When: Saturday, June 8 from 12 p.m to 4 p.m
Where: Ninigret Park
What: Dancing – Music – Shopping – Food
Tomaquag Museum is Rhode Island’s only museum entirely dedicated to telling the story of the Indigenous peoples of this land.
A fragile stretch of sand runs nearly 2 miles between Spray Rock Road to the Breachway in Charlestown, but thoughtless motorists, empowered by commercials that glamorize Jeeps pulverizing non-pavement space, treat the Quonochontaug Sand Trail, and the dunes and beach that run parallel with it, as their private racetrack. Full story this week at ecoRI News.
Parade on Old Post Road on Sunday
When: Sunday, May 25 at 1 p.m.
Where: Starts at the South Kingstown line and ends at Charlestown Liquor Store
Parade in Carolina on Monday
When: Monday, May 26 at 11:00 a.m.
Where: Starts at the Richmond-Carolina Fire Station and ends at St. Mary’s Church in Charlestown.
When: Friday, May 17 at 9:00 am
Where: Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown
What: Release of two seals back to the wild
Gnocchi is young male gray seal and Ditalini is a juvenile male harp seal.
Please remember that seal release dates and times may change without notice.
The Friends of the National Wildlife Refuges of Rhode Island announce their 24th Annual Amateur Photo Competition to highlight the beauty of the five refuges that comprise the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Amateur photographers are encouraged to enter their existing refuge color photos or to take new ones. Photos and a $10 entry fee per photo must be received by September 5, 2024.
Frances Topping was at Ninigret Park on May 12 and from a distance saw a whitish haze on the rough broken parking area next to the Naval Air Memorial. On closer inspection, this turned out to be a large area covered with native Bluet flowers blooming in an otherwise very difficult area. They are a treat to see! Bluets are delicate, low-growing plants, mostly found in grassy areas so seeing them here was unexpected but a joy to behold.
We believe long-term bonding should be placed on general election ballots whenever possible. What these data show in stunning detail is that more citizens vote in general elections and the results are therefore different. In November 2018—a general election—71% of voters in Charlestown, 62% of voters in Richmond, and 64% of voters in Hopkinton voted to have the state allocate $250 million of their tax dollars on new school buildings. But, in 2024, a majority of CHARIHO voters refused to accept this money from the state, leaving their share of the money to go to other projects.
On May 9, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management announced the award of $2.6 million in grants to help communities and local conservation organizations protect valuable green space throughout the state. Eleven projects will receive matching grants through DEM’s competitive Local Open Space Grant Program to protect 383 acres across Rhode Island, but Charlestown will not be one of those communities. Since the 2022 election, land conservation has been blocked in Charlestown and no open space grant was submitted to DEM for the 2024 grant round.
On May 3, the CT Examiner interviewed Joseph Barr, Director of Network Development in the East Coast, who is working on the New Haven to Providence Capacity Planning Study. The Kenyon to Old Saybrook bypass is not off the table and Mr. Barr speaks of a past Environmental Impact Statement as if it was complete, but NEC Future never had environmental data for Charlestown and nearby towns. We will need to get that environmental data to them all over again. See our web page on the Federal Railroad Administration Plan for background.
Rhode Island’s seven native turtle species are on the move to find nests and resources after spending the winter in brumation, their own version of hibernation. When turtles leave their safe winter homes under mud or leaf litter, their search for resources and nesting spots often takes them across dangerous roadways. Read the post to learn how you can help turtles.
When: Friday, May 10 at 9:00 am
Where: Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown
What: Release of two seals back to the wild
Rotini is a female harbor seal yearling and Manicotti is a female gray seal.
Please remember that seal release dates and times may change without notice.
Dambo’s message is that the world is running out of resources. His trolls lure people out into the woods where there is soil, sun, water, and trees, and it is through the “wind and the whispers of nature” that his trolls speak. This message is especially appropriate for Charlestown which has amazing natural resources of national and statewide importance that are being negatively impacted by overdevelopment, but it’s a message that the Charlestown Town Council majority is not likely to hear or understand.
When: Saturday, May 11, 8:00 a.m. 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, hanging baskets, vegetables, herbs, and perennials from members’ gardens. There will also be Mother’s Day gifts and a raffle. Again this year will be a soil-testing table run by their Master Gardeners; please bring a cup of your soil for analysis.
