Two Gentle Giants Are Arriving To Teach Environmental Stewardship, But Will The Town Council Listen?
Artist Thomas Danbo will soon direct the installation of two giant trolls in Ninigret Park. Danbo says he creates trolls because they have always been protectors of our forests. He has created over 100 of these mythical creatures in 17 countries, each with a different story, but Danbo says they are here to teach. His message is that the world is running out of resources. His trolls lure people out into the woods where there is soil, sun, water, and trees. Danbo says that it is through the wind and the whispers of nature that his trolls speak.
This message is appropriate for Charlestown’s Ninigret Park, which the town applied for and acquired, in the early 1980s, for recreation, conservation, and open space purposes.
The trolls have the full support of our Town Council, but this is a Town Council that doesn’t always make choices that protect the environment.
Be patient, the video below from CBS news pushes an advertisement before the troll video starts.
The Town Council majority has:
- Blocked important land preservation efforts
- Resisted protecting our beautiful night sky
- Proposed changes to zoning that negatively impact our groundwater and drinking water
- Promoted increased housing density that will pollute our coastal ponds and inland freshwater ponds
- Supported activities that interfere with the mission of the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge
- and lots more …
March 26, 2024 @ 9:08 am
I like how you lure people in to read the article because it seems like you support the trolls, but then you pivot and start to attack your political rivals. That doesn’t seem like something a friendly woodland steward would do.
March 26, 2024 @ 9:42 am
Huh? The title very clearly says “But Will The Town Council Listen?” No one is being lured in unless you didn’t read the title. This “friendly woodland steward” as you call it, is a marketing device to get more visitors to the area to eat lunch at local restaurants. The artist may want to have a message of environmental protection, but will the town council listen? So far they have put a heavy emphasis on developers interests. As one town councilor put it, developers are just landowners who should be able to do whatever they want with their own land. A “friendly woodland steward” might think that is just dandy, but I’m glad someone here is speaking up.
March 24, 2024 @ 3:22 pm
Who is sponsoring this installation and what does it cost?
March 24, 2024 @ 6:18 pm
“This is a $123,000 marketing initiative spearheaded by South County Tourism Council to spur more visitation to the area.” More at https://pbn.com/trolling-for-dollars-south-county-tourism-council-hopes-artists-work-lures-spending-visitors/ but you need a subscription to Providence Business News to read the whole article.
March 24, 2024 @ 6:01 am
These trolls are meant to increase visitors to the park and somehow add customers for local businesses. Some people think there is a direct connection between park visitors and an increase in local business activity. This has yet to be proven.