CCA Blog and Mail Box

Before sending the ordinance to a public hearing, the Town Council stripped the regulations of the Special Use Permit requirement. This makes it a “by right” use on any commercial lot along the Scenic Highway. They also removed several other recommendations from the Planning Commission’s version of the ordinance that protect the rights of abuters, neighborhoods, and natural resources.

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The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Rhode Island Headquarters is at the Kettle Pond Visitor Center on Bend Road in Charlestown. This is the headquarters for all of the National Wildlife Refuges in Rhode Island. What is needed? The greatest need is on weekends and Wednesday afternoons. Even volunteering once or twice a month is a huge help and shifts are only three hours long. Volunteers of all ages are welcome. This is also a great way for students to get volunteer hours!

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A full list of recreation offerings in Charlestown with event dates, including recreation programs for children and adults. The change of season doesn’t slow down recreation in Charlestown.

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When: Thursday, September 19 at 4:00 pm
Where: Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown
What: Release of two Sea Turtles
Phineas, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle and Tullibee, a green sea turtle will be released.

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What: Be Safe! Be sure to wear at least 200 square inches of florescent orange (usually a hat and or a vest) when hiking on state, federal, or other public and private open space.
When: *September 7, 2024 – February 14, 2025 for deer, and until May 18 for other game.

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The Charlestown Land Trust has announced the expansion of protected land at the historic Amos Greene Farm in Charlestown. Thanks to the incredible generosity of landowners Carla and Russ Ricci, an additional 47 acres have been placed under conservation easement, bringing the total protected area on the Amos Greene Farm to 87 acres and increasing the Charlestown Land Trust’s total protected acreage to almost 700 acres.

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Weidman said the new law enables development by right of ADUs in homes near Charlestown’s environmentally sensitive salt ponds, which the state Coastal Resources Management Council, she said, rates as already beyond their capacity to safely tolerate more wells and septic systems. She remains unhappy that an effort to carve out these areas in the legislation was rejected.

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Early last month the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program (NBEP) released “Into the Woods: Solar in the Forest” to examine the number and location of ground-mounted solar projects in the region and to assess how much green space has been lost to solar development. The NBEP mapped solar arrays in the forests of the 113 municipalities in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut that make up the Narragansett Bay region. Nearly 4,000 acres in the region, most of which was undeveloped, have been cleared for solar projects. “By far, most solar projects were installed in forested areas or cropland,” according to the recently published study.

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In Charlestown, the fall bird migration begins in August and continues into November. Birds are tracked on radar and thousands of birds are passing through Washington County each night. In this post are links to tools that predict and monitor bird migration in real time through our area, and tips on how you can help the birds in their long migrations.

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The proposed development consists of changes to the existing commercial building that has a floor area of 9,444 square feet, and construction of six new one-story commercial buildings, with a total of 23,892 square feet of building floor area, new parking areas, a new septic system (OWTS) and a new public well.

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Rhode Island PBS has created some short segments called Trail Stories that they show between longer programs. This one features the fabulous Carter Preserve, the 1,100 acre preserve located in Charlestown and owned by the Nature Conservancy (TNC). The film opens with the Tarzan Brown Trail and is narrated by TNC’s Tim Mooney.

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As it has for a quarter of a century, Rhythm & Roots will return to Charlestown, this Labor Day Weekend, August 30, August 31, and September 1. This year, the festival showcases music on three stages (the Roots, Rhythm, and Dance Stages) and will feature a variety of music styles, including Cajun, Zydeco, blues, country, bluegrass, Americana, and many other genres.

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There is a plan to increase the resiliency of the breachway so it can support critical habitat for flora and fauna and help to ensure the continued viability of Ninigret Pond for the future. The plan would involve repairing the west seawall to help prevent future filling of excess sand in the pond and to enhance the barrier dune habitat. Dredging will also be needed to clear out the current sand blockage in the breachway.

