorship)
Pamela Stanton and Jack
O?Donnell
Helen Tjader
Jackie and Manuel Vales
Bryan McWilliams
Gifts from $500 - $999
Anonymous
BankNewport (sponsorship)
Peter and Rebecca Burke
Andrew Curtis
Norman Dudziak, Jr. & Damaris Rohsenow
Sarah Fogarty and the late Gerald Fogarty, Jr.
Deborah and Neil Greenspan
Gunness Financial Services, LLC (sponsorship)
Michelle M. Jacques
Frederick Mattis
Saundra McMillan
Cheryl and Paul Mincone
Joseph and Patricia Mundy
Prickly Ed?s Cactus Patch and Native Plant Emporium (sponsorship)
Debra Provolo
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (grant)
John and Gail Sampieri
Lynne Seacord and David Mehl
Charlotte Sornborger
Bob Speaker
Duncan and Annette Sutherland
Alison and Charles Townsend
Elizabeth Welch and Stephen Glinick
Gifts from $400 - $499
Anonymous
Victor and Joanna Lerish
Deirdre and Charles Paul
Andrea Teichman
Andries van Dam
Richard and Karen Waterman
Gifts from $300 - $399
Alexion Pharmaceuticals
Anonymous
Catherine Boisseau
Spencer Cowles and Deborah Clickner
Ian and Kerrie Donahue
Meridian Custom Homes, Inc. (sponsorship)
Notable Works, Noreen Inglesi, and Bina Gehres
Sarah O'Brien
Alan and Ramona Silk
Gifts from $200 - $299
Lawrence Bacher and Susan Payne
Kathryn Beauchamp
Ellen and Larry Berren
Patricia & Alan Buff
Nick & Julia Califano
Mary and Jeff Caplin
Christian and Cheryl Christiansen
John Cregan
Complements Art Gallery
Gary and Paula D'Ambra
Joseph and Mary D?Arrigo
Stan Dimock
Michelle Denault and Mark Palmer
Kimberly and Bradford Dimeo
Gay Egan and Ed Ionata
Pamela Faulkner
Tim Faulkner
Claudia Ferro
Meghan Frost
Harris and Julianne Galkin
Joyce Greene
Melissa and Dan Horne
Cynthia and John Hughes
Cindy Larson Moura and Ed Moura
Jaffe Orthodontics (sponsorship)
Cheryl King and Bernard Zimmermann
Audrey Kupchan and Samuel Havens
Laura Laurence and David
Portelli
Barbara Leasher
Humphrey and Faye Maris
Charles E. Millard, Inc. General Contractors (sponsorship)
Chas A Miller, III
Nancy Mirto
Elizabeth Pesce
Warren and Deborah Prell
Gail and Bob Read
Michele and Mark Siskind
United Way of Rhode Island
Elizabeth White and John Hazen
White
Gifts from $100 - $199
Joella Adams? in honor of Mike and KatieSpencer
Jeffery Allen and Susan Darcey-Allen
Robert and Barbara Allio
Anonymous (2)
Patricia and John Arcari
Kevin Baker
The Barako Family
Mars J. and Prudence B. Bishop
Cathy and Thomas Bledsoe
Ann and Donald Brouillette
Charles and Virginia Brown
Cambria Family
Cynthia Capra
Bill and Jill Caskey
Peter and Margaret Caton
Charles and Kay Chapin
Linda Chapman
Samuel and Eszter Chase
Bob Chew
Lisbeth Chew
Janet Coit and Peter Regan
Harry and Skooky Collins
Elfriede Collis
James and Sabra Cregan
Gary D. Curtis
Theresa M. DeCoste
Carol Dizio
Carol Dorros and Boris Skurkovich
Eric Dow
Chris and Paula Downs
Sally Easton
EJenny K Flanagan
Four Town Farms
Barbara and Steven Fuller
Mary Gold
Virginia and Jerry Gonville
Leslie Whittle Goodwin
Mary Grover
Robert and Anne "Robin" Hall
John S. and Betsy Harker
Francis and Joy Hearn
Mark Hilty and Maryanne Noris
Gina and Andy Hodgkin
Sara Sampieri Horvet and Alexander Horvet
Lorena and Christopher Houseworth
Frank Robert Huisking
Sandra Jones
Nancy Karraker
Nancy Kellman-Maddocks and Richard Maddocks
Teresa Kellogg
Karen Kemp
Bill and Carol Kirkpatrick
Susan and Jude Kostas
Jay and Linda Lamb
Steve and Patty Lang
Becky Levick
Karl Machata
Dr Philip and Niamh Maddock
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Gifts up to $99
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Russo Gift Fuels Land Trust Scholarships
The Barrington Land Conservation Trust awarded three $500 scholarships in May to graduating seniors at Barrington High School who made significant contributions to environmental work in the last year. This was made possible by Barrington resident Ronald Russo, who funded the scholarships for these outstanding seniors.
Phineas Stabach
Phineas Stabach, a member of Boy Scout Troop 2, built a hand-shingled information kiosk at Osamequin Nature Preserve. The impressive project fulfilled the community service requirement for attaining Eagle Scout rank, which also involves earning 21 merit badges, taking on leadership roles, and displaying outdoor skills.
Phineas has been in the Scouts since 5th grade. He chose the project because he loves the natural environment at Osamequin, particularly the osprey. He discovered Osamequin when his older brother built the bird outlook there for his Eagle Scout project.
Laurie Garcia
Laurie Garcia has been an active volunteer for four years at the Barrington Farm School. The Farm School operates on property acquired by the Barrington Land Conservation Trust.
"She has done every task on the farm with vegetables and flowers," says Gail Read, President of the Farm School. "Her enthusiastic nature made her a standout with volunteers of all ages. For her senior project , she used social media to create fundraising videos for the Farm, which was enormously helpful."
Laurie will attend Middlebury College. She is
taking the first semester off to work at a farm in Costa Rica.
Noah Horowitz
Noah Horowitz selected the Land Trust for his senior project at Barrington High School. He focused on learning about invasive plants on our conservation properties.
Noah visited Osamequin Nature Preserve with Stewardship Chair Victor Lerish and met with Executive Director Cindy Elder to discuss his research. He participated on our Student Stewardship Team, helping to maintain trails and remove invasive plants at St. Andrews Farm.
His final project detailed the characteristics of Autumn Olive and Russian Olive. Future students can build on his research to expand our understanding of both native and invasive plants on our properties.
Rep. Jennifer Boylan (center, in pink) presents a legislative grant for $2,500 to Executive Director Cindy Elder and volunteers with the Barrington Land Conservation Trust?s Tuesday Trails Team and Student Stewardship Team.
The open spaces preserved by the Barrington Land Conservation Trust lie within the ancestral homelands of the Pokanoket people, who have lived in what we now call the East Bay for thousands of years. They have long been thoughtful stewards of this place we call home. We aspire to their example by honoring and protecting the natural resources around us.
RI PERMIT NO. 35
TheBarrington Land Conservation Trust protectsand stewardsour local natural, scenic, and historicopen spaces. Weadvocate for protection of theselandsand educatethe publicabout theseresources.
Stay informed and connect with the BLCT online:
www.BLCT.org
BarringtonLCT
barringtonLCT
cindyelder@blct.org
508-733-2443
The Barrington Land Conservation Trust is recognized as a tax-exempt organization by the IRSunder Section 501(c)(3), EIN #72-1591150.