When: Wednesday, February 26 at 6 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
Who: Wenley Ferguson, Director of Habitat Restoration at Save The Bay
What: Wenley’s presentation will explain salt marsh restoration in Charlestown and throughout the salt ponds and Narragansett Bay
Each February, for four days, people watch and count as many birds as they can find and report them with phone apps or on a website. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.
When: Saturday, January 25th at 1:00 pm
Where: Cross Mills Public Library, 4417 Old Post Rd., Charlestown
Who: Local writer Betty J. Cotter teaches writing and journalism at local universities and colleges and lives in the Shannock area of Charlestown
In this illustrated lecture, Betty, who is a Charlestown School graduate, will give details of the history of the school from its origin as the Pawcatuck Valley school in 1918, through its expansion in 1975.
Anthony Dean Stanton, Chief Sachem of the Narragansett Indian Tribe, is speaking out against recent land transfers that he says are benefiting groups that are not legitimate American Indian tribes. The Narragansett Indian Tribe is Rhode Island’s only federally recognized tribe. The Narragansett have approximately 1,800 acres of land in Charlestown. Story at RI PBS web site.
When: Wednesday, January 22 at 6 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
Who: Presentation by Bill McCusker, President of both the Charlestown Land Trust and the Friends of the Saugatucket
What: Bill’s presentation will explore the South County springtime fish migration, focusing on river herring in the Saugatucket River
When: Wednesday, January 1st
11:30 am arrival and registration, then plunge at 12:00 Noon sharp!
Where: Charlestown Town Beach
Registration form in post
Bonfire
When:Tuesday, December 31st at 5:30 p.m. (food trucks begin at 4:00 p.m.)
Where: Ninigret Park
Stargazing
When: Tuesday, December 31st from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Where: Frosty Drew Observatory in Ninigret Park
The Chariho School Committee was expected to vote on a new Chair at the Tuesday meeting, but the position remains vacant after seven of the 12 committee members voted to approve a motion to table the vote. The move has infuriated many residents, including Etta Zasloff of Hopkinton, who, after attending the meeting, filed a complaint with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office, alleging a violation of the Open Meetings Act. Reynolds said she was worried about the future of the school district. “I have some real concerns about the direction that Chariho will go in, for the students and for our reputation and for our community as a whole.”
The 1,100 acre Francis Carter Preserve in Charlestown is a haven for a number of struggling bird species, and an important site for studying what these species need to survive. One of those species is the American Woodcock. Recent URI PhD Colby Slezak tells how following the migrating shorebirds revealed a nesting pattern rarely ever seen before.
When: Wednesday, January 8 from 5 pm to 8 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
What: Community Meeting on Environmental Restoration at Former Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Landing Field
When: Thursday, December 12 at 5:00 pm
Where: Charlestown Town Hall (Town Council Chambers)
What: The Climate Resiliency Commission will host a public meeting on the development of the new Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan
Attend the meeting to ask questions and add your ideas about hazard mitigation. Link to Hazard Mitigation survey in post.
When: Saturday, December 7th from 12 p.m to 4 p.m.
Where: Quonochontaug Grange, 5662 Post Road Charlestown
The Tomaquag Museum Team invites you to join them in celebrating Nikommo, a beloved Narragansett tradition that’s all about giving back. It’s a fantastic chance to dive into Native arts and enjoy some amazing storytelling.
Where: https://www.32auctions.com/CLT2024HolidayBazaar
When: Friday, December 6, 12 a.m. to Monday, December 9, 9 p.m.
Ring in the season of giving with the Charlestown Land Trust’s fourth annual online holiday auction. The proceeds directly support the protection and stewardship of the open spaces in the Land Trust’s care as well as their outreach efforts and programming.
When: Friday, December 6 from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm
When: Saturday, December 7 from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm
Where: Cross’ Mills and Charlestown Beach Business Areas
When: Saturday, December 14 from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm
Where: The Fantastic Umbrella Factory, 4820 Old Post Road
One more reason to protect Charlestown’s dark skies is that they are good for our health. The clearest positive effect of spending time in the natural night is a sense of awe. Whether contemplating the vastness of the cosmos or admiring the delicate dance of nocturnal life on Earth, spending time in nature at night gives us a sense of wonder and perspective.
