When The Tiverton Land Trust was barely a year old, its board members began to negotiate for 237 acres of land which the Trust wanted to preserve for open space, and on which a developer wanted to build 90 houses. The land, according to board member Allen Smith, includes 155 acres of woodlands, 80 acres of meadows, and “a wooded ridge with a wonderful view of the Sakonnet.”

The Trust prevailed, paying $1.2 million for what is now called the Pardon Gray Preserve, in honor of Revolutionary War veteran Col. Pardon Gray who is among those buried in the cemeteries on the land. Board member Mary Wehle refers to the purchase as “a prime example of effective partnerships. We couldn’t have done it without the many people and organizations who helped in the effort: the Department of Environmental Management, the Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society, Norcross Foundation, Newport Water, Talco Foundation, many citizens of Tiverton and Little Compton, and an anonymous family foundation which made the endowment possible.

“Purchasing the land also brings an obligation. We have a continuing responsibility to maintain the property,” acknowledges Mrs. Wehle, citing plans to restore fields, cut trails, and build a visitor’s center on the land.

For this reason, board members of The Tiverton Land Trust, an organization “dedicated to preserving the rural character and scenic beauty of Tiverton for generations to come,” decided to create an organizational endowment at the Foundation, “for the support of the Pardon Gray Preserve and other properties held by the Trust.”