Join us for a free guided walk to PIC-WIL Nature Preserve, a 24-acre preserve of forest, field, salt marsh and coastal dunes on the east shore of the Providence River in Barrington. For this summer walk, a path has been mowed through the high grasses to reduce the risk of exposure to ticks and poison ivy.
The terrain is gentle but may be wet in places. Dress for the weather and wear sturdy footwear.
The walk will last about an hour. All ages are welcome. Advance registration is required. Parking is available on Tallwood Drive, off Washington Road in Barrington. The trailhead is directly across from the intersection of Tallwood Drive and Washington Road.
Once home to a bottling facility owned by Deep Rock Bottling Company, the property was donated to the Nature Conservancy by Catherine Picerelli in December of 1986 and deeded to the Barrington Land Conservation Trust in 1987, to be preserved in perpetuity as a nature preserve.
The donation was made in memory of the families of Peter J. Picerelli and Clifford M. Wilson: thus the name “PIC-WIL.”
The forest includes a wide variety of deciduous trees. The property is home to deer, coyote, fox, weasels, squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits.
Purple Martins nest here in late spring and summer. Common birds of the marsh and tidal creeks include Mallards, American Black Ducks, Snowy and Great Egrets, Green-backed Herons, Great Blue Herons, and Osprey. Sharp-tailed Sparrows, Belted Kingfishers and various shorebirds are other likely visitors of the wetland.
Nesting birds of the forest and its shrub border include Song Sparrow, Carolina Wren, Blue Jay, Flicker, Cardinal, Goldfinch, Robin, Red-eyed Vireo, Mockingbird, Catbird, Brown Thrasher and others.
Three plants at PIC-WIL have “special interest” status in the state of Rhode Island: Creeping Spikerush (Eleocharis rostellata), Maritime Seablite (Suaeda maritima) and Robust Bulrush (Scirpus robustus).