Agreement Reached for Conservation Easement on Historic Hicks Farm
Image by Clint Clemens
Conservation easement will protect large parcel with public access.
The Tiverton Land Trust and the Town of Tiverton, through the Tiverton Open Space Commission, have reached an agreement with the owners of the historic Hicks Farm to place a conservation easement on 48.8 acres of the 83-acre property. The conservation easement will ensure that more than half of the iconic property will not be developed and remain in its natural state in perpetuity. The conservation easement will permit public access to the land.
“The Hicks Farm project is absolutely a game changer for Tiverton. It gives us the opportunity to conserve spectacular land and create public access, in a fairly densely populated part of town. It is reminiscent of the initiative to conserve Pardon Gray Preserve almost 30 years ago. I think Hicks Farm can be just as impactful,” said David Elliott, President of the Tiverton Land Trust.
TLT has been communicating with the family for more than 20 years in an effort to ensure the iconic land remains undeveloped. Those conversations became more substantive over the last several years as the family's current generation committed to preserving the land. "Preserving the western half of the land under a conservation easement represents the fulfillment of a huge part of my dream for this property. Knowing that generations to come will be able to experience the same sense of wonder and connection to nature that I have enjoyed without the risk of someone coming in and cutting off access is huge," said Amy Marchand Collins, a Hicks family member involved in the conservation process.
According to the Tiverton Historical Society, Samuel Hicks purchased the property in 1732. “I know that the Hicks have been in Rhode Island as long as the English have been. We had an ancestor who was at the first Thanksgiving, although he was not a passenger on the Mayflower, but on its sister ship, the Speedwell,” added Marchand.
The purchase price of the conservation easement is $2,630,000. The Tiverton Town Council recently voted to allocate funds from the Tiverton Open Space Acquisition Fund to cover approximately 38% of the easement cost. The remaining cost, approximately $1.6 million, will need to be raised from public and private sources.
“Raising $1.6 million is a heavy lift. But this project is so compelling: nearly 50 acres of pristine land that runs down to the Sakonnet River. We think the community will get behind this and contribute as they can, to raise the funding we need to close on the property,” said Brian Janes of the Tiverton Open Space Commission.
The organizations are looking to build a sizable volunteer effort to help complete the project. If interested in joining the effort, please respond toinfo@tivertonlandtrust.org. TLT and the Tiverton Open Space Commission will begin the fundraising process this spring, with a goal of completion by year end 2025.