Ruth Platner

On the agenda at the December 13 Town Council meeting is a renewal of the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) between the Town of Charlestown and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge. Ninigret Park is on land that was part of a WW II-era naval air training base. The base closed in the early 1970s. Approximately 380 acres became the USFWS’s Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge and the remaining 230 acres became Ninigret Park, owned by the town.

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Those in Charlestown who oppose land conservation and the resulting protection of wildlife habitat, ground and surface water and other natural resources continue to misrepresent a good land deal for our town. Acquiring a property that protects important natural resources at a price well below its retail value is a good deal for our town and a good use of funds dedicated to land conservation by the voters.

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Out of the 39 cities and towns, Charlestown had the 14th highest number of new homes. When existing population is factored in, we had nearly the highest rate of growth. Despite this growth, our political opposition claims that Charlestown is growing too slowly, that our regulations are burdensome, and that we do too much to conserve Charlestown’s natural resources.

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The real estate closing to purchase the property took place on September 30th. The land was acquired with funding from a $400,000.00 Natural Heritage grant from the state and the remainder in town open space funds approved by voters in a 2015 referendum. Trails and parking still need to be developed, but the land now officially belongs to Charlestown! Because the property was funded with a grant from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), public access and passive recreation is assured permanently.

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Charlestown is seeing a surge in development applications that will result in a level of growth not seen in over 20 years. We may reach a level of development applications that will be impossible for the Planning Department and Planning Commission to review. Impossible or not, state law requires that we review and make decisions within a set number of days.

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In 2013 and 2016, the Rhode Island Legislature passed bills that allow unbuildable perimeter wetlands and steeply sloped land to be included in determining buildable lot sizes. Lots that have large areas of wetland buffer have smaller buildable areas and create conflicts with wetland protection.

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This newest Comprehensive Plan has been developed entirely in the Internet age, and we have fully used those tools. The agendas, minutes, and videos of the meetings are available online. Drafts of chapters have been available online as they were first written and as they changed.

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The Charlestown Town Council will hold a public hearing at their regular meeting on April 12 to discuss the potential acquisition of 66.5 acres of mostly forested land that lies along Alton Carolina Road (Rt. 91) between The Nature Conservancy’s Francis Carter Preserve and the State’s Carolina Wildlife Management Area.

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On the Town Council agenda for Feburary 8 is a vote to allow the Town Administrator and Town’s attorney to negotiate a price for the property. DEM also has to approve the price and will not be involved in the sale if they believe the price is greater than the market value. If a sales price can be negotiated that the seller, town and DEM all agree on, the Town Council will hold a public hearing at a future meeting and then vote on the purchase.

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Charlestown is part of the only undeveloped area along the Eastern Seaboard that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the inland forests of New England and Canada. Charlestown contains critical wildlife habitats and recreation areas that are important in their own right, but in a regional context they are even more important. Fragmentation of this corridor diminishes the importance of the entire corridor for both wildlife and recreation.

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Red-Spotted Newts are a species of salamander that are found in Charlestown. They help to control mosquito populations by eating their larvae. The biggest threat that newts and other salamanders face is habitat loss and fragmentation. They are considered indicator species, meaning the health of their populations tell us about the health of the environment in general.

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If the Legal Defense Fund is unneeded, the money stays there unspent, costing the taxpayers nothing. Even if it did lower taxes, what would be the goal of making Charlestown weak in defending against big developers? The big developers of course will want to see this money removed from the budget, but why would we?

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There is much misinformation now circulating about the proposed budget, characterizing payments of debt obligation to the police pension as frivolous spending. Money put into the pension system will earn more long term than holding it in the surplus account.

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Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge is permanently protected, but more intense development on nearby public land and thoughtless destruction of forests and shrubland elsewhere will chip away at the value of the refuge to those species it was created to protect.

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Bill is a native of Charlestown, graduating from CHARIHO in 2002. When Bill is interviewing politicians for his podcasts or appearing on PBS or radio he brings with him an understanding of the natural and cultural history of Charlestown.

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When the camp was created, Charlestown had a small population and Charlestown like much of South County was mostly undeveloped. But land use has changed dramatically over the decades and the importance of the remaining large unfragmented forest parcels has greatly increased for species that depend on these large parcels.

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Rhode Islanders’ rights to the shore are clear, but what is less clear is where exactly you get to enjoy those rights. Legislation that provides a clear and easily measurable line of where public access starts would help everyone. Just landward of the seaweed line might be a good place to start.

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Even if bobcats are becoming more common in parts of Charlestown, they are still elusive. Bobcats seldom venture out during daylight hours. You are most likely to catch a glimpse of them at dusk and dawn when they are most active.

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Alone on the river it can feel like you are in a wilderness, 1000 miles from anywhere, just you and a startled beaver and the splash of sun bathing turtles diving into the water.

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Changing the Charter as the CDTC suggests, to require the automatic appointment of the “next highest vote getter” from among the defeated candidates, is not following the voter’s choice. The voter’s choice can only be measured in an election, and when there has been time for a special election the voters have chosen to defeat again the “next highest vote getter.” We should leave our Town Charter as it is.

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