The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has conserved 70 acres of coastal land at Gull Cove in Portsmouth, using $880,000 in funding from the Bouchard B-120 oil spill settlement.
The property includes significant salt marsh habitat and coastal uplands along the northwestern shoreline of Gull Cove, an intertidal estuary adjacent to the Sakonnet River. DEM now manages the entire north shore of the cove, which includes a 16.75-acre parcel recently transferred from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. The conservation will preserve existing wetlands and an upland coastal buffer that supports habitat migration as sea levels rise, while also providing foraging, roosting and breeding habitat for salt-marsh dependent birds.
“Gull Cove is a true state treasure; a thriving coastal ecosystem that provides critical bird habitat while offering opportunities for shellfishing, paddling, and birdwatching,” DEM Director Terry Gray said. “Preserving this extraordinary stretch of coastline with Bouchard B-120 funds marks a significant conservation milestone and a lasting victory for the people of Rhode Island.”
The acquisition stems from a 2003 disaster, when the Bouchard B-120 oil tank barge spilled 98,000 gallons of fuel oil into Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts. The spill coated 100 miles of shoreline across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, damaging wildlife, shellfish beds, recreational areas and habitat. A Natural Resource Trustee Council — made up of DEM, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — administered the resulting settlement fund.
Design work for marsh restoration at the cove is already underway, with funding support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The property will be managed by DEM’s Division of Fish & Wildlife for habitat management and outdoor recreation.
Since 1985, DEM’s Land Conservation Program has protected more than 20,000 acres of land statewide.
For more information, visit dem.ri.gov.