BURRILLVILLE – Local landowners are eligible to take advantage of state funds made available through the recently passed Green Economy Bonds, and on Monday, Dec. 9, members of the Burrillville Land Trust will hold a workshop to explain how they can benefit.
Nearly 70 percent of Rhode Island voters approved a bond referendum for the state’s open space program, agriculture land preservation and forests and habitat management this year, and landowners in northwestern Rhode Island may be able to reduce their property taxes with the funding.
“Very few landowners know how they can benefit from these voter approved funds,” said Paul Roselli, president of the all volunteer, private land trust. “With this workshop, we hope to take the guess work out of how to keep land you love from the bulldozer.”
Many of the preserved lands in Burrillville and elsewhere were purchased with such voter approved funds. Recent state acquisitions totaled thousands of acres in Burrillville alone, and in 2022, the town of Burrillville purchased three acres that abut Granite Mill Park in the historic village of Pascoag.
““Funds for open space have been voter approved since the 1960s,” said Roselli. “Rhode Island voters love their scenic views, their hikes on protected lands, local agriculture, mature and working forests and historic places, and we know the value that all of that brings to our sense of place that is Rhode Island.”
At the workshop, Roselli will talk about the land trust and some of the organization’s recent acquisitions. The trust recently purchased the 65-acre O’Leary farmland, contiguous with the 150-acre Buck Hill Scout Reservation and 1,300-acre Buck Hill Management Area. The property contains roughly 20 acres of prime agricultural soils and 45 acres of forestland.
“The O’Leary property is very special as its one of the last remaining agricultural farms in town,” Roselli said. “We hope to find another. The need has increased for more more local produce that makes its way into our food system.”
Additional speakers will include Attorney Marc Gertsacov, who will discuss how property can be protected either through an acquisition or with a conservation easement, and Marc Tremblay, an independent forest consultant with Land Management Services, who will talk about how a forest management plan can help with applying for open space funds and reducing taxes with the Farm, Forest and Open Space Act.
“Having a forest management plan in place can open the doors to a wide variety of programs, whether it be for one of the federal or state protection programs, funding for land and habitat improvements through the USDA’s cost-share programs, or to qualify for the favorable tax treatments provided by Forestland Designation under the state’s FFOS Program,” said Tremblay, who also serves as outreach coordinator for the non-profit RI Forest Conservator’s Organization. “There’s even funding available to help with the cost of developing the forest management plan to help you get started.”
The workshop will be held on Monday, Dec. 9 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Jesse Smith Memorial Library at 100 Tinkham Lane. The public is invited and no registration is required.
For more information email [email protected].
.
