Salt Ponds Coalition 2023 Online Auction Starts July 10
When: Starts Monday, July 10th at 6:00 a.m. and ends Thursday, July 13th at 7:30 p.m.
Salt Ponds Summer Celebration And Fundraiser July 13
When: Thursday, July 13th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Details and links to join the auction and fundraiser in the post.
When: Wednesday, July 26 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Where: Cross’ Mills Public Library, 4417 Old Post Road, Charlestown (map in post)
Registration: Please register by calling the Cross Mills Public Library at (401) 364-6211.
Cost: Free
Safe Well Water? Test to be sure.
When: Fridays, July 7, 14, 21 and 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center Archery Range, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown
What: The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service with support from the RI DEM Division of Fish and Wildlife and Narragansett Bow Hunters is now offering FREE archery days this summer.
USFWS will supply all of the equipment (please do not bring your own).
When: Garden Tours – Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and June 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
When: Presentation and Book Signing – June 24, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
When: “On the Wing” Exhibit – Now until August 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, Bend Road in Charlestown (map in post)
Learn about planting a native garden or meadow and why our corner of the world is important to migratory birds.
When: Sunday, June 11 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, Bend Road, Charlestown
Registration: Please call 401.364.9124 to register, anytime, just leave your name and number.
During this workshop, participants will learn the basics of tree identification and then practice their new skills on a field walk.
UPDATE: Rain and clouds will likely block the view of our beautiful sky tonight. If tonight’s event doesn’t work, there will be more scheduled soon.
When: Saturday, June 17 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. (weather permitting)
Where: Frosty Drew Campus in Ninigret Park
Why: To Celebrate The Summer Solstice and Charlestown’s Beautiful Star-Filled Skies
Who: Charlestown RI Dark Sky Advocates in Cooperation with Frosty Drew Observatory & Science Center
As we celebrate the shortest night of the year, we can party with the stars. Westerly may have Taylor Swift, but Charlestown has the entire cosmos.
Join the Charlestown Land Trust for their annual “Trust Me, You’ll Love It” 10K Trail Run
Where: Amos Green Farm, #223A Route 112 in Charlestown. Run continues on The Nature Conservancy’s Carter Preserve.
When: Saturday, June 10. Registration/check-in is 9:00 – 9:50 a.m. Runners start at 10:00 a.m. sharp, walkers at 10:15 a.m.
Registration link and details in post.
The legislation allows the expansion of net metering as part of a deal to allegedly remove the solar incentives from core forests, but this is a bad deal for RI. The legislation defines “Core forest” as unfragmented forest blocks totaling at least 250 acres or greater, unbroken by development, and at least 75 feet from any mapped roads. Although Charlestown has many areas of unfragmented forest, much of it would not meet this definition, leaving the town open to wide-scale forest clearing.
When: Saturday, May 27 from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. (Skies Should Be Clear!)
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. Charlestown has the darkest skies along the coast between New York and Boston. Read the post to learn guidelines for the event.
When: Saturday, May 20 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Where: Kettle Pond Visitors Center, Bend Road, Charlestown
What: An opening reception for the exhibit by the New England Chapter of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. This exhibit explores migratory birds and butterflies and their habitat.
When: Saturday, May 20 at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Meet at the Kings Factory Road entrance to the Francis Carter Preserve.
Who: Everyone is invited, but dogs must be leashed.
The trail, which will now be known as the Tarzan Brown Trail, will be dedicated on Saturday with the installation of a plaque created by Ted Brown. Ted Brown is a nationally recognized mason and is the grandson of Tarzan Brown.
When: Saturday, April 29 at 10:30 a.m.
Where: Cross Mills Library, 4417 Old Post Rd., Charlestown, RI
Why: This is an opportunity for the Charlestown community to bring their questions and concerns about state government and legislation to their State Representative.
“Dark Sacred Night” is a special project of the Princeton University Office of Sustainability. The film is only 15 minutes long. Please watch it and reflect on how lucky we are to live in Charlestown where we can still see the Milky Way.
The annual Lyrid Meteor Shower began on April 15 and will continue until April 29, with a peak date on April 23 in the hours just before dawn. The conditions for viewing the Lyrid Meteor Shower are considered optimal in 2023, assuming there will be some clear skies.
A commercial solar developer that appealed the Richmond Zoning Board’s denial of its application to develop solar along Beaver River Road has won its appeal of that decision in Rhode Island Superior Court. Beaver River Road is just over the Charlestown border in Richmond and is one of the most beautiful roads in Rhode Island. A portion of Beaver River Road is pictured in the banner for this post.
