Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge

OK, hiking trail. But how else do traditions start unless someone takes the first step? There are many sights to share at the FISHERVILLE BROOK WILDLIFE REFUGE in Exeter and West Green¬wich. And that includes more than birds, even though it’s run by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. There’s a beautiful waterfall on the 937-acre property and other lovely views as you hike woodland and field, traipsing alongside streams and a pond that once produced ice for the community. The habitat ranges in diversity from upland beech forests to white cedar swamp. There’s even an historic cemetery in which to wander hand in hand and gain perspective. According to Audubon’s historical account, the European settlement of the property had romantic origins, of a sort, when Pardon Joslin moved there with his young bride Harriet Mathewson. | Pardon Joslin Road, Exeter | asri.org/refuges/fisherville-brook-wildlife-refuge.html