Trustom Pond: Established by private donation, Trustom Pond Refuge includes hundreds of acres of varied wildlife habitat. Approximately 3 miles of gently sloping foot trails meander by open fields, shrublands, woodlands and freshwater ponds and swamps to 160-acre Trustom Pond, Rhode Island’s only coastal pond free from shoreline development!
Trustom Pond – Insights from their Website
“This refuge is one of five national wildlife refuges in Rhode Island. In 1974, Mrs. Ann Kenyon Morse donated the first 365 acres of the refuge. In 1982, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island donated 151 acres. Today, the refuge includes 787 acres of various wildlife habitats including fields, shrublands, woodlands, fresh and saltwater ponds and sandy beaches and dunes. Approximately 300 bird species, more than 40 mammal species, and 20 species of reptiles and amphibians call Trustom Pond refuge home during the year. Trustom Pond is the only undeveloped coastal salt pond in Rhode Island, making it even more valuable to wildlife. On the southern boundary is found a barrier beach which remains one of the few Rhode Island nesting sites for two species of concern, the least tern and piping plover.”