CCA Blog and Mail Box

Much of Tuesday’s meeting of the Chariho School Committee, in the middle school auditorium, was devoted to the presentation of options for the redesigns of the district’s three elementary schools. Read the story at the Beaver River Valley Community Association (BRVCA) website.

When: Wednesday, October 8 from 6 pm to 8 pm
Where: Quonochontaug Grange, 5662 Post Road in Charlestown
What: Charlestown Land Trust Members’ Annual Meeting with guest speaker Ana Flores, a celebrated ecological and interdisciplinary artist—sculptor, painter, and writer

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 13, 2025 – February 28, 2026 for deer, and until May 31 for other game

When: Wednesday, September 24 at 7 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
What: Two public hearings before the Planning Commission
The first is a continuation of the public hearing for a Master Plan for a major 24-lot residential subdivision on 29 acres in Carolina Village and a public hearing on Final Plan, Phase 1, for a major residential subdivision called Summer Winds which is located very close to Ninigret Park.

The Rhode Island Environmental Education Association has named the Chariho Regional School District “Organization of the Year,” for its sustainable practices, environmental education and outdoor learning opportunities. Read the story at the Beaver River Valley Community Association (BRVCA) website.

When: Sunday, September 28th at 10 am
Where: Mill Pond Preserve, across from East Charles Street on South County Trail
Cost: This event is free and open to all, but space is limited, so you must RSVP
The Charlestown Land Trust invites you to join them at Mill Pond Preserve for a fascinating fungi hunt with foraging experts Laura and Ken Orabone! Discover the hidden world of mushrooms and enjoy the beautiful Preserve! (Not intended for edible mushroom identification.)

Contestants were asked to submit photos taken on one of the five National Wildlife Refuges in Rhode Island. All the entered photos will be on exhibit at Kettle Pond Visitors Center in Charlestown until September 26 and then exhibited at Sachuest Point Visitors Center until October 14.

When: Tuesday, September 30 at 10:00 am
Where: Ninigret Wildlife Refuge (rain location Kettle Pond Visitor Center)
What: Learning to sketch the beautiful, natural environment of Ninigret Pond
Pre-registration: Reservations are required (link to register in post)

When: Tuesday December 2, 2025
What: Special Town Council Election
Because Town Councilor Richard “Rippy” Serra’s passing on August 7 created a vacancy on the Town Council more than one year prior to the 2026 election, the Town’s Charter requires a special election rather than an appointment.

When: Saturday, September 13 from 10 am to 4 pm (rain date September 20)
Where: Ninigret Park in Charlestown
This is the 2nd year for the Ninigret Arts and Crafts show and Frances Topping will again have a booth with many of her watercolor works, including some matted pieces, botanical art, landscapes and varied nature subjects. In addition to Frances’ art work, there will be woodworkers, potters, jewelers, quilters, crochete and macrame crafters and much more. There are about 50 exhibitors in total.

A majority of the Charlestown Town Council is considering using money designated by voters in 2015 for one thing—preservation of open space—for something else. And it makes no sense that it would be OK for the Town Council to issue a bond in order to be able to spend the money again—effectively spending the money authorized twice.

Enrollment is now open through September 6 to join Salt Pond Smart, a new community engagement initiative offered through the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension. Designed for homeowners along Rhode Island’s southern coast, Salt Pond Smart empowers residents to take meaningful action to protect and improve water quality in the state’s treasured coastal salt ponds.

UPDATE: The applicant asked to have this presentation postponed until October 22
When: Wednesday, August 27 at 7 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
What: Pre-Application Conference for proposal to construct 9 new buildings that will hold 11 residential units on 1.397 acres in the Traditional Village District
The owner of two lots on the south side of Rt. 1A at its intersection with Ridgewood Road (Plat 13, Lots 31 & 32, 3740 Old Post Road) proposes to combine the two lots to create a 1.397-acre lot.

Lecture
When: Wednesday, September 3 at 6:00 PM
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown
Walk
When: Thursday, September 4 at 8:30 AM
Where: Quonnie Breachway
Links to register for both events in post …

Where: Ninigret Park
When: August 29 to August 31
As it has for over a quarter of a century, Rhythm & Roots will return to Charlestown, this Labor Day Weekend. 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.

UPDATE: This application was continued to September 24 at 7 pm
When: Wednesday, August 27 at 7 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
What: A public Master Plan hearing on a major residential development (Plat 28, Lot 82-1; 28.7 acres; Carolina Village) before the Charlestown Planning Commission

Roger loved living in Carolina. He was both a booster and protector of the National Register Historic Village where he regularly welcomed the village’s residents into his home and garden. You can read more about Roger and his life in his obituary.

Larry dedicated himself to researching and documenting hundreds of aviation crash sites across New England. What is now Ninigret Park was used for military flight training during World War II and for many years afterward. Read this and much more about Larry in his obituary.

Where: Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center in Ninigret Park, Charlestown
When: Saturday, August  23 from 9:00 pm to 12:00 am
Cost: $5 per person over four years of age – you must get tickets in advance
Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center is a great place to see the Milky Way Galaxy because it is easily accessible and it is sited in one of the darkest locations in southern New England.

When: Thursday, August 14 (dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by Connecticut-based, 90’s rock band Leaf Jumpers; movie Garfield ; and 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

When: Tuesday, August 12 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown
Join an evening of conversation with members of the Spears family, an inter-generational panel of Narragansett Tribal citizens, as they share stories, memories, and traditional ecological knowledge of Charlestown’s Coastal Salt Ponds.

