When: Sunday, October 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Kettle Pond Visitors Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
What: Trick or Treating will be setup on the ocean trail that goes to the viewing tower.
Costumes are encouraged. There will be buckets with candy, and decorations along the trail.
When: Friday, October 27 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Where: Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center in Ninigret Park
Cost: Tickets are required for visitors to attend this event. Tickets are free, though a suggested donation of $5 per person, either at the event or online, is very much appreciated. Link to get tickets in this post.
Dig out that old costume, put on your mask, and come out to the creepy woodlands of Ninigret Park to celebrate the Eve of All Hallows… If you dare…
When: Saturday, October 7th from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: South Kingstown Land Trust Headquarters, 17 Matunuck Beach Road, South Kingstown
Who: Staff from the Tomaquag Museum
What: Watch art demonstrations, shop in the art market, listen to storytellers, play fun games, learn about nature during TEK Walks, and so much more!
On October 14 the Americas will experience a fabulous annular eclipse of the Sun. Stretching from Oregon, across the United States, Central America, to Brazil, the Moon will eclipse the Sun, leaving a small ring of Sun around the Moon. Charlestown is not along the path of the annular eclipse, but our area will experience a partial solar eclipse.
Charlestown’s own Carla Ricci made this award nominated film about the 1938 hurricane. As we move through the hurricane season, take a look at the story of this other storm that changed the face of our region. The film is 18 minutes long with an emphasis on impacts in our area.
Surface water and groundwater in Charlestown already experience significant adverse effects from development … increased density of development invariably results in increased nitrate-nitrogen and pathogens from wastewater and stormwater, even with the most diligent application of best management practices.
Since 1975, Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program has been rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing sick, injured and stranded marine animals along 1,000 miles of the Northeastern coastline throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island and Fishers Island, New York.
More than 80 percent of the world’s population, and 99 percent of Americans and Europeans, now live under light-polluted skies. Many people live and die without ever seeing the Milky Way, but in Charlestown, we are so lucky to still have a clear view of the Milky Way.
A U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the Rhode Island Association of Coastal Taxpayers “lacked the proper standing to sue.” The lawsuit was filed against the R.I. Attorney General, The Director of Department of Environmental Management and the Coastal Resources Management Council Executive Director. The judge wrote that RIACT “seeks the wrong relief from the wrong defendants before the wrong court,”
“Putting in the planning and maintenance work necessary to prevent forest fires has benefits far beyond public safety. Forests directly reduce carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, play a major role in filtering pollution from our groundwater and cool the land in the summer. Of course, they provide many intangible benefits too, as any hiker or kid in a tree fort will attest.”
When: Tuesday, September 26 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Ninigret Park
What: Join the Charlestown Police Department for free food, prizes, public safety exhibits, and more!
When: Saturday, September 23 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Where: URI’s Onsite Wastewater Demonstration Center Grounds at Peckham Farm (Kingston, RI)
If you are planning to purchase a new nitrogen reducing septic system or already have one, then you shouldn’t miss this opportunity to join staff from URI’s Onsite Wastewater Resource Center and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for an in-person workshop to learn all about Nitrogen Reducing Septic Systems.
When: Tuesday, September 19 and Thursday, September 21
What: Learn about septic systems, how they work and how to care for them
Who: URI’s Onsite Wastewater Resource Center
Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to protect your family’s health, your wallet and the environment around you. The same workshop will be presented twice, once online, and once in-person.
When: Thursday, September 14 from 5 p.m to 6:30 p.m.
Where: East Beach, Charlestown
Who: This walk will be led by Janet Freedman of the URI Coastal Institute, formerly the Coastal Resources Management Council’s (CRMC) coastal geologist, along with staff from CRMC, Clean Ocean Access, and Rhode Island Sea Grant.
What: Join a walking tour of East Beach in Charlestown where the discussion will be Rhode Island’s new lateral shoreline access law and what it means for beach-goers and property owners.
This event is free, but registration is required.
Using $610,000 in federal funding, the former volunteer fire station at the corner of Matunuck School House Road and Old Post Road in Cross Mills will be transformed into a memorial park honoring past and present Cross Mills volunteer firefighters.
When: Sunday, September 17 at 9 a.m.
Where: East Beach (drive to the end of East Beach Road, bare to the left of Blue Shutters Beach, go straight on the dirt road and the parking lot will be on the left)
Who: Salt Ponds Coalition and ORCA
Register: Registration information in post
Join Salt Ponds Coalition and their partner, ORCA, to clean up East Beach. Our beaches have seen a lot of visitors this year, and might need a little post-Labor Day TLC!
