A strong community-based conservation ethic.

A strong community-based conservation ethic.. . , Nearly 50% of Block Island's lands are conserved for nature and for future generations of Block Island residents and visitors to enjoy. This amazing achievement is the result of the Block Island community's strong conservation ethic and was accomplished through the collaborative efforts of many individuals, non-profit organizations, and local, state, and federal government agencies., The following organizations have worked in partnership to protect nature on Block Island: Town of New Shoreham, Rhode Island . The Nature Conservancy . Block Island Land Trust . Ocean View Foundation . Audubon Society of Rhode Island . Block Island Conservancy, Inc. . Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management . Block Island Maritime Institute . Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior . The Committee for the Great Salt Pond, 350-60 years ago , In 1661, the first white settlers arrived on Block Island's shores. These New England fishermen and farmers quickly set to clearing forests for fields to farm and graze cows. For fifty years, Block Island's trees were harvested for fuel and the construction of houses, boats, and fences. In 1728, the last original stand of trees was blown down. To continue living on the island, islanders turned to peat for fuel and stones for walls. Throughout the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, Block Island's natural environment was degraded by the clearing of the fields and draining wetlands for peat., After World War II and the Great Depression, many of the island's farmers left Block Island to pursue other livelihoods. During the 1950s, fields were left fallow and shrub-scrub habitat slowly returned, ultimately creating what remains some of the best coastal shrub habitat on the East Coast. Today, the island's open grasslands, shrubs, and covered ponds provide a sanctuary unlike any other for many threatened and endangered species.