Vote in the June 1st, 2015 Financial Referendum For Charlestown’s Beautiful Natural Environment

Charlestown still has thousands of acres of land that are not developed and are open to development. A $2 million bond will buy only a modest percentage of what is left. If the bond is not passed and our open space acquisition program ends, then no additional land will be protected and all remaining unprotected land will be developed.

6575.28 acres of land in charlestown has some kind of protection. This is 30% of the total land area of the town. The opponents to open space funding will claim that half of the town is protected open space – the real percentage is 30% to 35% depending on how you count Tribal land.

These lands include large areas of wetland in Burlingame and other wetland properties and ponds that would not be available for development even if they were still privately owned. Wetlands are important for wildlife, so we are glad they are protected by the wetlands law, but the amount of land that the public has access to is not excessive and is certainly not half of the town.

If you include the Narragansett tribe’s Indian Cedar Swamp land of 1118 acres, you can increase the percentage to 35%, but these lands are entirely wetlands and would not be developable either even if they have some protection and there is also no public access to tribal land.

The way the opponents of land conservation get their number is to count the old town dump, the DOT salt barn, group homes, the elementary school, town hall, police station, drainage easements, buffers in subdivisions, median strips on Rt. 1, parking lots, and lots more land that is either not protected or is not open space at all.

Opponents of open space like to count over 1000 acres of land enrolled in a tax program called “farm forest and open space” as protected land. This is a temporary tax status, not a land protection program. That land is available for development and many of the subdivisions the Planning Commission reviews are enrolled or recently enrolled in that tax category.

When all the remaining land is developed, the residents will certainly be aware that they are not living in a town that is half open space, but by then it will be too late.

Approval of the bonds will allow the Town to respond to opportunities for land acquisition and provide matching funds to be used in conjunction with State Environmental Management Bonds, funding from US Fish and Wildlife Service and funds from private organizations such as The Nature Conservancy or Champlin Foundation.

Up to $2,000,000, but only as needed over time. Over the past 20 years the Town has spent open space bond funds at an average rate of $250K per year. The bonds are meant to be used in response to grant funding or partnership opportunities. The previous open space bond of $2M was not borrowed until 9 years after voter approval.

To ensure that the Town gains the greatest benefit from its funds by selectively acquiring property for open space, the Charlestown Comprehensive Plan has established criteria for the evaluation of open space purchases. In brief these criteria include:

• Ecologically significant habitat
• Ground water protection potential
• Proximity to Other Protected Land or To Surface Water Bodies or Inclusion within Critical Acquisition Areas
• Opportunities for Passive Recreation and Public Access to Recreation Areas
• Farmland preservation
• Historic/cultural/scenic qualities
• Potential to offset the impact of residential development
• Size of parcel

In the case of projects that are ranked equally using the above eight criteria, the Town may assign a higher priority to projects that are jointly funded through non-municipal sources and which require a lesser share of Town funding.

Open space purchases that receive partial funding from state government or private conservation groups are protected by conservation easements and deed restriction. This means these lands and the natural resources they contain will be protected forever for future generations.

Like Charlestown’s other open space lands, new open space will provide public access to hiking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, biking, swimming, fishing, boating, horseback riding and more. In addition to providing public access and great opportunities for outdoor recreation, these lands will provide critical wildlife habitat, protect our drinking water, and protect our town’s beautiful natural character. Find out more about passive recreation in Charlestown at charlestowncitizens.org/guide-to-open-space/

When land is developed it can create both fiscal and environmental costs. New development requires support in the form of roads, schools, police, fire protection and other services. Development also impacts the quantity and quality of our drinking water and the health of our rivers and ponds. While the net economic impact of new residential development is often negative, the net impact of undeveloped open space is positive. Open space protects our community’s scenic character and environment, but it also has the potential to create jobs, provide recreational opportunities, enhance property values, attract tourists, hold down the cost of community services and improve the quality of life.

Passive recreation is defined as outdoor recreational activities that require a minimum of facilities or development and that have minimal environmental impact on the recreational site. In a passive recreational site, development is usually limited to that needed for public access and would include parking areas and trails.

Activities in a passive recreation area are anything but “passive”. In Charlestown these can include hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing. Some sites include trails for horses or mountain bikes, but none allow motorized vehicles.

Active recreation can be sedentary, such as sitting to watch a movie or other event. The names “active” and “passive” have nothing to do with the activity level, but rather the relationship with land. Active recreation can alter the landscape significantly, can include buildings and roads, and generally requires staffing and programming. Passive recreation is intended to leave the land in its natural state and doesn’t require staff or programming.