St. Andrew Lutheran Church Outdoor Plant Sale
When: Saturday, May 24, from 8am to Noon
Where: St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 15 East Beach Road, Charlestown
Hanging baskets, annuals, perennials, mixed containers, vegetables, and herbs.
Mailbox
Mail sent to mail@CharlestownCitizens.org
The Charlestown Town Council’s 2025–2026 Budget
What: Budget Public Hearing
When: Monday, May 5 at 7 p.m
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
Municipal spending exceeds the amount of money the town will raise in tax revenue and still maintain a stable, low tax rate long term. The Budget Commission noted that expenditures continue to trend upward while revenues are increasing much slower.
Cinder Worm Workshop – Fly Tying & Fishing – Starts May 6
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with RI Department of Environmental Management, is hosting the Cinder Worm Workshop, now in its 16th year. There will be two evening classes 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.
Join Charlestown Land Trust For A Guided Walk At Amos Greene Farm
When: Saturday, May 10 at 10am
Cost: Free and open to all, but you must pre-register
Join CLT for a guided walk at Amos Greene Farm, their newest conservation easement property! This historic farm, now permanently protected by the Charlestown Land Trust, offers a glimpse into Charlestown’s rich agricultural heritage.
ecoRI: Charlestown’s Francis Carter Preserve Part Of Glacial History
“That’s a floodplain forest,” he said. “Pin oaks mixed with red maple. When the glacier retreated, a meltwater river likely piled sand here before the moraine, which these pines tolerate, while the lower plain became swampy and friendlier to the forest community across from us.”
Would a Homestead Exemption Be Good for Charlestown?
The Town Council sent a letter to our legislative delegation requesting authority to draft an ordinance to enact a homestead exemption. A homestead exemption allows one group of taxpayers to receive an exemption, while another group of taxpayers are required to pay the difference.
May 19 Special Meeting On Second Amendment Rights
At the April, 28 meeting, when asked what the meeting was about, Councilor Carney stated that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss “a Second Amendment resolution in support of Second Amendment rights.” It’s unknown why this information wasn’t included in the last two agendas along with the meeting announcement.
Arbutus Garden Club Spring Plant Sale
When: Saturday, May 10, 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, houseplants, 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.
Spring On Two Wheels – May Is Bike Month
When: Saturday, May 3 at 9 am sharp – NO RAIN DATE
Where: Meet at St. James Chapel, 2079 Matunuck School House Rd. (Please park on the far left of lot along the edge)
What: 10 mile bike ride on a route that passes by Charlestown Beach, Green Hill Beach, Moonstone Beach and South Kingstown Beach.
Who: Charlestown’s Block Island Sound Bikeway Committee and South Kingstown’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee invite you to ride with them.
Earth Day Celebration April 26
When: Saturday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Ninigret Park
What: Free activities for the whole family. Vendors and organizations offering earth friendly information and education.
Join Save The Bay In A Cleanup Of Charlestown Beach
When: Saturday, May 10, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Beach
Help keep Charlestown Town Beach clean! Shoreline trash is ugly and dangerous to wildlife, and shoreline cleanups are a great way for volunteers to make a difference.
Fundraiser To Honor Local Boston Marathon Winner Ellison Brown
The Tarzan Brown Memorial Fund has been established to preserve the memory of Ellison Brown, the runner who gave Heartbreak Hill its name, by seeking donations for the creation of a life size bronze statue of Tarzan. Once completed, the statue will be housed at Tomaquag Museum’s future location, at the University of Rhode Island. Link to donate in post.
Are You Getting Tired Of Picking Up Other People’s Trash?
You Can Take Action To Clean Up Litter And Plastic Waste By Supporting the 2025 Rhode Island Bottle Bills!
This year Rhode Island has two proposed bottle bills. Sign a letter to your state legislators today! Tell them to support H6207 and H6206 to fight litter and waste! Links to bills and to an easy to use form to write to legislators.
Join Charlestown Land Trust To Cleanup Ninigret Park And Nearby Streets
When: Sunday, April 27, 9am to 11am
Where: Meet at the Ninigret Park parking lot
RSVP: RSVP here to let CLT know you’re coming!
The Charlestown Land Trust (CLT) invites you to join them in celebrating Earth Day by participating in a rewarding community clean-up event.
Charlestown: A Brief History Of Its People And Land Settlement
When: Thursday, April 24 at 6 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
Who: Pam Lyons, President of the Charlestown Historical Society
What: Pam’s presentation will provide an overview of Charlestown’s land use history
Cost: Free
This presentation is sponsored by the Charlestown Land Trust (CLT) and is the fourth talk in their 2025 Speaker Series.
What Does 10% Affordable Housing Mean?
