The state has awarded $3.85 million in local open space matching grants to 15 communities, land trusts and conservation organizations to protect nearly 1,200 acres of open space and farmland throughout Rhode Island.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee and Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit distributed the grants Monday at the Statehouse. Voters approved bond measures for open space in 2008 and 2012.

The state grants will be matched by local bond funds and federal grants. State officials say that more than $11.6 million will be spent on land preservation throughout Rhode Island.

The lands that will be protected include a 50-acre parcel of undisturbed forested land in Lincoln, 34.8 acres of farmland in Little Compton and 22.7 acres of forest and open meadow in South Kingstown.