When: Saturday, December 7, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Mini Super, 4071 Old Post Road, Charlestown
Why: Indie Cycle is offering this great opportunity to dispose of your unwanted electronics that can be either recycled, reused or refurbished.
When: Friday, November 29 at 10am
Where: Meet at the Patricia Sprague Forest Preserve on Railroad Ave. in Carolina
Who: Hike will be led by Bill McCusker, Charlestown Land Trust President
Cost: Free and open to all
RSVP: You must register for the hike
The Charlestown Land Trust (CLT) is gearing up for their 4th Annual Holiday Bazaar Fundraising Auction, and they would love for you to be a part of it! They’d be thrilled if you could donate an item, service, or experience to their auction! Your contribution will be fully tax-deductible and will help the Charlestown Land Trust raise critical funds to continue their mission of protecting open space in Charlestown.
When: Saturday, November 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 15 East Beach Road, Charlestown
Holiday Baskets of Greens, Crafts, Baked Goods, Jewelry, Books, Quilts, Santa’s Workshop, Soft Goods, Nearly New Items, Coffee, donuts, and more
When: Saturday, November 23, 8:00 a.m. to Noon
Where: St James Family Center, 2079 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, Charlestown
Cost: Free parking and admission
This Holiday Sale features beautiful and well priced holiday decorations for your house, dining table, mantle and outdoor displays, hand made by Garden Club members to raise funds for their scholarship program.
When: Thursday and Friday, November 14 and 15
Where: Ninigret Park (see map in post for location of vault)
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District will remove a buried electrical vault that was used for runway lighting at the former Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Landing Field.
Coastal planners in Rhode Island are asking the public to take photos of flooding of low-lying coastal areas that occurs during the upcoming extreme high tides (called King Tides) arriving October 16 through 20 and November 15 through 17 and share their photos using the MyCoast App. These photos can identify where resilience efforts are needed. You can take photos at any beach, or flooded roads, parking lots, buildings, seawalls, playgrounds, and yards.
When: Saturday, October 19 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Where: Mill Pond Preserve, across from East Charles St. on South County Trail
RSVP: Please register for this event
The Charlestown Land Trust invites you to join them at Mill Pond Preserve for their annual S’mores Social. Enjoy a marshmallow roast with good company and conversation!
When: October 19 and 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Over 25 art workshops and exhibits in multiple locations in Hopkinton, Richmond, Charlestown, and surrounding areas
What: Visit local artists and artisans in their studios and workshops and view their amazing work
Cost: Free
When: Saturday, October 26 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Ninigret Park Parking Lot
Pre-register your trunk: Trunks and people handing out candy must pre-register to participate. For all others, this is not required.
Dress the kids in costumes and enjoy trick or treating with a twist; instead of going from house to house, participants will trick or treat from one decorated car trunk to another.
When: Wednesday, October 9 at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
What: Charlestown Land Trust Members’ Annual Meeting with guest speaker Steve McCandless, Charlestown GIS Coordinator. Steve will speak on the issues facing the Charlestown Breachway, as well as proposed solutions.
When: Sunday, October 6 at 10:00 a.m. sharp. There is no rain date!!
Where: Meet at the Burlingame State Park main Parking lot, on Klondike Road
To celebrate October, the Breachway Bikers Community Group and Charlestown’s Block Island Sound Bikeway Committee invite interested cyclists to join them for a ride.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Rhode Island Headquarters is at the Kettle Pond Visitor Center on Bend Road in Charlestown. This is the headquarters for all of the National Wildlife Refuges in Rhode Island. What is needed? The greatest need is on weekends and Wednesday afternoons. Even volunteering once or twice a month is a huge help and shifts are only three hours long. Volunteers of all ages are welcome. This is also a great way for students to get volunteer hours!
A full list of recreation offerings in Charlestown with event dates, including recreation programs for children and adults. The change of season doesn’t slow down recreation in Charlestown.
When: Thursday, September 19 at 4:00 pm
Where: Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown
What: Release of two Sea Turtles
Phineas, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle and Tullibee, a green sea turtle will be released.
