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Proposed Sowams National Heritage District Land and Conservation Easement Acquisition
 Goal: Purchase a 12 acre parcel (PLat 5, Lot 7) from the Rhode Island Country Club to form the core of permanently protected property within the proposed Sowams National Heritage District of approximately 500 acres.
Sowams Parcel
12 acres Plat 5 Lot 7, Along Washington Road and South Lake Drive
- Features 5500 year old crescent-shaped stone hearths unique in Southern New England,
- Two freshwater vernal pools
- Long shoreline with Echo Lake
- Previously protected by deed restriction which is now lifted, placing this parcel in imminent risk of sale for development.
- Echo Lake and Little Echo and adjacent wetlands— 37 acres Plat 6 Lot 17
- Over 134 species of birds use this and the Sowams parcel: 7 state endangered, 3 state threatened,9 species of concern and 30 additional species with state ranking. Breeding and nesting habitat.
- Habitat for anadromous river herring, catadromous American eel and muskrat (on RICC seal).
- Big Mussachuck Creek—3 acres Plat 6, pt Lot 1
- Passage for one of only 18 remaining historical fish runs in the state out of 45 original runs
- Beach & Coastal Marsh—14 acres Plat 6,pt Lot 1
- Directly on Narragansett Bay, a designated “national estuary of significance” per EPA
- Accessible via two public rights of way
- Big Mussachuck Creek—12 acres Plat 6, pt Lot 1 Portion east of Washington Road
- Requested as a conservation easement donation
- Connects Bay to Brickyard Pond and Echo Lake
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Development of the Sowams parcel would permanently:
- Exclude club members and the public from the use of the Sowams parcel and the enjoyment of its open and scenic character,
- Destroy the archeological history,
- Degrade the wetlands and waters,
- Reduce the value of past investments in projects such as the fish ladder into the lake,
- Reduce the value of planned investments in drainage and habitat improvements along the creek.
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National Caliber Site for Natural and
Historic Features
- Scenic recreational open space accessible via theEast Bay Bike Path.
- Three layers of history eligible for the National Register of Historic Places:
- Unique Archaic Period hearths structures discovered near Native American burials
Legacy of Barrington brick manufacturing
- Oldest championship, 18 hole golf course in Rhode Island designed by the legendary course architect Donald Ross.
- Landscape plans by the renowned Olmstead Brothers are in the National Archives
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Goal: Purchase a 12 acre parcel (PLat 5, Lot 7) from the Rhode Island Country Club to form the core of permanently protected property within the proposed Sowams National Heritage District of approximately 500 acres.