Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Conservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves up to $75,000 to help conserve about 26 acres near Rockland Oaks
Summary
The Scituate Land Trust won council approval to proceed with a purchase and conservation easement project that would protect roughly 26 acres abutting town parkland and create a 20‑foot trail corridor; the council authorized up to $75,000 for due diligence and related costs and up to $6,000 to buy a trail strip.
The Scituate Town Council approved a pair of measures enabling the Scituate Land Trust to pursue a conservation purchase and a trail corridor that together would protect roughly 26 acres of forest near Rockland Oaks and the town park.
Rob Bauer, chair of the Scituate Land Trust, told the council the proposal is part of the federal and state Regional Conservation/Forest Health program. The landowner would retain ownership of most of the farm and sell development rights for the forested portion under a conservation easement; the land trust would be a co‑grantee of the easement with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
The council voted unanimously to authorize up to $75,000 from town funds for due diligence and closing‑related expenses tied to the conservation easement — the money would be used for a detailed survey, an appraisal, a baseline documentation report and related work the land trust must complete before closing. Council members also approved spending not to exceed $6,000 from the land trust’s budget to purchase a 20‑foot‑wide trail corridor strip along the western boundary of the parcel; the trail would provide a pedestrian link from nearby senior housing and the high school down to Manning Field and parkland.
Rob Bauer and Cindy (surname in transcript varies) explained the conservation easement has an unusual shape: it excludes buildings and fields, focusing on contiguous forest. The landowner supports the easement, and the land trust intends to work with the town, the school department and Rockland Oaks to use the trail as a safe walking route to the athletic fields. The land trust will monitor the easement annually and help prepare a management plan.
Why it matters: The purchase would keep a forested greenway intact, create a non‑motorized connection from the high school and housing to town recreation facilities, and place protected forestland under perpetual conservation restrictions.
What’s next: The council’s vote allows the land trust to move to survey, appraisal and baseline documentation. The land trust and town plan to negotiate a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will address public‑safety issues, including hunting protocols adjacent to any trail. The land trust told the council some federal funding requires a decision within weeks, and delaying the vote could postpone the project by a year.
Speakers credited in this article: Rob Bauer (Scituate Land Trust chair), Cindy (Scituate Land Trust vice chair), John Robinson (EMA director), and members of the public who spoke in favor of the project.
