Maintaining Trails
Chances are you have driven by one or more of the trailheads for Narrow River Land Trust Properties. Of the thirty properties we either own or hold the conservation easement on, two of the properties have well-developed trails. Others are accessible with (as of yet) unmarked trails, and even others are accessible but trailless.
Maintaining, building, and improving trails are just a few of the things the board of directors and volunteers for NRLT do on a regular basis. For example, the last few years have seen extensive bog bridge building on the Benson property. Trails are regularly trimmed, mowed, expanded, and cleared of debris such a falling trees and branches, and, unfortunately, litter. NRLT also focuses on the never-ending project of removing invasive species as much as we can.
The two most popular properties for walking are Garrison House Acres and Benson. Access to Garrison House Acres is right at the Middlebridge on the South Kingston side. There is limited parking available. There is a kiosk at the trailhead with some of the history of the area, and a map you can follow.
Garrison House Acres begins with a walk through a wooded area, which then opens into grassland and marshland running along the lower reaches of the Narrow River. It is an ideal sport for bird-watching and experiencing nature. The property is also home to the osprey nest maintained by Narrow River Preservation Association. (www.nrpa.org) Please note that the most distant part of the trail may be muddy and inaccessible when the ground is very wet. The trails are about two miles in length.
The Benson property is located off Snuff Mill Road in North Kingstown. There is a parking lot at the trailhead. The property runs parallel to Snuff Mill Road and the adjacent King Preserve which is owned and maintained by The Nature Conservancy. The two miles of trails connect with the trail network on the King Preserve and take you past a small waterfall, across bog bridges, and down to the shore of the Upper Pond on Pettaquamscutt Lake. You should wear fluorescent orange during the September 15th – Jan 31st hunting season.
Less formal trails can be found at the Viall Fields off of Gilbert Stuart Road in North Kingstown. The property contains large fields, trails through the woods and to small pond. There are about two miles of trails in total. We do not currently have a map for this property, which is still under development. Deer hunting is permitted on Vial Fields with permission only.
Another fine place to visit, which had considerable trail work in 2023, is the Winter Property off of Middlebridge Road in South Kingstown. You need to park on a side street or to the south at the playground. A well-maintained trail takes you up the hill to the site of an old graphite mine which was last worked around 1902.
Perhaps you would like to volunteer for a project? Become a member today; you will receive notice of our regularly-scheduled volunteer work days.
Protecting Cultural and Historical Features
Several important and interesting cultural and historical sites are scattered among the 660 acres of property that the Narrow River Land Trust owns out right or monitors through conservation easements. These include an old graphite mine, small cemeteries, and land adjacent to a battle from the King Philip’s War.
The Coojoot Lead Mine. “Coojoot” is a name attributed to the Narragansett Indians, the peoples who lived in the region before being displace by colonialists. And was never actually a lead mine; early colonialists were confused by the metallic shine on the carbon mineral. But it was an active graphite mine. The property was recognized in deeds dating back to the mid-seventeenth century. There was active mining from the 1700s until 1903. The various owners supplemented their income with the operations, but there was never any great commercial success. The industry collapsed in 1903, and that was the end of the operations.
The mine is accessible on the Winter Property. A path on the north side the road begins opposite 693 Middlebridge Road in South Kingstown. There is no parking near the trail; park on Riverside Road or the playground nearby to the south. The trail begins with a plank bridge across the drainage swale, through a break in the stone wall, and then up the hill. What remains of the mine is a pit, some old stone walls, and an entrance or two. Please be careful near the top of the mine; stay away from the edges. (Also, please be aware that there is deer hunting in season; be sure to wear some fluorescent orange.)
Garrison House Acres is a 25.6 acre property located along the Narrow River just south of Middlebridge Road in South Kingstown, with a small parking space right at the west end of the Middle Bridge.
The area is rich with both history and nature. Long part of the lands of the Narragansett tribe, the area became a flash point during the King Phillips War. A garrison had been built nearby and was occupied by fifteen people (some accounts say seventeen). It was the intended rendezvous point for armies led by Plymouth’s governor Josiah Winslow, Major Samuel Appleton of Massachusetts, and Major John Treat from Connecticut. However, when these troops arrived on December 16, 1675, they found that the fort and trading post had been destroyed, and the people sheltering there had been killed by the defending Narragansetts. The remains of the buildings are located in a nearby property.
Ancient Cemeteries. There are several ancient cemeteries on or adjacent to NRLT properties. One of these is located on the Winter Property, near the old graphite mine. The cemetery holds forty-three graves of members of the Watson and Knowles families, dating back to 1736. The Viall Preserve is home of the Gardiner family lot (Rhode Island Historical Cemetery North Kingstown #29) which has at least 16 Gardiner family gravestones.
Statement on Invasive Species
After the last glaciation ended in North America 12,000 years ago, plant and animal communities gradually repopulated the local environment. These species have evolved over millennia and have formed intricate webs of biodiversity. Beginning with the Age of Exploration, the colonization of North America by European settlers, and the development of trans-Pacific trade, hundreds of non-native animal and plant species were introduced into the natural environment. Some were brought for agricultural or ornamental purposes; some arrived as stowaways in cargo.
Unfortunately, many of these non-native plant species aggressively out-compete and replace the native flora, at which point they are considered invasive species. The invaders typically have several selective advantages: they make use of longer growing seasons; they are free of native diseases or predators; they aggressively displace native species. When invasive species are pervasive in the landscape, the evolutionary relationships between plants, beneficial insects, the birds that feed on both, and all the other forms of wildlife are impacted. This is why the NRLT is committed to fighting their establishment and spread.
Narrow River Land Trust properties all have the burden of invasive species to varying degrees. NRLT is dedicated to the suppression of these plants, and to extend possible, to their elimination. NRLT is also dedicated to the restoration of native species to the disrupted habitats. The task is never-ending, but essential, which is why NRLT prioritizes its efforts.
Control of invasive species is a labor-intensive process, diverting Board, staff, and volunteer resources from other productive stewardship and management activities. Priorities are based upon the seriousness of the invasive species population, upon the use of the property, and upon the reasonable likelihood of effective suppression or elimination. In some cases, plants can be mechanically treated in one season; in others, several years of treatment and monitoring will be required; in others, suppression of seed stock may be the goal. Methods chosen will have the least impact on the soil, water, and other species, while effectively utilizing volunteer and other resources.
Control may also include judicious use of herbicides which are known to have minimal (if any) collateral impact when properly used and when demonstrated to efficiently control the invasive species. NRLT follows guidelines established by the Nature Conservancy, other land trust organizations, the URI extension service, and other agencies.
Further Reading on Invasive Species:
- Invasive Plants in Rhode Island 2020, Rhode Island Invasive Species Council
- Invasive Species, Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council
- The Evolutionary Impact of Invasive Species, Mooney, H.A. and Cleland, E.E. (2001)
- Invasive Species: What You Can Do, The Nature Conservancy, (2023),
- Nature Conservancy’s Weed Control Methods Handbook, Tools & Techniques for Natural Areas, The Nature Conservancy (2001)