Most cities and towns in Rhode Island are “incentivized” to provide 10% of their year-round housing as low or moderate-income housing (LMIH). The “incentive” is that in towns without 10% deed-restricted, affordable units, developers can file development proposals known as “Comprehensive Permits” that allow them to build at much higher densities than zoning or environmental objectives would usually allow as long as 25% of their units are LMIH.
2025-2026 Chariho Budget Passes
Voters Passed the Chariho budget during Tuesday’s referendum. Charlestown voted 282 in favor to 34 against. Total District voters voted 911 in favor to 368 against. Thank you to all who voted!
Rush To Add Housing Will Have Unintended Outcomes
New housing must be supported by clean drinking water both in quantity and quality. The failure to plan for a safe and steady supply of drinking water can have catastrophic impacts. Any housing that will rely on onsite wells for their sole source of drinking water must be low density.
Eco-Depot In Narragansett
Why: Household hazardous waste must not be placed in regular garbage!
When: Saturday, April 19, 2025 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: Narragansett Beach – North Pavilion, 77 Boston Neck Rd.
Appointments are required for this event – link to register in post.
As We Enter The Spring Migration, Please Do What You Can To Conserve Birds
Approximately 70% of all bird species are migratory and 80% of those that undergo migration do so at night. As countless numbers of birds pass overhead as you sleep, many of them will be drawn off course by bright lights scattered across the landscape below them, leading to fatigue and increasing risk of collisions with buildings.
Runners Mark Your Calendars For The Deerfoot 5K
When: Saturday, April 26 at 10 a.m.
Where: Ninigret Park
What: A 5K to commemorate Deerfoot (Tarzan Brown)
Cost: $25 – Link to register in post
15 Year Anniversary Of The Great Flood Of 2010
Record-breaking rain at the end of March 2010 caused water to spill over flood plains. The Pawcatuck River rose and Shannock Falls impressed all those who ventured out to see and hear the pounding water. Some pumped out flooded basements, others had more devastating losses. We all learned lessons in wetland protection and storm water management. After the rains ended we received photographs from 12 different photographers and posted those at our website for all to remember what rain can do.
Town Council Meeting On 2025–2026 Municipal Budget
When: Monday, March 31 at 6 PM
Where: Charlestown Town Hall on Route 2 (4540 South County Trail)
What: Special Town Council meeting to review, discuss, and take potential action regarding the 2025–2026 municipal budget recommended by the Budget Commission.
Full Moon Hike at Kettle Pond Visitor Center With CLT
When: Friday, April 11 at 6:45pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
Sign up: Preregistration is required at this link
Join the Charlestown Land Trust for a guided moonlit hike through the trail system at Kettle Pond Visitor Center,
401Gives To Charlestown’s Environment
What: 401Gives Statewide Day of Giving
When: April 1, 2025 (4-01!)
Why: 401Gives brings people together to make a difference for local nonprofits that protect our beautiful community that is so rich in natural resources. 401Gives unites and offers everyone a safe, comfortable, and familiar virtual fundraising experience, all while giving nonprofits unrestricted funds that strengthen our community.
Charlestown’s Brush with Nuclear Power
When: Monday April 7 and Monday April 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at URI, 210 Flagg Road, Kingston, RI
Why: A proposal to build a twin-reactor nuclear power plant behind a barrier beach in our town came very close to fruition in the mid-1970s.
Register: You must register in advance for this course by April 6 at noon.
Community Roadside Litter Pick-Up Day
When: Saturday, April 19
Who: You and your family and friends
Where: Pick any road you like in Charlestown to pick up roadside litter
What: The town is providing the blue bags starting April 11, and the transfer station and fire stations will accept them without charge on April 19 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, April 8 – Chariho School Budget Referendum
When: Tuesday, April 8 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall on Route 2 (4540 South County Trail)
What: All-day referendum on 2025/2026 Chariho Regional School District Budget
Under the state law governing Chariho, a majority of the citizens of Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton must approve the Chariho School District Budget by referendum in order for the budget to be adopted.
Town Council Votes And Then Rescinds Vote To Take Narrow Beach Lot By Eminent Domain
“Given all of what has been able to be ascertained about the Property, the Town’s ability to exercise any rights with respect to the Property are limited by the rights of others. In practical terms, this means that the Town cannot use the Property for public access to the beach, cannot put signage or fencing on the Property, nor occupy it in such a manner as to impede the rights of the other co-owners in the Property.”
Allen’s Cove-Eastern Ninigret Pond Pilot Watershed Project
When: Wednesday, April 2, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
Register: Please use the linked form to register for this upcoming listening session
Staff from the Town of Charlestown and its partners at URI, the Salt Ponds Coalition, and Save the Bay are working to protect water quality in and around Greater Allen’s Cove and Eastern Ninigret Pond through grant funded septic system replacements, stormwater management improvements, water quality monitoring, and community engagement.