Lichen communities in 48 sites were extensively examined from June 19 through August 14, 2001. Of these, 22 were Rhode Island Nature Conservancy Preserves and related lands, 9 sites were State- and Town-owned lands, 4 sites belonged to the Rhode Island Audubon Society, and 13 are privately owned properties. A total of 92 different foliose and fruticose lichen species was found and identified, nearly 95% of which were located on protected lands (The Nature Conservancy Preserves, State and Town Parks, and Audubon Society Preserves and Refuges). An additional 13 species (5.4% of the total) not found on these protected lands were found on private properties. However, even most of these private lands are considered environmentally secure, as most sites were churchyards and cemeteries that offered specific lichen habitats not readily available elsewhere, including granite tombstones, cement monument bases, a variety of isolated trees, and, often, generally undisturbed soils. Table 1 further summarizes these collection sites. A more detailed discussion follows this table.

Table 1. The results of lichen surveys in 48 Rhode Island collection sites.
MANAGEMENT CONTROL	NUMBER OF SITES	NUMBER OF SPECIES	% OF TOTAL SPECIES
The Nature Conservancy and Related Lands	22	77	83.7
State- and Town-owned	9	7*	7.6*
Audubon Society-owned	4	3*	3.3*
Private Property	13	5*	5.4*
TOTALS	48	92	100.0
*new species, not previously found