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The Nature Conservancy, RI Chapter
The Nature Conservancy, RI Chapter, acquired a large forested land tract in Little Compton, RI and has provided the public with the opportunity to visit the property via a fully-accessible trail (that additionally links to existing trails on adjoining land holdings). Caputo and Wick Ltd. joined the project team early in the planning phase and assisted in positioning the trail alignment through the property and then completed the full project design. Given the extensive presence of freshwater wetlands and floodplains, it was determined that the trail in its entirety needed to be an elevated boardwalk structure. The constructed boardwalk is 3,600 feet long and contains bump-outs, a mid-trail sitting area, and an educational outdoor classroom overlooking a small seasonally-flooded pool. It begins on Town property adjacent to the Wilbur & McMahon Schools, crosses Dundery Brook and its tributaries, traverses through diverse forested wetlands, and terminates at a large freshwater pond, where it links to other trails. Its timber superstructure was constructed entirely of native black locust, and the total area of ground contact was limited to less than 10 square feet due to the use of helical steel piles. The project was completed in spring 2012 by Peter S. Jensen and Associates, LLC. Our services on the project included general planning, wetland and cover-type delineation, floral and faunal inventories, land survey, alternatives analyses, site design, structural engineering, wetlands permitting (RIDEM Application to Alter), construction layout, and construction administration.
