Wildlife Corridor Protected in Thompson
Generations of Boy Scouts across Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts have fond memories of camping at the Buck Hill Scout Reservation in Burrilleville, RI. The camp was created in the 1960s, and today it is operated by Scouting America, Narragansett Council, offering a summer and winter retreat for thousands of scouts from the three Southern New England states.
The reservation sits on the shore of Wakefield Pond and is connected to 1,200 acres of forest in Rhode Island and Connecticut owned by the Scouts. On the Rhode Island side, the Council is in the process of transferring 920 acres to the State where it will be incorporated into the Buck Hill and Washington Wildlife Management Areas.
On the Connecticut side, the Wyndham Land Trust acquired all of the Narragansett Council’s property–275 acres–at the beginning of September. The parcel abuts the 75-acre Marie LeClair preserve that was donated to the Land Trust in 2011. The resulting 350-acre preserve creates a valuable bridge for wildlife between Quaddick State Park in Connecticut and the state-owned land in Rhode Island.
“Scouting America, Narragansett Council is pleased to work with the Wyndham Land Trust to preserve the natural beauty and resources of this property for future generations,” said Scouting America, Narragansett Council CEO Tim McCandless.
“Land protection is deeply rooted in the spirit of Scouting, aligning with our commitment to conservation and environmental stewardship. We are also working with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to protect land on the Rhode Island side of the property for the community to enjoy.” “We’ve been working for several years to protect this property,” explained Mike St. Lawrence, President of the Wyndham Land Trust. “We identified it as a key link in the wildlife corridor between Quaddick State Park/State Forest owned by Connecticut and state-owned parks and forests in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. This represents a very large forest block– almost 15,000 acres–that provides critical wildlife habitat in Southern New England.
“In addition, the new preserve, which we are calling Blackmore Forest, will protect extensive wetlands, including brooks that feed into Quaddick Pond, the Five Mile River, and ultimately the Thames River and Long Island Sound. It’s a historic site with partial remnants of Thompson’s Town Farm, formerly an alms house for the poor and destitute in town.”
Large open spaces, like the new Blackmore Forest, are important for the survival of wildlife species threatened by sprawl and forest fragmentation in Southern New England. Large mammals that will benefit from the expanse of forest include Bobcat, Black Bear, and Fishers.
Likewise, birds that thrive and breed far from human disturbance include Red-shouldered Hawk, Barred Owl, Pileated Woodpecker, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush, and Cerulean Warbler. In addition, the clean water in large forested expanses supports amphibians that struggle to survive when exposed to toxic runoff from streets, parking lots, and lawns.
The new preserve is open to the public and contains a network of trails that will be mapped by the Land Trust and the Thompson Trails Committee and shown on their web sites. The Wyndham Land Trust was formed in 1975 and now protects 6,400 acres in Northeastern Connecticut. The work of the all-volunteer group is possible through the generosity and dedication of its members and donors.
The Wyndham Land Trust is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and your membership and donations may be tax deductible. To learn more about the Land Trust visit wyndhamlandtrust.org. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
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