When you’re sitting in rush-hour bridge traffic, Rhode Island’s exquisite beauty can be easy to overlook. But the scenery that has become commonplace to those of us who live here is the stuff of dream vacations for visitors. For the past 15 years, the Rhode Island Land Trust Council (RILTC) has hosted Land Trust Days, an annual two-month-long celebration designed to make us locals look up, step outside, and remember just how lucky we are.
The annual two-month celebration, which runs through October 25, offers more than 100 opportunities to explore Rhode Island’s protected landscapes. Many events are free, though some require advance registration. Participants can join guided hikes and river paddles, fly kites on the beach, arrange flowers, make s’mores by a bonfire, and take part in other experiences inspired by the character of each property.
The Council, which supports the state’s network of more than 50 land trusts, compiles the independently organized events into a single calendar. Over the past 15 years, Land Trust Days has grown from a handful of outings into a much-anticipated seasonal program. “We started with just a few events,” says Virginia Streeter, Council program coordinator. “And last year there were more than 120.”
This year’s calendar highlights events that stretch from one corner of the state to the other. Streeter is especially excited about the Watch Hill Conservancy’s guided walks, including one exploring the history of Watch Hill Point, the southwesternmost point of mainland Rhode Island.
Other popular programs include those hosted by the Aquidneck Land Trust and the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. Audubon’s family-friendly Raptor Weekend, September 12-13, features programming centered on owls, hawks, and falcons.
For those who prefer to think of their nature walks as quests, Land Trust Days provides an opportunity to participate in the Rhode Island Walks Challenge, a scavenger hunt that sends walkers to 34 trails around the state, where small metal sculptures created by Greg Rebis, an artist at The Steel Yard in Providence, are hidden along the routes. Each sculpture of a nature-based creature bears a QR code participants can scan as they work toward finding all of the sculptures and earning prizes. “We encourage all land trusts that are home to one of these creatures to host a nature walk during Land Trust Days,” Streeter says.
As Rhode Island’s long summer days slowly slide into fall, Land Trust Days serve as an opportunity for people to get outside. Whether the goal is sharing a cold brew among friends and falcons, paddling down a picturesque river, uncovering a locally made metal treasure, or simply exploring something new, there is plenty of the Ocean State to discover.
Find the full Land Trust Days calendar at Meetup.com/Rhode-Island-Land-Trust-Days.
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