It’s Not Whether You Stock, but Where. Turek says he has no objection to hatchery fish being stocked in waterbodies that don’t have native trout already living there. Corayer believes the focus of trout management in Rhode Island should shift from recreation to conservation. “I firmly believe that our state would be far better served by teaching people about the beauty of our natural surroundings and the potential to catch a gorgeous brook trout in the woods or along the side of the road as opposed to just dumping fish in a pond and letting them succumb to predation and starvation.”
Natural Resources Conservation Service in Rhode Island announces a third application sign up period for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program RI Forest Health Works. Apply by May 17, 2024, to be eligible for the third round of fiscal year 2024 funding.
Insects and their importance to migratory birds is the focus of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day on May 11. Charlestown is part of the Atlantic Flyway, one of the main routes for both the north and south bird migrations. Our town is home to the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, which was established to protect migratory birds. The numbers of birds migrating through Charlestown is significant.
When: Saturday, May 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Casey Farm, 2325 Boston Neck Road, Saunderstown RI
Find spring ephemerals and early blooming perennials and shrubs, perfectly timed for early pollinators and nesting birds, along with ferns and grasses.
Despite the rain, Charlestown’s April 20 Litter Pick-Up Day had a solid turn out of dedicated volunteers, and a respectable amount of roadside litter was picked up. If we are measuring volunteerism, love of community, hard work and just plain responsible citizenship, then it was a huge success! Bravo to everyone who made the event possible.
Claims of “misinformation” are sometimes misinformation in themselves and that is the case with the claim that CCA is spreading misinformation about a “stadium”. A search this week of our entire website revealed that in over 1,000 posts and pages, 1,400 comments, and 1,600 media files there is only one instance of the word “stadium” and that is in a 2012 letter from the National Park Service.
A URI-led team of researchers has found direct evidence of a species – the American woodcock, a migratory shorebird from eastern and central North America – that overlaps periods of migration and reproduction, a rare breeding strategy known as “itinerant breeding.”
When: Monday, April 15 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Elementary School, 363 Carolina Back Road.
What: The Town Council will discuss the new Ninigret Park Master Plan
Link to the full plan and more in post.
To celebrate National Bike Month, the Breachway Bikers Community Group and Charlestown’s Block Island Sound Bikeway Committee invite interested cyclists to join them for a ride.
When: Saturday, May 4 at 9 am sharp – NO RAIN DATE
Where: Meet at South Farm Preserve, 427 Old Coach Rd, (ample parking)
This year Charlestown voters will elect the individuals who will lead our town into the future, and it matters who is elected to town government. Much of what has been created and protected is at risk if people who cherish Charlestown’s beautiful, natural character do not stand up and volunteer to guide our town. Needed are individuals who understand that protecting our environment and preserving our natural resources are critical to maintaining our quality of life and our low tax rate.
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with RI Department of Environmental Management, is hosting the Cinder Worm Workshop, now in its fifteenth 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.
The Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife is seeking the public’s help to identify Bald Eagle nests throughout the state. With your help, they can keep the nesting database up to date to better inform conservation in Rhode Island. Contact email to report your nest sightings is in this post.
DEM is reminding Rhode Islanders to remain vigilant for invasive species as their lifecycles progress and they emerge during the spring. The Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) and Winter Moth are two invasive species that remain the focus of DEM’s Division of Agriculture and Forest Environment’s Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) and Forest Health Program efforts to monitor and limit the spread of pests which represent a tangible threat to Rhode Island’s agriculture and forests.
The commission studying forest management and fire prevention in Rhode Island’s forests has released its final report, recommending that the state allocate considerably more resources to mitigating the risk of wildfires. With forestry staff at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management cut by 75% since 1990, the agency has been able to manage just 1% of the state’s forests.
When: Monday, April 1 at 3 p.m.
Where: Room 313 – State House
Why: Let the legislature know you support a Bottle Bill that can make our roads cleaner and safer, reduce litter and marine debris, increase recycling rates, protect our environment and natural resources, and save taxpayers money.
2024 Earth Day Celebration
When: Saturday, April 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Ninigret Park
What: Free activities for the whole family
Thomas Danbo will soon direct the installation of two trolls in Ninigret Park. Mr. Danbo’s Trolls are intended to have a message of environmental stewardship. The Trolls have the full support of our Town Council, but this is a Town Council that doesn’t always make choices that protect the environment.