VISION/MISSION: 
           The Tiverton Land Trust is a private nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to preserving the rural character and scenic beauty of Tiverton, RI for generations to come.

Protect Land in Perpetuity
• Open space
• Agriculture
• Wildlife habitat

Educate & Inform
• the Community of the benefits of protecting open space, agriculture, and wildlife habitat
• younger generations to appreciate the rural nature, environment, and ecology of the area

VALUES: 
• Commitment to the public good
• Responsible stewardship of resources
• National Land Trust Alliance member
• Adopted LTA Standards & Practices
• Recognition of the trust placed in us by our donors, landowner partners and the public by being fiscally responsible
• Effective partner with government, private, and other non-profit organizations

Woodland Path through Oak and Holly Forest

OUR TOWN:
           Tiverton is a beautiful town, but it is growing fast, and developers are rapidly buying up the available open land. Land planning experts estimate that it will be "built out" within a decade. That means there will be a house on every bit of land that is zoned for residential construction.
           The pleasant rural views and woodlands we now enjoy and value will disappear, replaced by rows of modern suburban dwellings. Each new development further reduces the rural character of the town, thus diminishing the value of the property that remains. In addition, as the population grows, so does the demand for town services. As a result, property taxes must increase to pay for the additional police and fire protection, roads, refuse collection and schools. Members of the Land Trust believe that every acre of open land that can be kept open will pay for itself in dollars and cents, and in the pleasant aspects of rural living we have come to love.

WHAT WE DO:
           As a private, nonprofit, charitable organization, the Tiverton Land Trust works cooperatively with landowners, conservation groups and government agencies to encourage thoughtful, conscientious and environmentally sensitive use of the land.
           Most of the Land Trust's work is accomplished by the Board of Directors and other volunteers who are organized into committees. The Land Trust sponsors public events, raises funds from state, federal, and private agencies, as well as local businesses and individual contributors, and publishes a quarterly newsletter.
           Formed in 1997 to save the 230-acre Matta farm (now called the Pardon Gray Preserve) from development into house lots, the Land Trust today has several hundred contributing members. It continues to focus on preserving and protecting open space in Tiverton by outright purchase or by securing the development rights by purchase or contribution. Increasing public awareness of the value of land conservation is an important objective.

ACHIEVEMENTS:
           The historic Pardon Gray Preserve, once the home farm of one of Tiverton's original colonial proprietors, is the Land Trust's most notable accomplishment. Abutting the town's preserved Weetamoo Woods, it shapes the start of a coastal greenway distinguished by the unusual growth of an oak-holly forest. It is one of the few such forests remaining on the East Coast.

Pardon Gray Family Cemetery

Since the Land Trust purchased this land with $1.2 million raised through public and private agencies and members of the community, the farm fields have been cleared of debris and planted, stone walls and a kiosk have been reconstructed, and a buffer zone established to allow birds and small animals to nest and live undisturbed. Trails carved out of the brambles are accessible to the public from a small parking lot on Lafayette Road. Trails have been cut through the woods bordering the farm fields to the top of the ridge.

THE FUTURE:
           The Land Trust, the Tiverton Open Space Commission, and The Nature Conservancy have been working together to acquire property for the greenway between East Road and Bulgarmarsh Road. State and federal agencies and private organizations have awarded matching grants in this combined effort to preserve the rare oak-holly forest in this area. The Land Trust also continues to search for property to provide badly needed space in the northern and eastern sections of Tiverton.