Join CLT in our mission to preserve Charlestown’s open space and natural character for the lasting benefit of our community. The land trust preserves and protects the distinctive character of our local area through acquisition and management of open space.
Warm up with hot cocoa and join arborist Dan Weise for a guided walk through the trails at Kettle Pond Visitor Center, featuring tree and shrub identification, fascinating
Event Details
Warm up with hot cocoa and join arborist Dan Weise for a guided walk through the trails at Kettle Pond Visitor Center, featuring tree and shrub identification, fascinating forest factoids, and signs to watch for within the landscape. Along the way, participants will learn how to “read” the forest canopy to better understand past events, current conditions, and what the future may hold. Following the walk, feel free to stay for a presentation with landscape architect Michael Cavanagh on invasive plant management. Please note that this event is weather permitting. Any cancellations due to weather will be posted on our website.
📅 Thursday, April 16th (Rain Date: April 17th) 🕒 3:30pm ☕ Hot Cocoa and Forest Walk 📍 Kettle Pond Visitor Center 🎟️ Free and open to all! No pre-registration required.
About Dan Weise: Dan is an arborist with Bartlett Tree Experts who has worked in the tree care industry since 1998. His background includes experience across a range of tree care roles, as well as impressive qualifications, including ISA Certified Arborist, Rhode Island and Connecticut Licensed Arborist, and a three-time International Tree Climbing Competitor!
Following the forest walk,* stay for a presentation with landscape architect and arborist Michael Cavanagh on invasive plant management. Design, permitting and implementation practices will be shared, reviewed,
Event Details
Following the forest walk,* stay for a presentation with landscape architect and arborist Michael Cavanagh on invasive plant management. Design, permitting and implementation practices will be shared, reviewed, and discussed with a focus on the native plant communities that we use to support local ecosystems and to minimize invasive plant problems.
*This is a standalone program—you do not need to attend the walk to enjoy the presentation.
📅 Thursday, April 16th 🕒 5pm 🌿 Invasive Plant Management Presentation 📍 Kettle Pond Visitor Center 🎟️ Free and open to all! No pre-registration required.
About Michael Cavanagh: Michael is an arborist with Bartlett Tree Experts, a licensed landscape architect, and a Certified Invasive Plant Manager. He holds a master’s degree from the Conway School of Sustainable Landscape Design and Planning and has worked across diverse landscape contexts throughout New England and beyond.
Join the Charlestown Land Trust in celebrating Earth Day by participating in a rewarding community clean-up event. Come help us remove litter and trash while enjoying a morning
Event Details
Join the Charlestown Land Trust in celebrating Earth Day by participating in a rewarding community clean-up event. Come help us remove litter and trash while enjoying a morning outdoors with fellow community members. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided.
This event is part of the Town of Charlestown’s Earth Day Celebration.
📅 Date: Saturday, April 25th (Rain Date: April 26th) 🕒 Time: 9am 📍 Location: Ninigret Park, 5 Park Lane, Charlestown, RI 02813
♻️ Free and open to all, but please RSVP here to let us know you’re coming. We’ll be meeting at the parking lot—check your email for specifics. (If weather conditions require rescheduling or cancellation, registered participants will be notified by email.)
Writing About Place is a collaborative community series featuring four writing workshops and two guided hikes focused on observing, experiencing, and writing about the landscapes around us. This
Event Details
Writing About Place is a collaborative community series featuring four writing workshops and two guided hikes focused on observing, experiencing, and writing about the landscapes around us. This series is presented in partnership by the Charlestown Land Trust, Hopkinton Land Trust, Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association, Cross Mills Library, and Earthinform Studio.
Do you want to observe the place you live more fully? Do you want to find words for your connection to the land? Do you have family stories shaped by this landscape that you’d like to write down and share? These workshops explore the value of careful observation and listening, and the importance of writing about the places where we live. Deepening our relationship with the land through writing can also strengthen our understanding of why conservation and stewardship matter to our communities. The events are free and writers of all experience levels are welcome. Participants are asked to preregister individually for each event.
All workshops will be at the Cross Mills Library, except the last workshop, which will be held at the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association Headquarters and presented in collaboration with Charlestown Land Trust, Hopkinton Land Trust, Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association, and Earthinform Studio. Guided hikes to take place at Canonchet Brook Preserve and Mill Pond Preserve.
