Four State Campgrounds Open April 12
Fishermen’s Memorial, George Washington, and Burlingame
State Campgrounds offer a pre-check-in process to help campers “Camp More, Wait
Less.” After booking through Reserve America system, they will receive
an email to pre-register, which must be completed at least two days before
arrival. Campers needing a second car pass can select and pay for it up to one
day before their registration.
DEM Seeking Lifeguards Park Rangers & Other Seasonal Positions
.webp)
If you like being outdoors, want to make a positive impact on visitor experiences and our environment, DEM has hundreds of seasonal employment opportunities across its divisions. Potential applicants are encouraged to visit DEM's seasonal employment webpage to apply for the position that interests them.
"DEM relies on hiring a robust seasonal workforce each
year to manage parks, beaches, and other facilities," said DEM Director
Terry Gray. "Working outside at some of the state's premier travel
destinations, gaining professional development experience for future degree
programs and employment, and having the opportunity to meet and work with
people from around the world are just a few of the many perks of joining DEM's
team.”
While some turkeys are learning how to evade hunters, we have to wear orange so idiots with shotguns don't kill us
By Savannah Peat, University of Georgia
Your life could depend on it. For more details, please visit www.dem.ri.gov/orange. - Will Collette
A University of Georgia study reveals that wild turkeys are adapting to hunting strategies, making them harder to detect and harvest. Researchers suggest hunters may need to innovate their approaches to maintain effectiveness.
New research from the University of Georgia suggests that if
hunters stick to their current methods and turkeys maintain their usual
routines, catching them will likely become more difficult over time.
 |
| The ultimate adaptation |
Gulotta’s research examined the risk-taking and exploratory
behaviors of 109 wild male turkeys across Georgia Wildlife Management Areas. He
found that the movements and risk levels of these birds are significantly
influenced by both hunters and natural predators.
Burlingame gets a spruce up
Beginning Tuesday, October 1, the campground will close the existing shower and restroom facilities in these areas in anticipation of the first phase of project starting. DEM expects this first phase of the project to be completed by spring 2026. The second phase of the project involving the Main, Midpark South, and Legiontown areas is expected to begin in October 2025 and be completed in April 2027.
That goes for Charlestown, too
Memorial Day Weekend is the official kick-off of the summer beach season, and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is encouraging beachgoers to buy their state beach parking pass well in advance of their visit. 
Photo by Will Collette
Annually, state beach season parking passes are available for purchase starting the first week of January, and purchasing passes ahead of beach season helps reduce the amount of time beachgoers spend at the entry booths during the busy holiday weekend. Once purchased, season passes do not go into immediate effect.
It takes up to 24 hours during the summer months for the buyer’s residency status and age to be verified to charge the correct fee and for the pass to be validated. Individuals may purchase beach parking passes at www.beachparkingri.com to purchase your state beach parking season pass. For a step-by-step guide on purchasing your state beach parking pass online, click here.
All state beaches, except for Scarborough South State Beach, will be open daily starting Saturday, May 25, through Labor Day. As has been the case for several years, Scarborough South will not officially open until Saturday, June 15; lifeguards, beach staff, concessions, and restrooms will be available at that time.
Includes Burlingame and Breachway in Charlestown
This year’s opening of Burlingame, Charlestown Breachway, Fishermen’s Memorial, and George Washington Memorial State Campgrounds coincides with the beginning of spring school vacation week and the freshwater fishing season, giving families an extra opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of the South County and northern Rhode Island countryside.
East Beach State Campground is set to open for the season on Saturday, May 25. Campers can find their next adventure at a Rhode Island State Campground at: riparks.ri.gov/campgrounds.
New this season, Fishermen’s Memorial Campground joins George Washington and Burlingame State Campgrounds in offering a pre-check-in process so campers can “Camp More, Wait Less” by speeding up their check-in on arrival and get to their site faster.
They also have full-time, permanent job openings
Number of Ocean State beach closures highest in nearly 20 years
By Rob Smith / ecoRI News staff
Burlingame Park on Watchaug Pond
There is still a month left of summer, and Rhode Island
has already seen the highest number of beach closures in nearly two decades.
According to data from the RI Health Department’s beach monitoring program, freshwater
and saltwater beaches around the state have been closed for a combined 284 days
since Memorial Day, the highest number of closures recorded since 2006.
Beaches are closed by order of DOH when they test
positive for elevated levels of enterococci bacteria; anything higher than the
sample standard of 60 colony forming units (CFU) per 100 milliliters of water
is closed until the tests produce a clean result again.
