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home > wma's > Simmons Mill Pond Simmons Mill Pond Management Area Reference Map: 
 Topographical Map:
 Location and Access Simmons Mill Pond Management Area is located in the Town of Little Compton, R.I., east of the intersection of Long Highway and Cold Brook Road and extending over to John Dyer Road. Access is available from a trail which starts at a small parking lot about 600 feet east of Long Highway. Access and parking are also available at a small parking lot along John Dyer Road. Major trails within the management area consist of gravel paths which are gated, limiting access to foot traffic and non-motorized conveyance. The management area is found on the Tiverton, R.I. U.S.G.S. quad sheet. Habitat Simmons Mill Pond Management Area covers approximately 400 acres. The land is dominated by forest cover types (87% 346 acres) comprised of deciduous trees consisting of oaks, red maples and American beech. Freshwater wetlands are abundant throughout the site comprising approximately 82 acres of red maple swamps, shrub swamp and shallow open water impoundments. Forested wetlands (red maple swamp) are dominated by thick growth of red maple trees and a diverse shrub understory of high bush blueberry, winterberry, and azalea. There are five man made ponds or impoundments on the property which add diversity to wetland types. The largest is Simmons Mill Pond (18 acres) with other impoundments ranging in size from 1.1 to 6 acres. Floating leave plants, shallow emergent marsh, aquatic shrub marsh, and pockets of dead woody marsh are present in each of the impoundments, serving as attractive habitats for a variety of fish and wildlife species. Wildlife Typical game mammals found within Simmons Mill Pond Area include cottontail rabbits gray squirrel, white-tailed deer and furbearing mammals such as raccoon, fox, mink, and muskrat. Wild turkey were reestablished in Little Compton with a release of 15 birds in the winter of 1993. The new turkey flock has grown slowly since the release and birds are frequently sighted on the management area. Other game birds that can be found on the management area include ruffed grouse, and woodcock which are abundant in wetland thickets during spring and fall migrations. Ringneck pheasants are stocked for hunting during the months of October and November. Waterfowl including wood duck, black duck and mallard are attracted to the area marshes. Waterfowl hunting is permitted provided hunters have decoys, a hunting retriever or a boat or canoe without motor. Numerous non-game wildlife species including songbirds, hawks, owls, osprey, amphibians, reptiles and insects inhabit the area, providing many recreational opportunities for observation of these species.
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