Our mission and vision

The Scenic Aquidneck Coalition is focused on projects that help to enhance and preserve the scenic appeal of the Island for the benefit of its communities. Aquidneck Island is a beautiful place to live and to visit, which has understandably led to increased development of the Island. The Island has a rich history that is interconnected with its lands and its beauty, and all three of our organizations are concerned about the loss of its character and scenic quality.

The appearance of the Island is not in any one organization’s central mission, but it is in the background of all of our work. Together, these areas of interest overlap, bringing projects that enhance and preserve the visual quality of the Island to the forefront.

We completed a project in 2017 to bury utility lines along Second Beach to Sachuest Point, making a major improvement to the sweeping vistas at this beautiful place. The Scenic Third Beach Project is inspired by that earlier project, continuing to improve the scenic quality of Paradise Valley. While both of these projects are great representations of our interests, our objectives are not limited to Paradise Valley or to burying utility lines. The Scenic Aquidneck Coalition undertakes preservation and conservation projects that protect the scenic views and enhance historic landscapes of Aquidneck Island.

As a statewide organization, PRI helps to elevate the Coalition’s mission, demonstrating the relevance of Aquidneck Island’s landscape.

As a heritage tourism driver and cultural institution, The Preservation Society of Newport County validates the cultural and historical importance of this work.

The Aquidneck Land Trust brings a deep understanding of both the value of the island’s lands and the importance of land conservation to the local community.

Other projects

The Scenic Aquidneck Coalition undertakes projects that protect the scenic views and enhance the historic landscape of Aquidneck Island. We are best known for burying power lines near Second Beach – a project whose success inspired our current work at Third Beach. But our efforts are not limited to Paradise Valley or to burying power lines: we are interested in any project that protects and enhances the natural and cultural landscape of Aquidneck Island.  

Second Beach

In 2017, the Scenic Aquidneck Coalition buried power lines along a 1.5 mile stretch of Sachuest Point Road in Middletown, near Second Beach. This was the first project completed by the Coalition, and was the catalyst to create our partnership. Burying the utilities was originally intended to increase the scenic appeal of the area, but the effort took on a new urgency after Newport County was one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. Through a public-private partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, and with additional support from the Prince Charitable Trusts and the Easton's Point Association, the project not only restored the historic landscape but also promoted coastal resiliency, as buried power lines better allow infrastructure to “bounce back” after catastrophic weather events.