The bacteria represent a small but significant health
risk to swimmers. Swimming in contaminated water can cause gastroenteritis, an
inflammation of the stomach and intestines that can cause symptoms such as
vomiting, headaches, and fever. It can also result in ear, eye, and throat
infections, and in more serious cases, salmonella.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Three beaches on Watchaug Pond in Charlestown were closed for a total of 31 days so far this summer, according to RI Health Department data. The three beaches are the ones at the picnic area and campgrounds at Burlingame State Park and the Westerly Y's Camp Watchaug. On two of the 31 days, there was an overlap when both Burlingame beaches were closed. Otherwise, the closures were on separate occasions. These beaches account for more than 10% of the total days of beach closures in the state. - Will Collette
Drought, fires, dead whales, mosquito-borne diseases. Ah, the joys of summer
By Will Collette
In my recent Charlestown
Chunks #7 and in Summer
Bummers, I ran down a collection of local stories that might be useful and
maybe amusing to local readers. As it happens, there have been new developments
on many of those items.
Let’s start with the biggest summer bummer so far, our
persistent extreme drought that is lowering water levels, including drinking
water. Westerly, Narragansett
and South Kingstown have already imposed strict water conservation
measures, but Charlestown needs to do that, too.
The dry weather adds to wildfire danger. On August 13, the
Charlestown Fire District was called out to stop a 2.75 acre brushfire in
Burlingame state park near the Hopkinton town line started from an illegal
campfire. Ken
Ayres, DEM chief for agriculture and forestry, says there have been 65
wildfires so far this year.
Despite the small amount of very welcome rain earlier this
week, we
face more fire danger because the dry ground, dead brush and low humidity
create the conditions for more fire. Outdoor burning, even barbeques, are a bad
idea right now.
Even though we all draw our water from wells, we are still
affected. If you draw water faster than it can recharge, you may find your tap
water starts to get cloudy, then muddy and then gone if the water level in your
well falls below your submersible pump.
My well is 500 feet deep, but I still worry. We’ve had
situations in years past where I have foolishly left sprinklers on too long and
got punished with cloudy water. This also happens during some summers due to
what we call the “Burlingame Effect” (we live down-gradient from the
campground).
I’ve let my lawns to go to meadow and now have a lot of nice
dry hay mixed in with wildflowers. I maintain a kitchen garden on the upper
deck and water my tomatoes with buckets and try not to waste a drop.
Watering with a bucket is not an option for farmers and they
are reporting high stress to crops like, for example, Christmas
trees. Fruits and vegetables that survive the drought may be a lot smaller
than usual.
Alex Nunes, South County Bureau chief for the Public’s
Radio, reported
on August 17 that:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to make a drought-related disaster declaration for the state of Rhode Island this week. That announcement will free up federal assistance for farmers, as much of the southern and eastern parts of the state remain under extreme drought conditions.
Bugs
The
state reports its first findings of West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis
(EEE) in mosquitoes. Unfortunately for Charlestown, the skeeters were found in
our neighbors in Westerly and South Kingstown which means it’s probably here in
Charlestown, too.
Drain any open water to deny them places to lay their eggs
and use repellant. You do not want to catch West Nile or EEE.
The beach
Baywatch
went off the air in 1999, before the current generation of teenagers were
born. That might be one reason why local beaches are having so much trouble
recruiting lifeguards. The beach at the Charlestown Breachway is now largely
unguarded. Add
Scarborough South State Beach, which is closing weekdays due to what DEM is
calling a “shrinking summertime labor force.”
This comes even as DEM is revising its guidelines for
eligibility to cut down on attrition.
The lack of lifeguards isn’t the only thing that might make
the Charlestown Breachway beach less popular.
On August 8, a dead
minke whale washed up on East Beach. Minkes are relatively small for whales
– this one was 20 feet long. Mystic Aquarium volunteers performed a necropsy to
determine cause of death and DEM had the whale buried on the beach where it was
found.
Flood insurance
While this may seem to some that it’s silly to talk about
flood insurance during an extreme drought, it’s actually the best time. While
this year’s hurricane season has gotten off to a slow start, NOAA is predicting
it will pick up in September and deliver some blasts of destruction.
WPRI
released an investigative report that said one of ten Rhode Islanders have
dropped their flood insurance coverage after recent rate hikes by FEMA:
“The number of policies statewide decreased from 11,104 on Dec. 31 to 10,133 on July 31, which is a decrease of almost 10%, according to data from the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency….
“Jon Nelson, professor of environmental studies at the Rhode Island School of Design… said areas with rivers, streams or creeks like Pawtucket, Foster, Providence, West Warwick and Hopkinton have seen the biggest increases in premiums…. Conversely, areas along the coast like Westerly, Warwick, Newport and Portsmouth have seen the biggest decreases.”
57.9% of Charlestown holders of FEMA flood coverage will see
increases of $0-$10 a month.
Charlestown Housing and Zoning Officer Joe Warner has taken every
available step to win the best FEMA rating for town residents which helps keep
rates low. However,
many shoreline owners have failed to take advantage of a federal
cost-sharing program to raise their houses as a defense against storm surge.
