Every summer in Newport provides a welcome opportunity to enjoy the many viewscapes of our very special island. Today I’m choosing a favorite as this blog post – Gooseneck Cove, a large edenic salt marsh. Given its size (app. 58 acres) and stretching from Ocean Avenue to Ballard Park, it is truly an exceptional AONB “area of natural beauty,” (as the English refer to their legally protected and vast landscapes). And fortunately, this water feature is also protected under a joint conservation easement with the Aquidneck Land trust and the City of Newport (the drone image above shows the northern end of the Carol C Ballard Park & Wildlife Preserve, which includes most of the Cove, its surrounding land and Park).

Many homes along its shore, both large and small, have differing perspectives on the water, the habitat, the trees, the vast open spaces, and the sunsets. With gatherings and parties galore, I didn’t cease to find visual pleasures to photograph throughout the summer.

At the ocean end of the Cove, known as Green Bridge, a rock island is mirrored in the puffy clouds of a summer afternoon.

Once choked with phragmites grass infestation, its shore line sinking as the result of tidal flow restriction, the native eel grass has returned after the Cove was restored to its pristine condition in 2009; a monumental undertaking over a 10 year period that was initiated by a consortium of government and non-profits. To put this project in perspective, and illustrate a simple cause and effect of our environmental issues, the phragmites reduced the suitable habitat for saltwater fish, crabs, and invertebrates thereby decreasing the bird and water fowl population…and concurrently increasing the mosquito population.

The restored Cove now provides alluring details and reflections…

while vast open skies allow clear views of magical cloud formations.

But it is the sunsets that intrigue me the most. I couldn’t resist capturing the transformation of an early summer evening as the roseate-apricot shades deepened to a sun-drenched glow.

I have been promising myself to feature Gooseneck Cove for a long time, as it is not only a natural wonder but an example of what benefits are provided to people and wildlife alike when open space and water are conserved. I hope you have enjoyed this special view of paradise, Newport-style.

The mission of the Aquidneck Land Trust...To preserve and steward Aquidneck Island’s open spaces for the lasting benefit of the community, while connecting people with the land that defines the island’s natural character.

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Featured image credit, Lila Delman Compass.