CCA Blog and Mail Box

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: 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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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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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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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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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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What: Wildlife Wednesdays Lecture Series sponsored by Friends of the National Wildlife Refuges of RI
Where: All lectures held at the Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown (map in post)
When: All presentations are on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM
Cost: Admission is free and all ages are welcome

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When: August 2, 3 & 4
Where: Ninigret Park, Charlestown, RI
What: Three days of food and entertainment

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UPDATE:Meeting cancelled late on July 29 just before meeting was scheduled to begin. We don’t know yet when it was rescheduled to.
When: Monday, July 29 at 7 pm
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
What: Town Council special meeting to discuss and possibly adopt the new 2024 Master Plan for Ninigret Park
The Town Council will discuss the 2024 Ninigret Park Master Plan that its consultant, VHB, developed in accordance with the directions given to the company by the Town Council. The $39.5 million cost estimates that were handed out at the April 15 meeting are included in this post.

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Each year, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) asks the public to assist with their Turkey Brood Survey by reporting sightings of female turkeys, or hens, and their babies, called poults, from July 1st though August 31st. These citizen reported sightings of wild turkey hens, both with brood and without, help with research efforts.

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On Friday, July 12, Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Sarah Taft-Carter issued a preliminary decision, siding with private property owners who seek to overturn the state’s new shoreline access legislation passed last year by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee. The RI Attorney General disagrees with the decision. Story at ecoRI News.

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When: Thursday, July 25 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: The Nordic Lodge, 178 Nordic Trail, Charlestown
What: Live music by “Jus Tus”, hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, raffle
Why: Support open space preservation and protection in Charlestown and have a fabulous evening with live music

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On July 8, the current Charlestown Town Council majority got rid of a highly qualified and experienced member of the Budget Commission, Dick Sartor. Mr. Sartor had applied to be reappointed, and he was not. This sacking of Mr. Sartor was carried out by a Town Council majority that says institutional knowledge, and qualifications, are of utmost importance in government. One can only wonder why the Town Council majority would remove Mr. Sartor’s practiced eye from oversight of the town’s budget.

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In early June, Charlestown’s land-use community lost its most qualified member with the passing of Walter “Peter” Mahony. Peter was undoubtedly the most qualified person to ever serve on the Charlestown Planning Commission. He was an Architect, a Landscape Architect, and a professional Planner with architectural and planning degrees from Princeton and Cambridge Universities. He had a successful career working on important projects that focused on the sustainable balance between development and land preservation.

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When: Thursday, July 11 from 6 pm to 8 pm
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by Will Evans, whose album “Rise” was nominated for three categories by the New England Music Awards; movie Jaws; and 7 food trucks providing dinner
Who: Brought to you by Charlestown Parks and Recreation Department
Cost: Music and Movie are Free. Dinner – pay for as little or as much as you want to eat

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When: Saturdays, June 29, July 13, July 27, August 3, and 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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Where: Kinney Bungalow, 505 Point Judith Rd., Narragansett, RI 02882
When: Thursday, July 11 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
What: Silent Auction, Food and Drink, and a Sunset View
There are items for all interests, from a guided kayaking tour, to local gift cards, art, theatre tickets, and more! Additional items are added to the auction website weekly, so keep checking back.

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When: Every Friday – June 21 to August 30 from 9 am to 12:30 pm
Where: On the grounds of the Church of the Holy Spirit, 4150 Old Post Rd,. Charlestown (map in post)

Local fresh produce, fruits, honey, shellfish, specially prepared dishes, baked goods, and more.

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Charlestown’s State Senator Victoria Gu along with Town Planners and Planning Commissions statewide worked to craft an Accessory Dwelling Unit Law that allowed ADUs while at the same time worked to protect the Coastal Ponds and other sensitive environmental areas from excessive nitrogen pollution. Senator Gu needs to hear from constituents to urge her to push for her bill (S-2630) that allows ADUs while still protecting groundwater and drinking water, rather than the House bill which represents a very real threat to the Coastal Ponds and groundwater throughout the town.

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is actively investigating the former Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Landing Field (CNALF) under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program as a Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS). CNALF is currently Ninigret Park and Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge in Charlestown. A Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) is one of many methods USACE may use to facilitate public participation. Details on how to be part of the RAB in post.

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If passed, the legislation (S2928/H8148) would replace the current structure of politically appointed board members with a state department that would allow current CRMC staff, which has the necessary expertise on coastal issues, to make decisions in the best interest of Rhode Islanders and the Ocean State’s coastal resources.

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Only 254 People Voted – Thank You To Everyone Who Did Vote!

• Charlestown’s 2025 Budget passed with 183 in favor of the budget and 71 against.
• The number of voters was down by over 1,000 from previous years’ numbers because of limited outreach.
• The tax rate is estimated to be $5.78 per thousand dollars of valuation

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In previous years the Town Council sent a mail ballot via the U.S. Postal Service to each of the town’s registered voters to make voting on the budget better reflect the will of our voters. However, the town council has discontinued this citizen outreach, and significant reduction in participation is expected. Expenditures are budgeted to increase by 6.17%, even though the town will not undertake a large construction project.

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Francis C. Carter Memorial Preserve is known for a few things – from holding the title of the second largest nature preserve in Rhode Island to sweeping landscapes created by glaciers. It may be best known, however, for having some of the best hiking trails in Rhode Island. Seven hiking trails meander through the lush 1,100-acre nature park.

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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.

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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.

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Parade on Old Post Road on Sunday
When: Sunday, May 26 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 27 at 9:00 a.m.
Where: Starts at the Richmond-Carolina Fire Station and ends at St. Mary’s Church in Charlestown.

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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.

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