April 8 is the opening day of trout fishing season in Rhode Island and as they did last year, Protect Rhode Island Brook Trout (PRIBT) will be stationed at the most visited spot in the upper Wood River watershed to publicize and promote the adoption by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) of PRIBT’s proposal for the cessation of stocking of non-native species at this important native brook trout habitat.
The Charlestown Tax Assessor’s office has completed the 2022 Town-wide Property Revaluation Project to establish all property values as of December 2022. These new values will be used on the tax bills in July 2023, but a new tax rate will be used to calculate the tax. You can calculate your old tax bill and your new estimated tax bill and the difference using an online calculator at the Tax Assessor’s web page.
Solar development is responsible for 69% of Rhode Island’s recent forest loss, according to DEM. House Bill H 5540 sponsored by Representative Megan Cotter will establish more responsible solar siting. Your help is needed to support this bill. We need to get it passed. Next Year is too late! Our forests cannot survive another year of clear cutting. Sample testimony in the post, and instructions on how and where to send. Written testimony must be submitted by March 30 at noon.
The Southeast New England Program Network (SNEP) hosted a webinar in early March to offer solutions for the difficult problem of balancing housing needs with the protection of clean water. Increased housing growth will have a direct impact on Charlestown’s groundwater quality. State regulations alone are inadequate to protect water quality.
The Beverage Container Deposit Recycling Act of 2023 has been introduced in the General Assembly. Clean Water Action has provided a form to allow you to contact your state legislators and ask them to support it. Known as the “bottle bill,” this legislation will fight plastic pollution and increase our state’s recycling rate by creating a financial incentive for residents to properly return empty beverage containers.
When: Saturday, February 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: At the Charlestown Animal Shelter on Sand Hill Road in Charlestown
Mark will bring his 30+ years of experience in municipal management to Berkley, Massachusetts, when he becomes their new town administrator on February 13. Charlestown’s loss is truly Berkley’s gain. You can read the news about Mark and Berkley’s excitement to hire him in a story in the Taunton Daily Gazette.
At the January 23 Charlestown Town Council meeting I voted with a heavy heart and profound regret to accept the resignation of Mark Stankiewicz, our outstanding town administrator. I voted as I did to forestall Mark’s firing by a hostile majority of the town council who sought to dismiss him despite his excellent 10-year record of service. Mark’s departure is a dark day for Charlestown—where the baseless objections of certain councilors have overwhelmed the best interests of the town.
The amount paid to the District by each town is determined by that town’s share or percentage of enrolled students. Charlestown makes up 24% of total enrollment. The overall proposed school budget increase is 6.64%. Annual inflation for the New England region through November of 2022 is 6.4%. The Chariho Regional School District budget is adjusted for inflation to a zero percent increase compared to last year’s budget.
Every Friday night in the winter (weather permitting), Frosty Drew Observatory opens their Observatory, Science Center, Sky Theatre, and telescopes to the skies and offers free stargazing and astronomy to anybody interested in observing with them. They open on clear Friday nights at around 7:00 p.m. with views of the beautiful night sky over Ninigret Park.
Do you do a daily or occasional pick-up of roadside litter? Nips, which make up a lot of the litter on some roadsides, are mostly not recyclable, but now they have a use! They can be used to persuade the legislature to support legislation to reduce single use plastics, which will help to reduce litter and pollution in our area.
What started out as a routine trip to dump trash turned into a lovely day-out experience. The preserve covers 87 acres consisting of 2 large fields and lots of surrounding woodland with several trails through them, a small pond and some wetlands. After our walk we decided to lunch out … and decided on a nearby very small cafe owned and operated by local native Americans called “The Sly Fox Den Too”
When: Saturday, November 19, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Wine and Spirits, 4625 Old Post Rd, Charlestown
Why: RI CAN provides emergency food and outreach to thousands of at-risk residents in southern Rhode Island and beyond.
Thanks to Bob Petrone for sharing this beautiful video of a recent drone flight from East Beach to the Quonochontaug Breachway to display the beauty of the Charlestown coast.
When: November 5 to 27, Wednesdays to Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: DeBlois Gallery, 134 Aquidneck Avenue, Middletown, RI
What: A four artist show including botanical paintings by Charlestown resident and Planning Commission member Frances Topping.