DEM Seeking lifeguards, park rangers, facilities attendants and more at state beaches and parks
 |
| Olympic medalist Elizabeth Beisel will be working as a lifeguard at Narragansett Town Beach this summer, but many more will need to be hired to adequately protect beachgoers this summer. |
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is announcing that it is actively recruiting to hire the remainder of its summertime workforce.
Every year, DEM recruits lifeguards, park rangers, facilities attendants, and other key staff to fill seasonal employment positions at state beaches, parks, and campgrounds during the summer recreation season.
Rhode Island residents, ages 16 and older, are encouraged to
apply. Click here to view vacancies and fill out your application.
With only 52 full-time employees managing 25 parks and preserves, eight saltwater beaches, and dozens of other properties, DEM's Division of Parks and Recreation relies hugely on seasonal employees.
Currently, DEM has hired about half of the almost 500 total
"seasonals" to fill essential summertime positions such as
lifeguards, park rangers, beach managers, facilities attendants,
groundskeepers, laborers, and nature educators.
In Charlestown, one of the hotbeds of activism over beach access, Town Administrator Mark Stankiewicz used the lack of beach staff to throw a wet blanket on public use of beach property owned by the town. Stankiewicz made this warm and welcoming statement to the Providence Journal:
“I understand people wanting more access to the waterfront...There comes responsibilities with that as well. Where are they going to park? Where are they going to go to the bathroom? Who’s going to pick up the trash? Do people expect amenities, just lifeguards and things like that? Of which there will be none, of course. You have the balance between the private property owners and the people who want public access.”
Be sure to wear orange
"DEM is thrilled to ring in the New Year with a First Day
Hike at Burlingame State Park and Campground," said DEM Acting Director
Terry Gray. "We invite Rhode Islanders to get out of the house, breathe in
the fresh air, and get their hearts pumping after all the holiday
celebrations."
Decade-Old Charlestown Citizens/Sachem Passage Alliance Association Emerges From The Mud Hole
By Robert Yarnall
Part 2 Sedimental Journey
To read Part 1, CLICK HERE.
With a wink and nod to trick or treat season, the USPS recently delivered an official SPA 2021 Board of Directors’ Survey to every Sachem Passage property owner in order to explore the future of Oyster Drive 05-95-5. Click here for a very cool GIS plug & play of the venue under the microscope.
What you need to know: twenty-one years ago, a small group of Sachem Passage residents voted to accept an offer of “free land” from Randall Associates, thereby assuming ownership of not only the vacant lot, but also the financial responsibility attached to property ownership: taxes, liability insurance and maintenance costs.
In a nutshell, the dilemma SPAvillians now face is a tad squirrelly. The situation is best illustrated by the Board of Directors’ Survey itself, developed under the auspices of newly-elected SPA president Ronald Areglado.
To add context to the BOD Survey, it may be helpful to note that Mr. Aregaldo boasts a doctorate in education and is considered by some to be a masterful public speaker with a recognized penchant for nuance. Nonetheless, he was the unsuccessful Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) 2020 candidate for Town Moderator, trounced by Charlie Beck, the straight-talking owner of the Charlestown MiniSuper.
Below
in italicized font are the introductory paragraphs that CCA adherent/SPA
president Ronald Areglado served up as a preamble trick to the SPA 2021 Board
of Directors’ Halloween treat survey.
“In September 2000, 4.2 acres
of property located on Foster Cove was deeded to the Sachem Passage
Association, Inc. This property, formerly owned by Randall Associates,
contained a right-of-way (Oyster Drive) that was for the exclusive use of all
Sachem Passage I & II property owners. To facilitate this transfer of
ownership and manage the property, Sachem Passage Association was formed and
incorporated (June 2000).”
“A membership survey was
performed in 2008 to explore the uses and options for the property. Since then,
we have many new members in our community. The current Board of Directors feels
that the input of all the property owners in Sachem Passage I & II is
essential, and we would value your participation at this time by completing the
enclosed survey. Please return this survey by November 8, 2021. To protect
individual responses, results will be summarized and shared with the
membership, and the Board of Directors will act in accordance with the
findings.”
For the benefit of readers who are not familiar with the modus operandi of the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA), it reminds its elected, appointed, and endorsed politicos that “it’s not what you say, it’s what you don’t say.” Former one-year-only Charlestown Elementary School Principal Ronald Areglado (1998-99) embodies this CCA primal doctrine better than anyone. Just ask retired Chariho Superintendent of Schools John Pini.
Prior to September 2000, every property deed in Sachem Passage I & II contained a deeded right-of-way to Charlestown Pond. Our deeded right-of-way existed independent of any other parcel of land then owned by Randall Associates, it cost us nothing, there were no strings attached. The right-of-way was simply a humble, overgrown path that had been used for generations by the Narragansett Indian Tribe to access the salt pond for fishing, oystering, berry picking and related activities.