May 7th: Introduction and Readings by Wanda Hopkins, Grace Farell, and Miles Hardingwood
May 23rd: Guided Hike with Charlestown Land Trust (10am, Rain Day May 24th)
May 28th: Workshop with Miles Hardingwood ( Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association Headquarters)
About the Writers:
About Wanda Hopkins: Wanda Hopkins is a citizen of the Narragansett Indian Tribal Nation. She has served in Tribal government and has ministered at the Narragansett Indian Church for over twenty-five years. Ms. Hopkins serves as a Native American Community Advisor to the University of Rhode Island and the Tomaquag Museum. She is a respected culture bearer and writer who has shared her knowledge and perspective with churches, schools, and civic organizations throughout Rhode Island, across the United States, and in Canada. Ms. Hopkins holds a Master of Arts in English from the University of Rhode Island. Her scholarly interests focus on regional Indigenous literature and its influence on national and local Indigenous movements, policies, and legislative agendas. Her future research includes documenting the lives of her Narragansett relatives interred at the historic Babcock Cemetery in Hopkinton, Rhode Island.
About Grace Farrell: Grace Farrell, R. C. Reade Professor emerita of Butler University in Indianapolis, is the author and editor of five books as well as numerous essays on Poe, Melville, Lillie Devereux Blake, I. B. Singer, Beckett, Anne Tyler, and 19th and 20th c. American literature and culture. For thirty-five years, she taught literary texts and their cultural contexts. A weaver as well as a writer, Grace co-founded the Carolina Fiber and Fiction Center in Rhode Island. While conventional advice has long told us to write what we know, Grace encourages writers to write towards what they do not know, what they can, perhaps, never fully know. Home again in Rhode Island, within sight and sound of the ocean, she uses writing to embrace the beauty and the inscrutable mystery of the universe that surrounds us.
About Miles Hardingwood: Miles Justice Hardingwood is a poet and creative from Brooklyn, NY. He is a 2023 National Student Poet and a 2022 NYC Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador. His poetry has received a Scholastic National Gold Medal and an American Voices Medal. He has performed at venues such as The White House, The Schomburg Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and Vice President Kamala Harris’s Black History Month Celebration. He attended the Kenyon Young Writers Workshop and the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, and is now a student at Brown University, where he is pursuing a concentration in Literary Arts.
Writing About Place is a collaborative community series featuring four writing workshops and two guided hikes focused on observing, experiencing, and writing about the landscapes around us. This
Event Details
Writing About Place is a collaborative community series featuring four writing workshops and two guided hikes focused on observing, experiencing, and writing about the landscapes around us. This series is presented in partnership by the Charlestown Land Trust, Hopkinton Land Trust, Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association, Cross Mills Library, and Earthinform Studio.
Join us for a guided hike as part of series, connecting landscape, poetry, and close observation on conserved land. By deepening how we notice, describe, and connect with the landscapes around us, writing can also strengthen our understanding of why conservation and stewardship matter to our communities.
Hosted by the Charlestown Land Trust, this program includes stops at two Poetry of the Wild poetry box installations along the trail at Mill Pond Preserve, featuring poetry by Susan Killingbeck. Participants will also be invited to pause and write along the way.
All are welcome. Participants are asked to preregister here.
Rain date: Sunday, May 24th.
The Charlestown Land Trust protects nearly 700 acres of ecological, historic, scenic, agricultural, and educational significance in Charlestown.
Save the Date! Mark your calendar for the event of the season—and keep an eye out for ticket sales opening
Event Details
Save the Date! Mark your calendar for the event of the season—and keep an eye out for ticket sales opening soon.
Join us for the evening of Thursday, July 23rd, 2026 at the beautiful Nordic Lodge in Charlestown for an unforgettable summer celebration. Enjoy live music by Jus Tus, a raw bar, dinner, and a fun, lively evening—all in support of protecting the landscapes that make Charlestown so special.
Business sponsorships are available—a great way to show your support for local conservation. Contact us for more information!
401Give Starts Today! Dear CLT Supporters and Friends, 401Gives is officially underway! Now through April 1st at 6pm, we invite you to join us and hundreds of
The Charlestown Land Trust is a locally led, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving the landscapes and waterways that define our community. Since 1996, we have worked to safeguard lands of ecological, historic, scenic, agricultural, and educational significance in Charlestown. Here’s a little bit more about what we do:
ହ Permanently protect land through conservation easements, land donations, and direct purchases. With nearly 700 acres under protection, we ensure that these special places remain conserved in perpetuity.
ହ Monitor and manage conserved lands to ensure their health, biodiversity, and ecological integrity remain intact.
ହ Collaborate with state agencies, local governments, and conservation partners to protect critical ecosystems and wildlife habitats across the region.
ହ Maintain hiking trails to provide public access to the beautiful open spaces we conserve, encouraging outdoor exploration and appreciation.
ହ Foster a deeper connection to nature through educational programs, including guided hikes, paddles, lectures, special events, and presentations that inspire environmental stewardship.
