The Tiverton Land Trust recently executed its planned conservation easement of Arrowhead Farm. This easement, combined with a similar easement on neighboring Movement Ground Farm, completes this phase of the Tiverton Land Trust’s Nonquit Pond Farmlands initiative.
“We are incredibly pleased to complete this phase of the Nonquit Pond Farmlands project. These were key pieces of land to conserve and keep under agricultural control.” said David Elliott of the Tiverton Land Trust in a statement.
The project centered on securing conservation easements on two neighboring farms of approximately 30 acres that have been continuously worked for some 250 years. The combined properties span over 1,000 feet of frontage along Nonquit Pond and will help further protect the Nonquit Pond watershed, a unique 44-square acre watershed that helps define south Tiverton’s rural landscape. Kohei Ishihara, who runs Movement Ground Farm, echoed the merit of preserving the parcels. “No matter what we may achieve over the course of our farm’s life – whether it’s a new greenhouse or a new method of low-till crop production or even a new barn – we know that conservation of these sacred lands will most likely be our most lasting accomplishment.”
As is common in these projects, the Land Trust worked closely with public entities to complete the transactions. Tiverton Open Space Commission, The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) all contributed significantly to the project, supplementing the money TLT raised from the Tiverton community. “We are proud to have worked with the Tiverton Land Trust, the Tiverton Open Space Commission, and USDA to continue the important investments in protecting open spaces and farmland in Rhode Island,” DEM Director Terry Gray said. “The value of open space has come into sharper relief in the past two years, with the COVID-19 pandemic, as Rhode Islanders realized the importance of food security in ensuring the role of fresh, healthy, and local foods in their homes. The open space investments we are announcing are for our children and the generations to come who are counting on us to be good stewards of our beautiful state.”
Arrowhead Farm is an intact farmstead dating from very early in the 19th century with an onsite farmhouse built circa 1810 and the “Cook Burying Ground”, a 19th century family graveyard. The historic value of Arrowhead Farm goes beyond that of the farmhouse and graveyard. In 1984, when The Public Archaeology Laboratory conducted an extensive survey of the property, a collection of 718 artifacts were found, including shell middens, bone fragments and chipping debris, showing human occupation on the land for the last 4,000 to 5,000 years.
David Brower, of Arrowhead Farm, affirmed Ishihara’s view. “The Brower family has enjoyed the open space of this farmland for over 60 years. We are appreciative of the efforts to ensure its continued open space status for generations to come.”
The Tiverton Land Trust is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization dedicated to preserving Tiverton lands for generations to come. Since 1996, TLT has preserved over 700 acres of rural land in Tiverton.
