GARDNER WOODS

Donated May 1, 2006 by David Gardner

Plat 23 Lot 216; Book 976 p. 275

This 0.2871 acre lot is located along the paper street portion of Waseca Avenue adjacent to the East Bay Bike Path. It is not currently accessible to the public.

This land has a number of highly desirable conservation features:

It is part of a forested wetland that borders the paper street Waseca Avenue and a drainage stream along the East Bay Bike Path. A study from the 1990’s noted that this area is within the ‘wellhead recharge district’. Drainage from the district flows to the Nayatt wellheads which supply part of our drinking water. This study noted that undeveloped property in the wellhead recharge district, including this parcel, should be considered for acquisition whenever possible to help protect and filter water flowing towards the Nayatt wells.

The lot is part of a scenic, green buffer along the East Bay Bike Path which is the oldest and the most heavily used bike path in Rhode Island. The continuous border of trees along the paper street portion of Waseca Avenue is a wonderful visual backdrop to the bike path right in the heart of our community. The East Bay Bike Path is part of a national bikeway along the east coast from Florida to Maine.

This is the second lot the Land Trust has been able to acquire in this section of wooded wetland along the bike path. We hope to secure protection for other undeveloped lots in this area in order to preserve its natural condition.