Mailbox

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.

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

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,

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

“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.”

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

The Department of Environmental Management is reminding Rhode Islanders to remove potential food sources from their properties as black bears emerge with warmer weather. Bird feeders, unsecured trash cans, livestock feed, and other easily available household and backyard food sources attract bears primarily in early spring, during droughts, or in the fall when they are trying to put on weight for hibernation.

Continue Reading --->

When: Wednesday, March 19 at 6 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown
Cost: Free
Join the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council in partnership with the Charlestown Land Trust for a two-part film series on the natural history, latest science and conservation efforts surrounding river herring.

Continue Reading --->

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

Continue Reading --->

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 …

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

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

Continue Reading --->

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

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

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

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->

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

Continue Reading --->

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

Continue Reading --->

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.”

Continue Reading --->

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.

Continue Reading --->