Spring has finally sprung in southern Rhode Island and despite what you might be hearing in the news, conservation is open for business!   

The Trump Administration has made farmers a priority and Rhode Island's three conservation districts have continued to offer all of our services and payments to farmers never stopped.  Our farmers are busy getting their seedlings started, early crops harvested and to market, fields and high tunnels prepared for planting, and sugar kelp is being harvested! Farmers in the Rhode Island's Southern Conservation District have been upgrading their tractors, recycling oyster gear, planting cover crops, installing high tunnels, and implementing a variety of forestry practices as a result of voluntary conservation programs through our partnership with USDA-NRCS.   

SRICD and Conservation District staff statewide are busier than ever taking applications and assisting farmers, forest owners, back yard gardener and municipalities access federal Farm Bill programs like the Enivronmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and the People's Garden. SRICD staff has been in the field with the soil steamer and assisting our clients to develop Farm Conservation Plans and access a variety of federal programs to implement those plans.

SRICD would also like to congratulate Brooke Rollins, US Secretary of Agriculture and Aubrey Bettencourt, Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on their appointments!  We are excited to work with the new administration on their Farmers First Agenda designed to Make America Healthy Again, strengthen U.S. agriculture, support farmers and ranchers and revitalize rural economies.  Rhode Island's farm and forest owners have been actively participating in regenerative conservation practices with the intent of growing nutrient dense, clean, healthy foods for their local community, combined with a vibrant seafood sector, we can be the example of how to reimagine the federal programs to benefit local needs!

Stop by the Fresh Harvest Kitchen in Westerly, tune in to WBLQ radio every Thursdsay mornings at 9 am or invite me in the field on Fridays,  I look forward to seeing you.  Please reach out to me with any conservation questions or concerns you may have at gfuller@sricd.org.  As always SRICD is here to serve YOU!

Gina Fuller, District Manager
Southern Rhode Island Conservation District

SRICD News

SRICD was so excited to be a part of the recent ceremony dedicating the conservation of 7.31 acres of coastal land around Winnapaug Pond, including a six-acre undeveloped salt marsh, formerly the Water Wizz property.

SRICD assisted the Town of Westerly's Recreation Department in identifying the federal funding pool and encouraged RI DEM to include the property in their application to NOAA.

SRICD, the Town of Westerly's Recreation Department and the Mystic Aquarium have supported a full-time summer camp in Westerly for the last 5 years since the closing of Tower Street Community Center, and we are thrilled that our youth programs will have a new summer home.

The protection and restoration of this sensitive habitat will provide the people of Westerly and their guests with an opportunity for coastal access to the salt pond, educational programs and a place to connect with nature. The property will also provide a key site for our continued work with the indigenous youth camp and provide a place for the Narragansett people to freely connect with the resources important to their culture and foodways.

Resilient Riverfront Renewal Project is Well Underway!

The Resilient Riverfront Renewal Project continues to gain momentum as we are nearing the completion of our streetscape design which was informed by public outreach this past summer and fall.  The winter was spent working with private property owners to complete design as the streetscape has been added to the overall scope.  Additional property owners have joined the project as a result of our public outreach and we have begun design on those properties.  The Town of Westerly will be conducting test pits on some of the project properties in the next couple of weeks.  We have been meeting with a variety of groups and individuals interested in participating in the "Green Streets Team." And we will soon be helping Save the Bay mark storm drains. Be sure to look for our Main Street display, our team and our farmers at upcoming Garden Market Fair in Wilcox Park in Westerly on May 18 to learn more about the project and find out how you can be part of the Green Streets team.

Upcoming Events 

Soil Steamer Use and Technical Assistance 

The Southern Rhode Island Conservation District offers rental services and technical assistance for the use of a Sioux Steam-Flo Soil Steamer. This innovative tool helps agricultural professionals and hobbyists alike prepare their soil for planting by organically eliminating harmful pathogens, weeds, and pests. Learn more about how the Sioux Soil Steamer works, why it's an essential tool for organic farming, and how you can access one. Click here to learn more or contact Mike Riley at mriley@sricd.org.

How Can We Help?

Need technical assistance? Have a conservation question? Contact any of our team members.

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