Ninigret Restoration Advisory Board – Second Public Meeting

When: Thursday, September 24 from 5 pm to 6:30 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
What: Second public meeting of the Ninigret Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) for the Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Landing Field formerly used defense site (Ninigret Park and the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New England District invites everyone to the second public meeting of the Ninigret Restoration Advisory Board (RAB).

USACE is actively investigating the former Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Landing Field (CNALF) under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) as a Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS). CNALF was used for flight training from the 1940s to the 1970s, encompassing 631 acres, including Ninigret Park and the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge.

Federal regulations require installations that are undergoing environmental restoration to ask their communities every 24 months if interest exists in forming a RAB. The USACE New England District found sufficient and sustained support for forming a RAB to advise USACE on environmental restoration of the former CNALF in February 2025.

The Ninigret RAB was convened in November 2025 after community stakeholders expressed sufficient and sustained support for forming a RAB to advise USACE on environmental restoration of the former CNALF. The Ninigret RAB comprises 12 members, which include community members, a representative of the municipality of Charlestown, a representative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a USACE representative.

This meeting will provide an opportunity for members of the Charlestown community to engage with the RAB, receive technical updates from subject matter experts, and ask questions and provide comments to Ninigret RAB members.

What is the Ninigret RAB?
The Ninigret RAB is a community-based board that meets regularly with USACE to review progress and provide input about environmental restoration at the former CNALF. The RAB acts as a liaison between the restoration team and the community.

More about the CNALF Project
From the 1940s to the early 1970s, the Navy used CNALF for training pilots and aviation crews. In 1982, the property was transferred to the Town of Charlestown for recreational use as Ninigret Park and to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to manage the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge. USACE is conducting a Remedial Investigation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to understand the nature and extent of potential chemical and munitions-related concerns stemming from former Navy operations.

For additional information about this project, visit the project webpage at https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects-Topics/Former-Charlestown-Naval-Auxiliary-Landing-Field/.