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Currently, the Planning Commission does not have enforceable standards for commercial development. It still won’t have. The Town Council insisted that the required zoning ordinance language would not be included in the consultants’ work; it was just to be a design document. This leaves us at the mercy of a developer to follow or not follow these guidelines.

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When: Wednesday, August 21 at 6:30 pm
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Roads, next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange in post)
Using drone technology, learn about the severe erosion that impacted Quonnie beaches this past winter and what can be done to slow this perennial problem.
Who: Presentation by Art Ganz, Marine Scientist

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When: Saturday, August 24 at 9:00 am
Where: Meet at Quonochontaug Yacht Club, 155 West Beach Road
Preregister: The tour will be limited to 20 kayaks. Preregister on a first-come-first-served basis by emailing: alicia@joinsaltponds.com or angela@joinsaltponds.com
Rain Date: Sunday, August 25th at 9:00 am

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When: Saturday, August 17, at 10:00 am
Where: Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge
Cost: Program is free
Registration: Please pre-register as space is limited
Hands-on experience that introduces children and their families to a variety of aquatic creatures living in the salt ponds.

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The University of Rhode Island is looking for answers from a community wide survey. The survey is focused on identifying and addressing concerns about coastal resilience and the Charlestown Breachway barrier beach-lagoon system in Charlestown, Rhode Island. Link to survey in post.

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When: Wednesday, August 21 at 7:00 pm
Where: Charlestown Town Hall, 4540 South County Trail
The Charlestown Planning Commission is hosting a public workshop to present a draft of commercial and village standards to promote good design for new development in commercial areas in Charlestown.

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When: Thursday, August 8, 6 pm to 7 pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown (map in post)
Cost: Free
Join U.S. Fish & Wildlife staff for an enlightening evening exploring the diverse world of fungi and mushrooms!

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When: Thursday, August 8, 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown (map in post)
Cost: Free with all materials provided
With her many years of experience teaching adults how to paint, Elizabeth “Miss Art” Nordstrom will teach you how to paint from sketches or life in this fun, beginner’s art class.

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Protecting our groundwater will involve preserving enough land for our septic systems to treat wastewater and for the rainwater to re-charge aquifers and thus will involve protecting more open space, careful use of impervious surfaces, and reasonable control over the density of our growth. The failure to learn these lessons could be very challenging and expensive for Charlestown.

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Ned Draper, who has served as the Director of Administration and Finance for the Chariho School District since 2020, has left the district and has already begun working at the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business as its Chief Business Officer. School Committee Chair Catherine Giusti said Draper would be difficult to replace. “While I’m happy for Ned, his leaving is a huge loss for Chariho and our community,” she said.

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When: Monday, August 19, at 7 p.m.
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown
Cost: Free and open to the public
The featured speaker, Steve McCandless, will discuss the issues the breachways are facing and what is being proposed to address the issue at Charlestown Breachway in Ninigret Pond.

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When: Wednesday, August 7 at 7 pm
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Roads, next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange in post)
What: Most people know about the great hurricane of 1938, but you may be surprised at the impact that these two other storms had on Quonnie shores.
Who: Presentation by Bill Steinman and Steve Young

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Where: All activities will be held on tribal land off of Rt. 2 and Old Mill Road in Charlestown
Cost: Admission is $10 for adults and $3 for children.
When: Saturday, August 10, and Sunday, August 11, 2024

• Gates open at 10 a.m. both days
• The Grand Entry will begin at 2 p.m. both days
• Sunday services will be held at the tribe’s church at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

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In the 1960s and 70s, on about 5 aces of what is now the 1,100 acre Francis Carter Preserve, the United Nuclear Corporation recovered uranium from contaminated wastewater at its plant. On July 24, 1964 an accident resulted in the tragic death of Robert Peabody, a worker at the plant. You can read or watch accounts of the accident that happened just off Narraganset Trail in Charlestown at the links in this post.

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