Executive Director To Step Down From Aquidneck Land Trust

Ted Clement, executive director of the ALT, is stepping down to become executive director of a land trust in Hawaii.

Edward Sortwell Clement, Jr., executive director of the Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT), is stepping down. The ALT sent out the following letter on Tuesday morning:  Dear Supporters, I have bittersweet news to deliver. On Dec. 21, 2012, I will end my service to the Aquidneck Land Trust as its Executive Director.  All of the success enjoyed by ALT these past years, especially during the recession, has naturally attracted the attention of others.  I have consistently turned down employment opportunities presented by others these last few years as my family and I very much love the community here, ALT and Aquidneck Island itself.  However, I was recently presented a unique employment offer that was right for my family and I: becoming the Hawaiian …

•  14 Comments
• Photos (1)

Aquidneck Land Trust to Reveal Mapping Project Thursday

The following event information was provided by the Aquidneck Land Trust.

Please join the Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) on Thursday, Aug. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road in Middletown, to learn about ALT’s 2012 Aquidneck Island’s Conserved Lands Mapping Project.  This presentation is free and open to the public.  Refreshments will be provided. Space is limited so RSVP to Sophia DeMaio, ALT’s Stewardship Director, at sdemaio@ailt.org or 849-2799, ext. 14. Click here to see the results of the 2012 Aquidneck Island’s Conserved Lands Mapping Project. There were various take home messages from this mapping project. First, good conservation is like good government, it requires checks and balances, and not all conserved lands have adequate checks and balances.  For simplicity purposes, most…

• Photos (2)

ALT Completes Fundraising to Save St. Mary’s Church Land

The Aquidneck Land Trust raised more than $3 million for this project.

The following is from a press release.  The Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) has successfully completed the fundraising for its more than $3 million Campaign to Save the St. Mary’s Church Land when it was awarded $110,000 for the project from The Nature Conservancy through a grant from The Champlin Foundations.  ALT will now work on closing this important conservation project.  On May 25, 2011, ALT, St. Mary’s Church Portsmouth and the Trustees of the Sarah Gibbs Trust signed an Option Agreement that gave ALT until May 24, 2013 to raise over $3 million to conserve about 70 critical open space acres of the St. Mary’s Church land between East Main Road and the St. Mary’s Pond Reservoir in Portsmouth.  With the generous grant from The Nature …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (2)

Letter to the Editor

Letter to Editor: Open Space Committee Supports ALT Proposal

What do you think should happen to the closed Elmhurst Elementary School? Should it be saved for "open space?"

The following is a letter to the editor submitted by the Portsmouth Open Space Committee.  As the Portsmouth Open Space Committee is charged with advising the Town on open space matters, I am writing you to let you know that the Portsmouth Open Space Committee unanimously and enthusiastically supports the proposal for removing the Elmhurst School building as part of protecting and enhancing the Glen as outlined in Mr. Edward Clement’s letter of Feb. 17, 2012 to Richard S. Wimpress, Chair of the Elmhurst Planning Committee. The Glen is arguably one of Portsmouth’s most important community assets, from economic and environmental perspectives, and it is deserving of the protections afforded by a perpetual Conservation Easement. This …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Aquidneck Land Trust Releases Awareness Documentary

The Aquidneck Land Trust recently filmed and released an documentary about its projects, priorities and accomplishments.

The Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) released an awareness video Wednesday, which was shot with original footage of Aquidneck Island. Chris Hunter, owner of Collective Thought Media and NewportRIphotos.com, created the short film.  "The short documentary is a wonderful way for people to learn more, through beautiful images and informal conversation, about the exciting things the Aquidneck Land Trust is doing, with critical assistance from our supporters, to protect our beloved island.  We are most grateful to Chris Hunter, of Collective Thought Media, for donating this film to us," ALT Executive Director Ted Clement, Jr. said. The video serves to summarize current ALT priority projects and detail its activities and accomplishments, and includes …

• Videos (1)

ALT Awards Merritt Neighborhood Grants to Portsmouth Groups, School

Aquidneck Land Trust announced today the 2012 recipients of its Merritt Neighborhood Fund grants.

