The Westerly Land Trust, a land conservation organization in southern Rhode Island, is expanding one of its properties in an effort to protect local natural resources.
The land trust purchased four acres of mostly wooded wetlands for about $20,000 to expand Sunnyacres Preserve. The preserve was 18 and a half acres before the expansion and the majority of it is currently used for hay production.
Kelly Presley, executive director of The Westerly Land Trust, said it’s a huge benefit to the environment to preserve wooded wetlands.
“(They provide) a variety of habitats for anything from frogs, birds, mammals, owls, all kind of different species,” Presley said. “They’re very resilient to taking on additional (flood) water and gradually metering out, and (so the flooding) doesn’t impact the vegetation.”
Presley said wooded wetlands also help maintain the community’s groundwater quality for drinking.
Sunnyacres Preserve is the land trust’s thirtieth property.
