When: Saturday, May 9 from 9 a.m. to noon
Where: URI Botanical Gardens. Attendees are encouraged to park behind the URI Fine Arts building in Lot 7 off Flagg Road.
The sale will feature annuals, perennials, herbs, and vegetable seedlings grown by URI Master Gardener propagation volunteers in the East Farm greenhouses.
The Wood-Pawcatuck Wild & Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council has an opportunity for an independent contractor experienced in social media and event planning. The work and compensation is described in detail in the post.
Town Councilor Bonnie Van Slyke placed the resolution in this post in honor of Donna Chambers on the April 27 Council meeting agenda, where it was read and approved by all the members. Donna, a long-time Charlestown member of the Chariho School Committee, passed away on March 11, 2026.
When: Saturday, May 16 at 10 am
Where: Meet at the parking lot next to Mini-Super
What: A guided bicycle tour through the Historical Cross Mills Village
Cost: Free
Register: Pre-registration is required – link to register in post
Participants will stop and visit several historical locations, buildings, and cemeteries along the route.
When: Friday, May 1 at 7 pm
Where: Charlestown Elementary School Gymnasium
What: An evening of History, Storytelling and Community
Cost: Free
Register: Pre-registration link in post
Enjoy an historical play presented by students of the Chariho School District. Play will be approximately 45 minutes long.
When: Saturday, May 9, 8:00 am to Noon (come early for the best selection)
Where: St James Parish Center, 2079 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, Charlestown
Cost: Free parking and admission
This Plant Sale features flowering annual plants, houseplants, herbs, and perennials from members’ gardens. There will also be Mother’s Day gifts. Again this year there will be a soil-testing table run by URI Master Gardeners; please bring a cup of your soil for analysis.
When: May 7 to May 28
Where: Cross Mills Library (4417 Old Post Rd, Charlestown) and guided hikes at Canonchet Brook Preserve in Hopkinton and Mill Pond Preserve in Charlestown
What: Writing About Place is a collaborative community series featuring four writing workshops and two guided hikes focused on observing, experiencing, and writing about the landscapes around us.
When: Monday, April 13 to Sunday, April 19 – from 8 pm to 10 pm every night
Where: Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center in Ninigret Park
Why: Charlestown is joining in the celebration of International Dark Sky Week
International Dark Sky Week is a global celebration of the night and Charlestown is known for some of the darkest night skies remaining on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.
When: Saturday, April 25, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Where: Charlestown Town Beach
Help keep Charlestown Town Beach clean! Shoreline trash is ugly and dangerous to wildlife, and shoreline cleanups are a great way for volunteers to make a difference.
When: Saturday, April 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Ninigret Park
What: Free activities for the whole family. Vendors and organizations offering earth friendly information and education.
Voters Passed the Chariho budget during Tuesday’s referendum. Charlestown voted 579 in favor to 102 against. Total District voters voted 1741 in favor to 1324 against. Thank you to all who voted!
Ph.D. student Madison Geraci receives a Nature Conservancy award to study microscopic organisms that reveal how local salt marshes respond to restoration and change.
When: Wednesday, April 29 at 6 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
Cost: Free and open to all! No pre-registration required.
Join URI PhD student Christopher Hickling and the Charlestown Land Trust for an engaging look at the interaction of bobcats and human land use in Rhode Island.
When: Saturday, April 25 from 9 am to 11 am (Rain Date: April 26)
Where: Meet at Ninigret Park parking lot, 5 Park Lane, Charlestown
Cost: Free and open to all
RSVP: Link in post to let CLT know you’re coming!
The Charlestown Land Trust (CLT) invites you to join them in a rewarding community cleanup event.
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with RI Department of Environmental Management, is hosting the Cinder Worm Workshop, now in its 17th year. There will be an evening class in fly tying instruction and one weekend evening of fly fishing, all free and without charge to registrants. The course syllabus is a treasure chest of comprehensive knowledge and instructional excellence. Dates and details in post.
When: Saturday, April 25 at 10 a.m.
Where: Ninigret Park
What: A 5K to commemorate Deerfoot (Tarzan Brown)
Cost: $25 – Link to register in post
When: May 1, from 1 pm to 3 pm
Where: Francis Carter Preserve, Charlestown
Cost: Walk is free and open to the public
Registration: Preregistration is required (link to preregister in post)
Who: This walk is organized by the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society
Hone your observation skills and improve your ability to identify wildflowers.
When: Thursday, April 16 (Rain Date: April 17) 3:30 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown
Cost: This event is free and open to all – No pre-registration required
Warm up with hot cocoa and join arborist Dan Weise for this next event in CLT’s 2026 Speaker Series! Dan will lead a guided forest walk featuring tree and shrub identification and much more.
When: Thursday, April 16 at 5 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
Cost: Free and open to all! No pre-registration required.
Join the Charlestown Land Trust for a presentation with landscape architect and arborist Michael Cavanagh on invasive plant management. A focus on the native plant communities that are used to support local ecosystems and to minimize invasive plant problems.
Why: Household hazardous waste must not be placed in regular garbage!
When: Saturday, April 18, 2026 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: Narragansett Beach – North Pavilion, 77 Boston Neck Rd., Narragansett
Appointments are required for this event – link to register in post.
The Department of Environmental Management is reminding Rhode Islanders to remove potential food sources from their properties as black bears emerge with warmer weather. Bird feeders, unsecured trash cans, livestock feed, and other easily available household and backyard food sources attract bears primarily in early spring, during droughts, or in the fall when they are trying to put on weight for hibernation.
In addition to our in memoriam post, there is also now an obituary for Donna Chambers where you can leave messages for the family.
When: Monday, March 30 at 6 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
Cost: Free and open to all! No pre-registration required.
Join the Charlestown Land Trust for a presentation with RI DEM Forest Health Program Coordinator Alana Russell for a presentation exploring how warming temperatures are influencing beetle populations and what this means for Rhode Island’s pitch pine forests.
Scott Millar is an Environmental Scientist and Land Use Planner who worked in leadership positions at the RI Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) and Grow Smart Rhode Island. In this post he explains why watersheds for public surface water and groundwater drinking water supplies are not appropriate for high-density development.
When: Saturday, March 7 from 10 am to 12 pm
Where: The Caf Bar, 5153 Post Road (The Venue at Wilcox Tavern)
Who: Stephen McCandless, Charlestown GIS Coordinator and Coastal Geologist; and Charlestown’s State Representative Tina Spears
The purpose of this act is to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds to fund coastal preparedness and resilience projects that protect Rhode Island’s communities, critical facilities, and natural systems
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? Volunteers for front desk shifts at the Kettle Pond Visitor Center, Environmental Education Support, and Shorebird Stewardship. Details in post.
This work aims to restore natural barrier beach processes, improve nesting areas for the federally threatened piping plover, support healthier salt marshes, which provide vital habitat for fish, shellfish, and diverse bird species, and enhance the resilience and recreational value of East Beach for the public.
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.
Scientists at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography have identified a long-term source of PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” entering the Pawcatuck River from two historically contaminated textile mill waste retention ponds decades after textile operations ceased.
Earlier this month, RI Governor McKee submitted his draft budget to the General Assembly, which includes the 2027 Green Bond. The Green Bond contains NO FUNDING for conservation or farmlands and only a small amount for Outdoor Recreation Grants – It isn’t green at all!