This year's 2012 recipients of the Aquidneck Land Trust's Merritt Neighborhood Fund grants include several Portsmouth organizations.  This year, ALT's Merritt Fund has given $7,250 in grant awards to local neighborhood groups, schools and community associations for the preservation and use of small open spaces. Fourteen organizations from Aquidneck Island's three municipalities have received grants: Methodist Community Gardens, Norman Bird Sanctuary, East Bay Community Action Program's NFCOZ and Head Start, Portsmouth Garden Club, Portsmouth Playground Committee, The Pennfield School, Sustainable Aquidneck, Friends of the Middletown Public Library, Rogers High School, St. Michael's Country Day School, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, …

• Photos (2)

Sustainable Aquidneck to Provide Community Gardens This Summer

Sustainable Aquidneck, a newly incorporated non-profit, will provide community gardens in Middletown this summer as part of its long term goal to advance sustainability on the island.

This Sunday is Earth Day, but with rising costs of food and fuel, rising sea levels and the local controversy of wind turbines, we are reminded daily of our fragile environment and the need to take steps to protect our overall well-being. Sustainable Aquidneck, a newly incorporated nonprofit, says the best protection against those concerns is to work towards sustainability. “[Our] aim is to advance sustainability on the island,” said board member Kyle Hence. “That means food, energy, waste, all facets of what it means to be sustainable.” Hence is one of seven board members that make up the young organization. The group's first goal to work towards food sustainability is already underway. They plan to provide community gardens as early as …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Aquidneck Land Trust Approached By Groupon for Grant Funding

The organization has a campaign through Groupon Grassroots to raise money for an $800 grant for a local community.

Only five days are left to purchase a Groupon that can help the Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) provide a grant to a deserving community group. Typically, if a certain number of users purchase the day’s Groupon, a business will offer a service or product for a greatly reduced price. The Aquidneck Land Trust, however, wishes to sell nothing. Instead, if 80 people buy its $10 Groupon, the Aquidneck Land Trust can provide an $800 Merritt Neighborhood Fund grant to “one of Aquidneck Island’s neighborhood or community groups to support the preservation of small parks, playgrounds, and other natural spaces.” Groupon reached out to the organization, Ted Clement, Jr., Executive Director of the Aquidneck Land Trust, said. “We were honored that Groupon …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

'This Land is Our Land': How ALT Protects Aquidneck's Open Spaces

Patch sat down with Aquidneck Land Trust Executive Director Ted Clement to learn how the not-for-profit organization is protecting the land and wildlife of Aquidneck Island.

For Ted Clement, executive director of Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) on Aquidneck Avenue in Middletown, environmental conservation is not only a career, but a life-long calling. Originally from Vermont, Clement worked for the Vermont Land Trust, Peace Corps and Outward Bound School before relocating to Rhode Island to join ALT back in 2000. Today, in addition to his role at ALT, he also serves on the Rhode Island Land Trust Council, ecoRI news and Center for Whole Communities. “Good conservation is like good government,” he said. “You need good checks and balances.” He uses his legal background to do just that. The mission of ALT is to conserve open spaces through permanent, legally binding agreements. He explained when land is donated to a …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Aquidneck Land Trust Launches New Web Site

The non-profit launched a new Web site this week.

The following is from a press released issued by the Aquidneck Land Trust.  The Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) has announced the launch of its redesigned Web site, www.aquidnecklandtrust.org. Based on feedback from ALT supporters, the site has been redesigned in a way that makes information more easily accessible. Additionally, the new site is easier for ALT staff to update.  Many of the most popular pages from the previous site, an interactive map, trail maps and event listings, are still available on the new site. ALT has also begun using PayPal, an online payment system for donors. The Web site is the result of a creative collaboration between ALT staff and Chris Hunter of Collective Thought Media and NewportRIphotos.com, based out of …

• Photos (3)