When: Wednesday, August 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Rd., next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange at bottom of post)
What: Learn about the amazing history of Block Island

Many citizens learned more about the repair of the Charlestown Breachway and how the Breachway is faring over the summer at a meeting hosted by the Salt Ponds Coalition at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Kettle Pond Visitor Center in Charlestown on August 7. Meeting details in this post.

When: Saturday, August 30 at 10 am
Where: Mill Pond Preserve, 4962 South County Trail, Charlestown
Cost: Free
Preregistration: Registration is required. Link to register in post.
This walk is sponsored by the Charlestown Land Trust

The Westerly Sun and various social media accounts have sadly reported that Richard “Rippy” Serra died in his sleep on the night of August 7. Mr. Serra currently served as the Vice-President of the Charlestown Town Council and had been elected to the Town Council since 2022.

When: Thursday, August 7 (dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by singer/songwriter/musician, Nick Bosse; movie Despicable Me 4 ; and 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

When: Wednesday, August 13 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Where: Cross Mills Public Library, 4417 Old Post Road, Charlestown
Join Tomaquag Museum Assistant Director, Silvermoon LaRose, for a captivating evening of storytelling that celebrates the beauty of our coastal spaces. Bring your family and friends—this event is perfect for all ages!

When: Saturday, August 23 from 10 am to 4 pm
Where: A self-guided tour of some of Charlestown’s many farms
Farm Day provides a unique opportunity for visitors to explore the diversity of farms in Charlestown, a chance to meet farmers, and learn more about the role of farms across Charlestown.

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, $3 for children and $7 for seniors
When: Saturday, August 9, and Sunday, August 10, 2025

When: Tuesday, August 12 at 6:00 PM (doors open at 5:30 PM)
Where: Quonochontaug Grange, 5662 Post Road, Charlestown
Friends of the Quonnie Grange are thrilled to host Tomaquag’s Executive Director, Lorén Spears. Attend the event to learn about the long history of Rhode Island’s earliest inhabitants. Ms. Spears program will present the Tomaquaug Museum’s history, purpose, programs, and future plans.

When: Thursday, August 7  from 6 to 7pm
Where: Kettle Pond Visitor Center at 50 Bend Rd, Charlestown
What: An update on the status of the repairs and future plans at the Charlestown Breachway
Register: Register by August 6

Local artisan and woodworker, Brian O’Connor of South County Paddles, has carved the beautiful diorama named “Anadromous Ascension III” that is pictured in the banner image for this post. The Charlestown Land Trust is holding a raffle of the framed and hand carved piece and will pick a winner on August 29 at the Charlestown Farmers’ Market.

These mammals play a vital ecosystem role. The nine bat species found in southern New England are insectivores, meaning they eat insects such as mosquitoes and some moths humans would label pests. It’s been estimated that an individual bat can eat 600 insects an hour. This post takes a look at the bats in southern New England listed as a species of concern, threatened, or endangered.

When: Wednesday, August 6 at 7 p.m.
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Rd., next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange at bottom of post)
What: Learn about the rich history of the four lighthouses visible from Quonochontaug

When: Thursday, July 31 (dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by singer/songwriter/musician,  Mark Cutler; movie Inside Out 2; and 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

When: August 1, 2 and 3
Where: Ninigret Park, Charlestown, RI
What: Three days of food and entertainment

The Commission and the Bicycle Pathway Committee have been tasked with promoting the development and use of trails, linear greenways, and bikeways, and with investigating, initiating, and endorsing efforts at both the local and state levels to create and expand designated walking routes and non-motorized paths throughout the community.

When: Thursday, July 24 (dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at dusk)
Where: Ninigret Park at the New Pavilion
What: Concert by country music artist Houston Bernard; movie Mufasa: The Lion King; and 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

When: Wednesday, July 23 at 7 p.m.
Where: The Quonnie Grange, 5662 Post Rd, (Rt. 1) between East and West Beach Rd., next to Dunn’s Corners Fire Station (location map of the Quonnie Grange at bottom of post)
What: Learn about Samuel Davis who was a Quonochontaug developer, lawyer and preacher and why he was so mysterious.
Who: Presentation by Ken Andrew, Quonochontaug Historical Society Board member

When: Thursday, July 17 (dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at dusk)
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 Migration; and 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

When: Monday, July 21 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Chariho Regional Middle School Auditorium – 455B Switch Road, Wood River Junction
Join the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), for a meeting on PFAS in drinking water for residents of Southern Rhode Island.

The storms that climate change is intensifying don’t necessarily spell doom for the plovers, but they’re not an inherent blessing either. They introduce a new set of complications and concerns for the bird. Whether climate change benefits or hurts piping plovers will depend a lot on the human response to that change.

Salt Ponds Coalition 2025 Online Auction Starts July 7

When: Starts Monday, July 7 at 6:00 a.m. and ends Thursday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Details and links to join the auction and fundraiser in the post.

Savings, which are accumulated over a long time, can be held in reserve for a number of reasons, but one of the most important is that these savings are held to pay for unexpected expenditures resulting from calamitous events, such as hurricanes, floods, and economic recessions, and to cover yearly operations. Should they have been reduced or diverted to other uses?

When: Thursday, July 17 at 6 pm
Where: The Nordic Lodge, 178 Nordic Trail, Charlestown
What: Live music by Jus Tus, a raw bar, dinner, and a silent auction
Why: Support open space preservation and protection in Charlestown and have a fabulous evening with live music