“There is no question that production of solar energy is crucial to slowing the rate of climate change and mitigating the effects of fossil fuel use,” Ellsworth wrote. “But solar installations are not appropriate in every setting. If there was ever a place where it would be obviously wrong to install acres of solar energy panels, the Beaver River Road Historic District is it.
The toads, which spend much of their lives buried in the soil, get their names from the hard appendages, or “spades” on their back feet, which the toads use to dig themselves into the ground. The plan was to release thousands of baby toads, or toadlets, on Land Trust property where a spadefoot toad research project has been underway since 2019.
“Undeveloped lands are more than open spaces begging for development; they are working landscapes that with proper measures can mitigate human impacts by providing the ecosystem services we depend upon: maintaining water quality, soaking up carbon, preserving a sense of place, and sustaining habitats and communities.”
Officials are at a loss to explain why so many people decided to flock to the 57th annual Washington County Fair on Saturday afternoon, but whatever the reasons, the roads couldn’t handle the traffic. In an effort to clear the gridlock, emergency responders, organizers and fair staff, who were connected at all times by radio, agreed to stop selling tickets at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
When: Wednesday, August 23, Brief annual meeting at 6:30 p.m. immediately followed by the Guest Speaker
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Rd., next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange at bottom of post)
What: Hear about the recent major efforts to restore and maintain the vital salt marshes in Quonnie and Ninigret Ponds.
Who: Guest Speaker: Wenley Ferguson – Save the Bay.
Charlestown Land Trust Board members, Bill McCusker, Sheila Martin, and Patrice Fenton will cycle the entire 50-mile length of Rhode Island to raise funds for the Charlestown Land Trust! They are cycling from Douglas Massachusetts to the Mill Pond Preserve in Charlestown. You can make a donation to sponsor their effort by filling out their sponsorship form.
When: Wednesday, August 9 at 7 p.m.
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Rd., next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange at bottom of post)
What: The evolution of the Quonnie Neck, from the early rural farms of the 1800s to the present day beach associations, water systems, and paved roads.
Who: Presentation by Ken Andrew – Quonochontaug Historical Society Board Member
When: Thursday, August 10, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: In person at Charlestown Town Hall or watch the virtual meeting
The meeting will focus on water. Guests will be URI professor Dr. Thomas Boving, who will talk about the aquifer and ground water issues and Alyson McCann, also from URI, who will answer questions about well water.
When: Friday, August 11 from 9:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Where: Frosty Drew Campus in Ninigret Park
Why: To Celebrate Charlestown’s Beautiful Star-Filled Skies And See Some Passing Meteors
Who: Charlestown RI Dark Sky Advocates in Cooperation with Frosty Drew Observatory & Science Center
The annual Perseid meteor shower has begun and will peak Saturday, August 12 until the early hours of Sunday, August 13.
… tonight’s agenda item strikes us as a divisive and unnecessary undercutting of the Town Charter’s explicit and more democratically oriented decision to allow voters, not a public body, to determine the makeup of the town’s Planning Commission … there does not appear to be any reason for the Town Council to gratuitously interject itself into this matter and seek to undermine voters’ rights
Forbes names the eight best places in North America to see the Perseid meteor shower and Charlestown’s Frosty Drew Observatory is number two on the list! The annual Perseid meteor shower has begun and will peak Saturday, August 12 until the early hours of Sunday, August 13. Visit Frosty Drew or another dark place in Charlestown to see the beautiful show.
The Supreme Court determined that the General Assembly expressly ratified the entire Charter. The Supreme Court concluded that the Charter was more specific than the Chariho Act. Accordingly, Johnson’s petition was denied and Purcell’s petition was granted. The Court held that Purcell is legally entitled to the office of Chariho Regional School Committee member. Link to full Supreme Court decision in the post.
When: Saturday, July 22 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: Frosty Drew Campus in Ninigret Park
Why: To Celebrate Charlestown’s Beautiful Star-Filled Skies
Who: Charlestown RI Dark Sky Advocates in Cooperation with Frosty Drew Observatory & Science Center
All are welcome at this “Star Party” to enjoy our spectacular night sky in peaceful surroundings where we can be awestruck by its striking views.
When: Wednesday, July 26 at 7 p.m.
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Rd., next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange at bottom of post)
What: Explore the rich 150 year history of the West Beach ocean front property commonly known as the Nun’s House. We’ll also peek inside Quonnie’s few remaining tiny summer cottages.
Who: Presentation by Steve Young and Leah Bradshaw – Quonochontaug Historical Society Board Members
