Latest news with #landtrust

Yahoo

$100,000 grant helps bring Yawgoo Pond Trail closer to restoration. Here's what's planned.

The South Kingstown Land Trust received a $100,000 grant in June from The Champlin Foundation to help renovate the Yawgoo Pond Trail, according to a press release from the land trust. The grant will go toward preparing the Yawgoo Trail to open to the public. It has been closed since 2020. The Yawgoo Trail was closed in 2020 after a change in ownership of the surrounding land led to questions over property boundaries, since the trail was originally routed to avoid protected wetlands, according to the press release. The land trust began drafting a new trail route that was within their own property and did not disturb the surrounding protected land. The $100,000 will be used to reroute about 850 feet of trail, the press release said. This trail will include raised boardwalks and a bridge to avoid the wetland shrub swamp that will sit below the trail. The grant will also pay for parking improvements for trail users. The land trust is still trying to obtain the necessary permits and approvals to fully execute the restoration of this trail, according to the press release. The Champlin Foundation recently gave out a total of $8 million to nonprofits across Rhode Island dedicated to serving the community and preserving local ecosystems. 'In today's environment, where there is so much uncertainty and upheaval, the Foundation recognizes its responsibility to support the organizations that provide help and hope to Rhode Island,' Nina Stack, the foundation's executive director, said in a statement. The land trust is still $50,000 shy of the amount needed to complete the Yawgoo Pond Trail project, the organization's website said, and donations are being sought to help them reach their goal. Construction will not begin until the land trust has all the funds needed to complete the project, so that it can be timed to avoid damaging the Yawgoo ecosystem, according to Julia Landstreet, the land trust's executive director. 'In order to protect the fragile habitat at Yawgoo, construction can only happen during the dry seasons. That's why we're aiming to raise the necessary funds ahead of time, with that timing in mind,' Landstreet said in a statement. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: $100,000 grant brings Yawgoo Pond Trail closer to restoration