The Ag Trust serves its mission primarily through the purchase of land and development rights, in addition to generous donations of land and conservation easements. To date, we have preserved, or partnered in preserving, over 2,000 acres! More than 650 acres of that land is owned outright by the Ag Trust, with 133 acres leased to local farmers for use in food production.
Raising Funds
It takes money to make land conservation happen. The Ag Trust receives most of its funding through a 4% real estate transfer tax on property sales over $450,000. But there are other sources of funding, too. The money raised is then used to acquire land and development rights.
Landowner Support
Landowners who want to protect their land start by submitting a Land Application to the Trust. They have a few options when doing this: Donate the land, donate the development rights, sell us the land, sell us the development rights, or establish conservation easements. Once an application has been submitted, the Board of Trustees, which meets monthly, reviews the application and begins the process of evaluating the land.
The Board of Trustees
The Town Council appoints seven individuals to be Trustees, one of whom is an active farmer. As provided by the enabling legislation, the Trust membership also includes three additional members appointed by the Little Compton Planning Board, the Conservation Commission, and the Recreation Committee, respectively. The seven Trustees serve 5-year staggered terms.
Our Conservation Partners
The Ag Trust works closely with its partners – the Sakonnet Preservation Association, The Nature Conservancy, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, to research, identify, and protect properties of mutual concern, and to steward those properties after they have been preserved. Although each conservation group has a slightly different orientation to land protection, all share a commitment to preserving the health, the rural identity, and the beauty of our Sakonnet landscape.
Original Legislation
See the original legislative document that established the Ag Trust 
Transfer Tax Amendment May 2024
Public Records Request
The Town Clerk’s Office is the Designated Public Records Unit (excluding the
Police Department and the School Department). Please click here to view the Public Records Request Guidelines.