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When: October 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What: The Charlestown Historical Society presents a Revolutionary War Encampment
Where: The Historic Amos Greene Farm
Who: Performed by the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment, Kingston Reds, 5th Connecticut, Peters’ Corps, 54’th A Foot, Butlers’ Rangers, Le Regiment Bourbonnais, and the Cape Cod Blue Jackets Fife and Drum Corp.
Access: Parking is at the Charlestown Elementary School with a shuttle bus that will start running at 9:45 a.m.
Cost: There is a suggested donation of $5.00 for anyone 14 years or older.

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The enactment of the new Residential Conservation Development Ordinance by the majority of the Town Council provides environmental and tax benefits for all Charlestown residents; weakening it would have served a very small class of corporate developers. These updates are meant to increase environmental protection, reduce long-term negative impacts to taxpayers, and at the same time provide ways for developers to reduce their own costs when they protect more open space.

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The non-profit group Environment Rhode Island announced Wednesday that it has filed a lawsuit against Kenyon Industries, Inc., and its parent company, Brookwood Companies Incorporated, for alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act at their textile mill in Kenyon, Rhode Island.

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If physical distancing had encouraged you to set out alone with your camera, you may have captured some stunning photographs of our beautiful landscapes and wildlife. Here are four ongoing photo contests where you can win either prizes or recognition for your beautiful photographs.

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Have you noticed how good you feel when you go for a walk outside in the woods? It has been proven that experiences in nature release your body’s ‘feel good’ chemicals and improve your overall health and wellness. Join Wendy Rappaport, USFWS volunteer, expressive artist, and naturalist for experiences that bring nature into your life to promote well being in mind, body and spirit. The classes will be held in August and September.

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The banner image is an aerial view of the subdivision on Cedar Meadows Road (off of Shannock Road) that shows a subdivision with approximately 70% open space. This subdivision was built under the current cluster ordinance and would still be possible under the proposed changes for conservation development. But with the flexibility provided by the new ordinance, a developer could reduce further the impacts to wildlife, wetlands, and groundwater and reduce long-term impacts to taxpayers.

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Charlestown and most of Washington County are experiencing extreme drought conditions. July 2022 in Rhode Island is the second driest July on record, over the past 128 years of record keeping. No matter what your normal water levels are, your well is probably drawn down more than normal.

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Three online wildlife surveys are currently accepting observations from the public: the herp observer, the wild turkey brood survey, and the summer deer surveys. All three surveys can be accessed through a smartphone or desktop computer. Simply take a photo of the animal, open the app, and follow the steps to submit your sighting.

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Since the Town Council first advertised the proposed Conservation Development in March, our political opposition has spread intentionally false and misleading information about the proposed ordinance. In this post is a table with some of the disinformation that is being spread and a response to each.

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Did you miss the Quonochontaug Historical Society’s July 13 presentation on our beautiful and important night sky? The entire presentation was recorded on two 30 minute videos. Links to videos in post. Charlestown is an important location for the study and viewing of the cosmos because we have the darkest skies along the coast between New York and Boston.

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At the July 11 presentation on Conservation Development, Scott Millar of GrowSmartRI, included, as examples of good land use, some existing Charlestown subdivisions in his presentation. These four subdivisions had been developed under the existing Cluster Development, and it was explained that subdivisions like these could be developed in much the same way under Conservation Development.

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There is a lot of misinformation being spread about Conservation Development by a political group who opposes this and many other conservation initiatives. Conservation Development does not apply to individual homeowners; it only applies to developers who are developing land into a major residential subdivision of six lots or more. In the post are some factual answers to questions about Conservation Development.

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On July 11 at 7 pm, the Charlestown Town Council will hold a public hearing to consider replacing the town’s current cluster design ordinance (mandatory for land development projects with more than five homes) with what is called Conservation Cluster Design (CCD). Conventional subdivision is still available for subdivisions of five lots or fewer.

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