When: Wednesday, March 26 at 6 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
Who: Brian O’Connor and Paul E. Pezza, founding members of Protect Rhode Island Brook Trout (PRIBT)
What: Brian and Paul’s presentation will explain the urgent need to protect Rhode Island’s threatened wild brook trout populations
What: The public hearing on the Chariho Regional School District’s 2025-2026 budget
When: Tuesday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Chariho Middle School Auditorium
Why: The public hearing will concern the proposed school budget for the 2025–2026 budget year and any and all other business that may be lawful at said meeting.
Details in this post …
If you don’t regularly check your Promotions tab, or would prefer the CCA email to arrive in your primary inbox, there are two different ways you can teach Gmail to put CCA email in your Primary tab.
Apologists for the current Town Council have cherry picked a series of events claiming to prove that the majority CCA Town Council from 2018 to 2020 did as the current Town Council has done and not respected the will of the voters by not advancing elected Planning Commission members in their voting order. This claim is not true, but because their lies are interspersed with just enough bits of truth, some will think them true.
When: Saturday, March 15 at 10 am
Where: Mill Pond Preserve, 4962 South County Trail, Charlestown
Preregistration: Registration is required. Please sign up here to reserve your spot!
This walk is sponsored by the Charlestown Land Trust
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.
The Town Charter allows the Town Council to make appointments to the Planning Commission when there is a vacancy, but the Town Council ignored over 30 years of precedent in how to fill a vacancy in making the January 13 appointment. They also ignored other sections of the Charter that make clear the intent for these appointments.
Shortly after the New Year representatives from the US Army Corps held a meeting at the Kettle Pond Visitor Center to provide an overview of its investigation and cleanup efforts and to gather feedback on how it can better inform the community about the current cleanup projects in Ninigret Park and Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge.
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
There are great health benefits, for body and soul, when connecting with nature, and winter is one of the most beautiful times to hike in Charlestown. We are so lucky to live in Charlestown, where we have access to the Pawcatuck River, ponds, parks and public open space located throughout our town.
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.
We live in a beautiful community, rich in natural resources. Giving your friends and family gift memberships in local environmental organizations, or making year-end gifts directly to these organizations, can help to preserve and protect our local environment. In the post are ideas for holiday gifts that can make a positive difference in our local environment.
The holidays are rich in good food and drink. We shouldn’t forget to thank the farmers who make it all possible nor forget those who sadly experience hunger this time of year.
Education is central to a strong community. We offer these gift giving ideas to build and broaden educational opportunities in Charlestown.
During the summer of 2016, the Charlestown Town Council began to distribute reusable tote bags in an effort to reduce single-use plastic waste. The bags have proven hugely popular and would make a great gift. They can be purchased at Town Hall.
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
Ninigret Park’s history as a former military site necessitates careful management to ensure public safety and environmental integrity. Charlestown must collaborate with federal and state agencies, particularly the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and RIDEM, before initiating any changes within the park. This collaboration is essential to maintain ongoing remediation efforts and to prevent the town from incurring significant liabilities.