As a child, our family used to vacation on Block Island, and the memories of riding bikes through the hilly terrain, exploring the large cliffs and visiting the beaches are good ones. Making a telephone call meant riding our bikes into town. Many visitors continue to visit Block Island because of this lifestyle.

The island is only 7 miles long and 3 miles wide but the 800 year-round residents take great pride in it. In 1986, the Block Island Land Trust was formed and through funds gained from a 3 percent land transfer fee on all real estate transactions, the Land Trust buys and maintains land on Block Island for open space. Recently, we started to explore the island a bit more and found that solar panels for the island’s Town Hall received preliminary approval from the building committee. Now this seems like a small venture for some, but for little Block Island, this is pretty significant. The solar panels will power most of the building and one of the key points is that in an emergency it could power the server, the furnace and some computers. As some know, our Nor’easters can sometimes be pretty bad.

To learn more about Block Island and visiting this beautiful place, with its 17 miles of beaches, 2,042 stonewalls, 365 fresh ponds and 32 miles of nature trails, visit BlockIslandinfo.com. “What gives Block Island its special appeal is the determination of the community to retain the best of its natural and human history and use them to support its future.” Solar panel info via ::Block Island Times