Francis C. Carter Memorial Preserve

Francis C. Carter Memorial Preserve
© Mark Godfrey

Download a trail map (.pdf, 1.5 MB)

Please note: The Francis Carter Preserve is closed to all users until January 1 — except bowhunters with a special permit. During archery season, The Nature Conservancy encourages visitors to explore our other preserves in southern Rhode Island.

Why You Should Visit
This is the Rhode Island Chapter's largest nature preserve. Its oak forests, pine barrens, wetlands, and fields support numerous plants, animals, and natural communities, most notably a rare pitch pine/scrub oak barrens, vernal pools and a sizeable grassland.

Location
Charlestown, in southwestern Rhode Island

Size
841 acres

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Preserve Visitation Guidelines

What to Expect
Kiosks located at the trailheads greet visitors with information about the preserve including visitor guidelines and what to see. There, visitors can pick up a trail map, a self guided hike, and a bird checklist available to the public at the kiosks. Visitors have a choice of hiking the wide Narragansett trail that leads to the grassland or hike on the narrower woodland trail which meanders through the heart of the property.

In addition, the preserve is now open to horse back riding on specified trails. We have expanded our parking are at the Old Mill Road entrance to accommodate horse trailers and we have also installed a manual water pump to provide water for horses.

Volunteers
The Carter Preserve has its own volunteer group called the “Friends of the Carter Preserve”. These volunteers are valuable in helping to keep the preserve enjoyable for future generations. Volunteers assist with ongoing stewardship projects including trail maintenance, preserve monitoring, litter cleanups, and assist with nature walks. Their involvement at the Carter Preserve helps educate the public and encourages compatible preserve use and stewardship of our natural lands. If you would like to become a Friend of the Carter Preserve, please contact Tim Mooney at tmooney@tnc.org or (401) 529-1072. We thank our current volunteers for their efforts!

Directions

From I-95, take exit 3-Route 138 East
Continue to the intersection of Route 112
Bear right onto Route 112 and continue south through Richmond
Continue through the intersection with Route 91 and over the railroad bridge
Take the next right onto Old Mill Road
Continue on Old Mill Road until the road curves sharply to left
Do not turn the corner, but bear right onto the dirt road
Follow the dirt road straight to a parking area
A secondary entrance is located along Route 112 at the preserve sign, which you pass before you reach Old Mill Road.

What to See: Plants
The pine barrens and adjacent grassland support the state-rare sand cherry (a small flowering shrub). The uplands feature black oak, scarlet oak, white oak, pitch pine, black huckleberry, and lowbush blueberry.

What to See: Animals
Birds such as towhee, catbird and chickadee live here, as do several rare moth species, including the globally rare barrens buck moth. Vernal pools and wetlands within the forest support a diversity of frogs, salamanders, dragonflies and damselflies.

Why the Conservancy Selected this Site
This preserve is one of the largest protected properties in the state. It joins several thousand acres of contiguous forest and contributes to an 11-mile corridor of open space running from the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge to the state's Carolina Management Area.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The Conservancy purchased the property with major contributions from The Champlin Foundation, a longtime supporter of the Conservancy's conservation work in Rhode Island, the Cove Point Foundation, and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The preserve is dedicated to Francis ("Frank") C. Carter, who led the Champlin Foundation for many years.

The preserve will educate people about the cultural and natural history of New England forests. Scout and school programs will be encouraged to use the property as an outdoor classroom.
The Conservancy will restore and maintain the fields at Carter preserve to ensure that grassland birds, which are declining in the northeast, have the grassland habitat they need to survive.