Preserving farms, wetlands and other “green” spaces is the focus of this year’s statewide Historic Preservation Conference at URI. Casey Farm, shown here, is part of an afternoon tour of South County farms and nurseries.

The Providence Journal / Andrew Dickerman

From the mansions of Bellevue Avenue to the mill towns of the Blackstone Valley, many of Rhode Island’s most important historic sites are located in urban areas. But in recent years, some of the most respected figures in the historic preservation movement have found a new cause: saving open spaces such as farms, forests and wetlands.

To this new wave of preservationists, saving historic buildings and neighborhoods isn’t enough. Preserving the long-term viability of rural farm belts, watersheds and wilderness areas is also important.

“Basically, it’s a realization that cities don’t exist in a vacuum,” says Steve Taylor, a former New Hampshire agriculture commissioner and the keynote speaker at this year’s statewide historic preservation conference. The conference, which takes place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the University of Rhode Island campus in Kingston, focuses on efforts to preserve non-urban areas such as farms, forests, rivers and seashores. (For more information, go to www.preservation.ri.gov.)

First as New Hampshire’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Markets & Food and now as the owner of a working dairy farm, Taylor has seen the “greening” of the historic preservation movement at first hand.

“It’s still a pretty a novel idea, even among long-time preservationists” Taylor explained last week during a short telephone interview. “Traditionally, the bulk of preservation efforts have focused on historic properties — buildings, monuments, even neighborhoods — that tend to be clustered in urban areas. But what we’re discovering now is that these historic sites don’t exist in isolation. Often they’re part of larger state and even regional areas which are just as important.”

Taylor is especially concerned about the loss of working farms across New England. He said a variety factors, ranging from fluctuating food and energy prices to competition from giant agribusinesses in the West and Midwest, were threatening the smaller, family-run farms and dairies that used to dominate the New England landscape. If economic conditions drive enough local farmers out of business, Taylor said, the very character of New England could change — and not for the better.

“You’d see a very profound change,” he said. “When you think of the quintessential New England landscape, it’s neither completely wild, like a forest, or completely urban. It’s usually something in between — a farm, a cleared field, maybe a small town or village. Losing those kinds of spaces would have a lasting effect on the entire region.”

Fittingly, this year’s eco-friendly preservation conference comes just a few days after Earth Day. Sponsored by the Rhode Island Historic Preservation & Heritage Commission, the conference features a wide variety of events and activities, ranging from workshops and walking tours to lectures and panel discussions. Highlights include a workshop on increasing the energy efficiency of historic homes, a bike tour of South County and a walking tour of the Olmsted-designed URI campus.

Fans of 20th-century architecture will also want to check out the conference’s afternoon tour of Biscuit City, a 1950s development that includes some of the state’s best examples of modernist residential buildings.

The 24th annual Historic Preservation Conference takes place Saturday, April 25, at the URI campus in Kingston. The registration fee is $40 per person and includes lunch and snacks. (Note: some of the conference’s more popular tours may be sold out.) For more information, call the heritage commission at (401) 222-2678 or visit the agency’s Web site.

bvansicl@projo.com