Arcadia Archives II

Walk in the Park

The Arcadia Management Area in Rhode Island is a very rarely talked about gem that most people have passed or entered. It spans more than 14,000 acres, making it the largest recreational area in the state. Arcadia covers land in West Greenwich, Exeter, Richmond, and Hopkinton (including Browning Mill Pond, Breakheart Pond, and Frosty Hollow Pond). Here, wildlife and people converge.

State Eyes

Currently, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is trying to claim a portion of this state park as its own. They wish to place a 13,000 square foot building at Browning Mill Pond. It will cost the state seven million dollars to create the building and there is no promise that it will be maintained by the group as other buildings under their care have become rather rundown. The building would be placed directly on the hill where many people meet to have picnics and also watch the sunset. It will cause more pollution in the area and could potentially drive away native species. Trees would be chopped and the current standing of the hill would need to be changed in order to hold the building.

The Human Aspect: A Father and His Children

Browning Mill Pond is a large parcel of land situated in Exeter and Richmond, Rhode Island. The path, with varying terrain, entertains mountain bikers, hikers, picnickers, and those that are just seeking a few moments of reverie beneath the branches of one of the large trees on a hot summer day. It has become a staple in the small towns that surround it. Many people have learned to fish here, myself included and some of my close friends. If you ask someone that was alive when the beach was open where they learned to swim they might respond with “Browning Mill” or “Arcadia.” It has been years since the beach was open, but still many people flock to the pond in the summer, whether the weather be shining or storming.

I myself have stood beneath one of the large trees beside the water, watching as a storm blew in. it was mesmerizing watching the water change. How the reflection of a sunny sky quickly faded to one of doom and gloom, yet somehow everything still seemed peaceful. Even as the rain began to fall from the sky and low rumbles of thunder erupted, I still didn’t walk away. Arcadia was the calm in the storm, as it has been for many people and at many different times in my life.

It is the location of numerous town events and the home of holiday celebrations. One summer day, I drove by and saw a wedding party gathered on a hill directly across from where the proposed building is supposed to go. With such a beautiful natural setting who wouldn’t want to come here to have pictures taken? Or have their wedding reception, especially if it was the location of the couple's first meeting? Growing up, I imagined my own wedding occurring on the hill that overlooks the water with the sun setting behind us. Now, I simply just want the pond to remain as it is without any monstrosity of a building appearing, replacing the trees that have been there for as long as I can remember. I want to be able to continue to create memories here: I want to continue meeting my cousin here on nice days for hikes, picking up friends, and going here when they’re having a tough time. I want to continue searching the picnic tables here for my initials and the initials of friends and other locals. I want to walk and be surprised by the spotting of a snake or an Osprey. I want to be able to sit in the grass and listen to the geese call as they fly back to us, landing in the water with the most graceful of splashes. Simply, I want to be able to enjoy nature the way it is meant to be enjoyed, not from the four walls of a large state government building. Most of all, I want other people to continue to come here, the home of their fondest memories.

In the past year I have met many people whose lives have been touched by Browning Mill Pond. One of these people, is a man that lived only a few minutes down the road. He reminisces about taking his daughters and son, who are all now grown, to the pond during hot summer days. Here, he taught them how to swim and watched as they ran across the large field, flying their kites. (The hill is still the perfect location for such events…unless RIDEM is able to put in their building in which case there will be little space for kids to run along with their kites.) Here, he taught his children how to fish, hooking worms, and casting them far out into the water. The soft plop of the cast meeting its target is now a sound echoed in his memories when he pulls into the parking lot. His children look back on these memories fondly as well, returning to the area for walks and enjoying the sunset when they can.

He also has childhood memories in the same location. When he was younger, his father’s company held family cookouts here. His family as well had their reunion here and would play softball in the field while they gathered. It was the meeting point for his immediate family and the relatives that lived a little farther away and outside of the sticks. He has memories from all stages of his life at this one location; it is a memory bank for him and for many others in the small towns that surround it. The state government has not been to the pond, or the surrounding area, to realize how much of an impact it has had on the people that live near it.

This man’s memories are not over at the pond. In fact, his children brought him here to celebrate Father’s Day in 2017. Here, they had a surprise picnic with local food and sat discussing the current plans for the location. The idea of a large building on the premises of such fond memories seemed like a nightmare. It still does.

Browning Mill Pond may just seem as though it is a part of nature, but for many Rhode Islanders, it is in fact, a part of the family. It has sentimental value for most people that have grown up close by. It is the hidden gem of Rhode Island, a beauty that most wouldn’t expect to find in the Ocean State.

It has helped many of us in the past and now it is our turn to save it. Last year I started the petition that brought the information about the building to light. It opened the eyes of many to the plans that RIDEM has for the natural resources in Rhode Island.

Now we are on to the next step.

Although, the building was not put in the last budget, it has not been forgotten. It will be going to vote soon! In order to stop it we have to vote against it. We have to continue to spread the news of the plan for a monstrosity at the pond.

Save the pond, save the memories of many, preserve the childhood of Rhode Island.