Warwick

Champlin Grant to Fund Parking Safety Project

/ Jason Major / 1 Comment
Vehicle parked on lawn near path to playground 

The Champlin Foundation has awarded $21,053.00 to Friends of Salter Grove for Parking Lot Safety Improvements and Related Landscaping.

With the new playground and repaired causeway, the number of park visitors has increased dramatically. The project will create five additional porous parking spaces and reinforce parking in paved, designated spaces to protect children and other pedestrians.

Landscape plantings and new signage are planned in conjunction with the parking safety project to improve the esthetics of the parking area, which is the first place seen by many park visitors.

Since 1932, The Champlin Foundation has awarded more than $600 million to fund capital projects and equipment for Rhode Island non-profit organizations. These investments have enabled better medical care, improved education, fostered the arts, expanded access to social services, conserved of open spaces, preserved historic buildings, advanced animal welfare and more. Quietly and steadfastly, The Champlin Foundation helps those who do good do more – to the benefit of all. 

Nature Trails and Guide Launch

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On Saturday, May 15th, this orientation plaque will be installed south of the parking lot during a ceremony to launch the nature trails and their online guide.

From 10:00 to 10:30 a.m., Mayor Frank Picozzi, Parks and Recreation Director Beverly Wiley, and FoSG’s Education Coordinator Marina Wong will address attendees.

This ongoing project is a collaboration of Friends of Salter Grove, the City of Warwick, and the RI Department of Environmental Management to create an outdoor classroom at Salter Grove for people of all ages to enjoy its natural history. It was funded by a generous grant from the Vivian J. Palmieri Charitable Trust.

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New Amenities Installed

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Thanks to a generous grant from the Dziedzic Charitable Fund, two additional picnic tables and a bike rack were added to Salter Grove.

No doubt visitors will be thinking kindly of Brenda and John for making the park, and its wonderful views of the Bay, even more comfortable and enjoyable.

We also thank the Warwick Departments of Public Works and Parks and Recreation for installing this equipment. 

First to Perch on New Bench

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Two local residents enjoying the view from Salter Grove’s newest bench, installed on April 5, 2021

Thanks to a donation in fond memory of Homer and Barbara Patrick there is a second bench on Audubon Hill from which to enjoy the view of the islets south of Rock Island.

Our generous donors made it possible to acquire custom benches crafted by Don Nguyen to maintain a unifying theme throughout the park.

With the shorebird breeding season coming up, this is indeed a timely addition—bring your binocs!

Potential Pre-Colonial Tree Relicts

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Measuring potential champion black oak after some banter about where the tape should go 

We learned about Matthew “Twig” Largess and Nathan Cornell in the Warwick Beacon where they were featured as seekers of old-growth forests. The woodland at Salter Grove is relatively young, but there are some unexpectedly large trees in the park so we invited this arboreal dynamic duo to assess them on Saturday, March 27.

They were joined by FoSG coordinator Peter Becker and nature trail volunteers, Carolyn Hardie, Nick Pasterino, Billy McGovern, Nancy Sumrall, and Marina Wong. Twig and Nathan examined and measure the suspected old-growth trees and provided a great deal of information in two short hours. 

We may have a champion black oak north of the parking lot. Our visitors were quite impressed by the very large black gums surrounded by numerous smaller individuals along the pond trail. 

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