Introduction to TPRA Board of Directors:
What is TPRA?
Taylor Point, a 20-acre parcel of land nestled north of the area where the Pell Bridge enters Jamestown, RI, is an expanse of Town-owned coastal land, comprising a patchwork of habitat types including freshwater wetlands, beach, salt marsh, black cherry woodlands, shrub lands, cliffs, and thickets. This undeveloped shorefront has been subjected to varied human impacts since pre-Colonial times. During the 19th century Taylor Point was a working coastal farm. 
Most recently Taylor Point has been subjected to the effects of highway and bridge development and maintenance, treatment plant construction and operations, and heavy recreational use. Taylor Point is a largely unmaintained multiple-use coastal strip … with enormous potential.
The Taylor Point Restoration Association (TPRA) is the RI non-profit organization formed specifically to remove and manage the invasive species that have overtaken Taylor Point and to nurture and revegetate the area with native species. The Association also seeks to improve degraded footpaths so as to provide safe public shoreline access and to maintain existing views of Narragansett Bay for public enjoyment. The TPRA was formed in 2015. We expect our initial restoration program to take at least ten years and we anticipate that area maintenance and management activity will continue indefinitely.
Our long-term vision is to achieve the restoration of Taylor Point’s habitats to their once natural state. We hope to reestablish Taylor Point as an ecologically robust coastal area and buffer zone populated with native species. Our plan is for Taylor Point to evolve, over the long term, into a valuable aesthetic and recreational resource, offering an informed public minimally intrusive access and appealing views of the Bay.
TPRA became a Rhode Island non-profit organization in June 2015 and a US 501(c)3 charitable organization in July 2015.
The Board of Directors:
Who are we?
TPRA has evolved from a desire, expressed by members of the Jamestown Tree Committee, and embraced enthusiastically by local resident and naturalist, Dennis Webster, to lead an effort to clean up the area where recreational users access Taylor Point’s trails, beach and cliffs. After discussions with other local residents and community members who have an interest in land conservation and environmental protection, the core group, under Dennis’ leadership, realized that the community offered more than sufficient interest and enthusiasm to support a full-scale restoration program.
With this objective in mind, they set to work to draw up a concept paper and mission statement as well as a detailed multiphase plan to guide their efforts. In short order they were awarded their Rhode Island 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization status. They quickly began pursuing, and winning, funding from various government and private sources to help defray costs of involving ecological experts and mapping technicians, and to fund the purchase of gardening tools. They further sought grants to fund TPRA’s access to expertise and technology to support public outreach.
TPRA has cultivated a dedicated, informed, and growing workforce of volunteers who gather frequently and, following prescribed methods, remove invasive species during collegial and highly productive work parties. Our partnership with the URI Master Gardeners, as one of their demonstration projects, has further swelled our ranks with knowledgeable and determined participants. As our membership continues to grow, we continue to benefit from the insights and practical ideas of old and new members alike. We are making steady progress and invite all who are interested in learning more about Taylor Point to join us!
Feel free to contact the members of our Board of Directors who include the following:
Taylor Point Restoration Association Board of Directors 
President: Ed Gromada
Secretary: Lois Migneault
VP for Planning & Operations: Dennis Webster
VP for Marketing: Katherine Wineberg
Treasurer: John Murphy