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Congratulations to The Nature Conservancy, the Hopkinton Land Trust and the R.I. Department of Environmental Management for purchasing 670 acres of important ecological open space along the Pawcatuck River in Hopkinton.
We’ll say it again – 670 acres. That is an almost unbelievable amount of land to preserve and there are six contiguous miles along the river including the environmentally unique Phantom Bog.
None of this would have been possible without the cooperation of Richard Grills, owner of the property, who accepted considerably less than the appraised value of the property. The purchase price was listed at $2.5 million.
Grills has been interested in preserving this piece of property for 25 years and finally with financing from the Nature Conservancy, Federal funds, Champlin Foundation grants, the Hopkinton Land Trust, DEM and donations the deal was accomplished.
Preserving land is nothing new for Grills. He also preserved 480 acres directly across the river several years ago with the Westerly Land Trust – that’s 1,150 contiguous acres on both sides of the Pawcatuck River.
Quite a legacy for the future.
The benefits of this purchase are numerous. Hopkinton and DEM will manage the area as a nature preserve so the public can use the land for hiking, hunting, fishing, and recreational boat access to the water. The purchase also ensures the continued benefits for wildlife and water quality of the region. Maybe best of all, this pristine wilderness area will be enjoyed by generations to come.
Well done everyone. Well done. And thank you Mr. Grills.Thank you everyone.
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