Open Space in Rhode Island

After New Jersey, Rhode Island is the second most densely populated state in the country. In addition, 86% of Rhode Island's population live in urban areas. The amount of developed land in the state increased 16% between the years of 1982 and 1992, and now some residents fear that Rhode Island's traditional New England flavor is quickly being replaced by homogenized subdivisions and redundant strip malls (Rhode Island Biodiversity Laws, Defenders of Wildlife).

FIGURE 1: Protected open space in 1990 and new protected open space in 1995 Click map to enlarge

All hope is not lost, however. Rhode Island consistently adds more land each year to its total cache of preserved open space (though the size of the yearly acquired acreage remains fairly constant; see Trends in Open Space Protection). In addition, as this GIS coverage pictorially displays (Figure 1), the increase in open space in Rhode Island from 1990 to 1995 (around 4000 acres) occurs mostly in areas bordering existing preserved land (data is not yet available for 2000), and occurs all throughout the state, not just in one area. These are positive indicators of a comprehensive open space protection plan, one that serves to protect all of Rhode Island's diverse characteristics.

FIGURE 2: Total Accumulative DEM Protected Open Space Acreage by Year, 1990-2000 Click graph to enlarge

Rhode Island’s protected lands at the state level have risen from around 43,000 acres in 1990 to a projected total of 51,000 acres in 2000 (Division of Planning and Development, DEM, Work Plans 1990-2000). Figure 2 includes only the land owned and/or managed by the DEM (including partnerships with local groups, as well as partnerships with private conservation groups). Go to Trends in Open Space Protection for more data on protected open space in Rhode Island.

The people of Rhode Island almost always fight for open space protection, as was evidenced by the approval of the $34 million open space preservation bond on the November, 2000 ballot. Now that the money is available, which land will be protected? Habitat protection, recreation use, and rural character are the three most important criteria for determining land preservation.

Map from RIGIS

Please see the Inconsistencies and Data Gaps, and Future Work pages for more information on maps and graphs.

Habitat/Recreation/Rural Character/Rhode Island Indicators

Habitat

Rural Character

Recreation