Narragansett Bay Reserve, Rhode Island

Location: The reserve is in the geographic center of Narragansett Bay, 12 miles north of Newport and 12 miles south of Providence. Total Acreage: 4,259 Designation: 1980 Lead State Agency: Rhode Island Department of Environmental management Mailing Address: Narragansett Bay Reserve 55 South Reserve Drive Prudence Island, RI 02872 Phone: 401-683-6780

The reserve encompasses 2,353 acres of land on Prudence, Patience and Hope islands and 1,591 acres of water adjoining the islands out to a depth of 18 feet.

Approximately 60 percent of Prudence Island is included in the reserve's boundaries. The island is sparsely populated because it's relatively inaccessible, and commercial development has been actively discouraged by its residents. Approximately 150 people spend their winters on the island. The population swells to more than 10 times that number during the summer.

In addition to its human inhabitants, Prudence Island supports one of the densest herds of white tailed deer in the northeast. Being very close to the entirely wooded Patience Island, deer can swim between these two islands.

Both Patience and Hope islands are uninhabited. The Patience Island component of Narragansett Bay Reserve is approximately 200 acres—nearly the entire island. The Hope Island component of the reserve includes the entire 91 acre island, plus surrounding waters. The public can not visit the island during the summer, because it is a major rookery for colonial nesting wading birds.