The Preserve Sporting Club & Resort in Rhode Island is raising the bar for conservation.
Nestled in the rolling hills of Richmond, Rhode Island, The Preserve Sporting Club & Resort is unlike any other luxury destination in New England, or, for that matter, the country. While it offers the kind of amenities that might draw comparisons to a high-end resort – equestrian facilities, world-class dining, private residences, and upland bird hunts – the real story lies in the 3,500+ acres of conserved land made up of woodlands, wetlands, and carefully managed fields where wildlife conservation takes top billing.
Leading the charge is Eric Northup, a lifelong Rhode Islander, seasoned outdoorsman, and wildlife biologist who has been with The Preserve for a decade. As he puts it, “We straddle both worlds here – hospitality and habitat. But wildlife always comes first.”
At the heart of The Preserve’s conservation efforts is a long-standing partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a branch of the USDA. Together, they’ve implemented a suite of programs designed to restore and protect wildlife habitat across the property. From rewilding small pockets of land to large-scale cover cropping and forest management, the goal is clear: make the land work for wildlife.
“Whether we’re rehabilitating degraded habitat or building new ones from scratch, we go above and beyond what’s required,” says Northup. “That means planning burn cycles, planting the right mix of grasses, and making sure every acre serves a purpose for wildlife.”
Chairman Paul Mihailides, who purchased the property from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in 2014 and led its transformation, is passionate about that mission. “We’ve created something truly unique here,” he says, adding: “This isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about setting a standard where conservation is the first conversation we have – not an afterthought.”
The results are visible and measurable. NRCS conducts on-site inspections twice a year to evaluate progress, and The Preserve continues to earn praise for its commitment. “We’ve had them tell us that our forest management and habitat creation efforts go beyond best practices,” Northup says. “That kind of feedback reinforces what we already believe – that this land deserves our best.”
For hunters, The Preserve is best known for its upland bird program. While pheasants, quail, and grouse remain huntable species, there’s no longer a self-sustaining wild population of pheasant in the region – so The Preserve raises its own.
“We source our chicks from licenced, approved breeders and raise them for four months before releasing them,” Northup explains. “They’re strong flyers, well-conditioned, and released into cover that’s specifically built for their survival. Think sorghum, sunflowers, switchgrass, and millet – tall enough to hide a bird and short enough to see your dog’s tail working.”
Twice a week from October to March, guided walked-up hunts give guests a chance to flush and shoot quail or pheasant. These aren’t your average pen-raised birds either. “Everything from habitat prep to predator control is taken seriously,” says Northup. “It’s a full-cycle conservation effort.”
Mihailides adds, “As a lifelong hunter, I believe in ethical, responsible stewardship. Our hunting experiences are about tradition, but they’re also about giving back to the land.”
While the state of Rhode Island allows year-round hunting of released pheasants on private land, The Preserve imposes a seasonal window. “It’s not about shooting birds just because we can,” Northrup says. “It’s about respecting the rhythm of the land.”
While The Preserve controls invasive predators like coyotes and red foxes to protect upland birds, they also work to safeguard native carnivores. “We have protected populations of bobcat and fisher cat on the property,” Northup says. “There’s a balance. Not everything is about maximizing game species – sometimes it’s about letting nature be.”
Raptors, songbirds, and mammals all benefit from this holistic approach. Nest boxes for owls and kestrels are placed strategically, while brush piles and snags from downed trees offer shelter to smaller mammals and ground-nesting birds.
The approach is nuanced and data-driven. Northup regularly conducts population censuses for whitetail deer and wild turkey, ensuring sustainable hunting and management. Importantly, there are no hunting seasons for ruffed grouse or bobwhite quail in Rhode Island, but The Preserve’s private license allows controlled hunting within its own program.
“We’re not trying to return to some imagined wilderness,” Northup explains. “We’re creating a working ecosystem that’s healthy, diverse, and resilient.”
After a devastating gypsy moth outbreak five years ago wiped out thousands of oak trees, many landowners would have rushed to remove the unsightly dead wood. Not here. “We left much of it standing, and it’s become incredible habitat for pileated woodpeckers, insects, and even migratory birds like the scarlet tanager and snowy owl,” says Northup. “Sometimes what looks like destruction is really just part of an ecological transition.”
At the southwestern end of the property, The Preserve has recently completed a new pond and marsh complex through another NRCS-supported project. Designed to support migratory waterfowl, the area now serves both as habitat and as a low-impact hunting zone. “That pond is already drawing ducks, and it’s only going to improve with time,” he says.
Even the smallest features are considered part of the wildlife plan. Fields are burned at carefully timed intervals to renew grasses. Dead tree stumps are “grubbed out” or left to decay naturally. “We build with wildlife in mind – even when we’re doing something as simple as clearing trails,” Northup says.
With 287 home sites spread across thousands of acres, The Preserve could have easily fallen into the trap of unchecked development. Instead, Mihailides has been intentional about how and where to build. “We use cluster development principles to reduce our ecological footprint,” he says. “That means grouping homes together and leaving larger open spaces for habitat. You don’t see that level of planning in many commercial projects.”
The Preserve is also working to ensure the entire site remains accessible. “We want our homeowners and members to enjoy the land, not just look at it,” Mihailides says. “That’s why we’ve invested in miles of trails, wildlife viewing areas, and educational signage. You can live here and still be a student of the land.”
And while it might seem counterintuitive, opening up some areas for hunting or recreation has actually improved the health of the land. “When people are invested in the outdoors, they want to protect it,” Northup adds. “That’s why we focus on access and education as much as habitat.”
The Preserve’s conservation work doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The club hosts events for local schools, offers internships for environmental science students, and partners with wildlife nonprofits across the region. “We’re trying to raise the next generation of conservation-minded citizens,” says Mihailides. “This isn’t just about The Preserve. It’s about setting a regional example.”
Ultimately, conservation at The Preserve isn’t just a feature – it’s the foundation. Every trail, food plot and building is part of a larger plan to blend recreation and responsibility.
“You can’t manage land like this without understanding both biology and people,” Northup says. “We’re not just managing for deer or pheasants – we’re managing for the whole ecosystem.”
That might be why The Preserve stands out as a model for how sporting clubs can be more than just playgrounds for the wealthy. They can be sanctuaries for wildlife, classrooms for conservation, and, with a bit of vision, a path forward for hunting traditions in the 21st century.
“We’re not finished,” says Mihailides. “We never will be. That’s the beauty of conservation – there’s always more to learn, more to protect, more to give back.”
Learn more at thepreserveri.com.