Sachem
Passage Association, Inc., a nonprofit business corporation- was created in June 2000
to facilitate the transfer of the Oyster Drive vacant lot from Randall
Associates to Sachem Passage Association, Inc. 
Screen shot from the TOWN's GIS map of the property
The property transfer provided
Randall Associates the opportunity to offload 26 years of property taxes and
liability insurance premiums on a lot likely to be deemed unbuildable, based on
the Town of Charlestown GIS mapping data available here (select Base Maps >
Planimetric Base Map ; select Map Layer, check Wetlands, check 2014 Soils)
The 2008 membership survey was initiated by the SPA Board of Directors as a response to the burgeoning reality that the overwhelming majority of Sachem Passage residents had little or no interest in utilizing the Oyster Drive property. A spate of disinterested property owners ignored requests for annual dues payments that were necessary to maintain the costs associated with the property. To most of us in Sachem Passage this was no surprise.
Before 2000, the Sachem Passage Association was nothing more than a collegial geographic descriptor for an area of town lucky enough to be within sleep walking distance of Watchaug Pond and the Burlingame Park Picnic Area. There was no formal structure, no meetings, no by-laws, no dues, no semblance of the dreaded self-serving embezzlement-prone “home owners association” movement that accompanied the American condominium boom beginning in the late 1970’s and exists to this day.
We were a young neighborhood then, composed primarily of nuclear families with toddlers and pre-adolescent school children. School busses made multiple stops. Dogs pretty much had free reign as they accompanied their human pets on their daily walks. There was a healthy sprinkling of “seasoned citizens” representing the best of “the greatest generation.” They graciously took it upon themselves to host the first couple of rounds of holiday parties, staying in the background, learning about “the new kids on the block.”
Then things started to change, as things always do. Sometime before the incorporation of the SPA in 2000, Randall Associates let it be known a vacant lot with Ninigret Pond frontage could be had for the asking. And it just so happened that our “deeded right-of-way” traversed this particular parcel.
The neighborhood began kicking around the idea of accepting the Randall offer. Sachem Passage resident John Kaptinski voiced unbridled enthusiasm for the acquisition, citing its value as both a real estate and a life style asset that could be developed for recreational opportunities.
Mr. Kaptinski’s neighbor, Rob Lyons, Ocean House Marina owner and current Coastal Pond Management Commission chairman, offered a different assessment based on his working knowledge of the salt pond. Mr. Lyons indicated that the muddy bottom of Foster Cove, typical for that part of the salt pond, might not be the best place to pursue activities generally associated with seasonal recreational options afforded by Ninigret Pond. I told John Kaptinski that I agreed with Rob Lyons’ assessment of Foster Cove.
 |
| Cinder Worm (from Wikipedia) |
Foster Cove is indeed muddy, the kind of mud that provides the ideal habitat for a nematode known locally as a cinder worm, an animal that is singularly responsible for one of the most anticipated fishing events on the East Coast for pursuers of the coveted Striped Bass. The event is called the cinder worm hatch, which is very much of a misnomer.
The
cinder worm hatch is
actually a spawning event. Every year toward the end of May, when the sun is
strong and warms the muddy bottom of the salt pond to just the right
temperature, cinder worms (nematodes) who live embedded in the mud for the rest
of the year rise up into the water and spew forth their reproductive fluids for
a few weeks. 
Here's a cinder worm hatch in progress
Think about that if someone tries to talk you into a cozy footbath in the warm mud of Foster Cove.
Quick foot notes aside, I told John Kaptinski 21 years ago that I was opting out of the oasis-in-the-rough idea. I and other families with kids in the neighborhood were more than happy with unfettered free access to the Burlingame Picnic Area with its dedicated boat launch area, clean sandy beach, roped off swimming areas, seasonal lifeguards, shaded grass sitting venues, picnic tables, fire places, bathrooms, and genuine log shelter with its fresh water spigot foot wash. Who wouldn’t be?
Well,
apparently a small contingent of newly-arrived neighbors, the first wave of
recently retired baby boomers, were not content with sharing the Burlingame amenities
with the hoi polloi. Perhaps they thought they deserved better. If that’s the
case, “...it is what it is,” as Head Coach Bill Belichik would say.
But a mud hole? Really? Ok, so at least now I understand the Millennial Generation’s trademark pejorative, “Ok, Boomer...”
So there it is. And here we are again – time for another pause as the cinder worms head down into Foster Cove’s insulating mud layer. Sunlight hours grow shorter. Water temperatures drop. Time to dig a little deeper in the mud. Sling time.
Air quality alert for today
Henri damage keeps Burlingame closed
By Will Collette
Our air is unhealthy today due to the heat and vehicle emissions. The forecast for tomorrow is for "moderate" pollution, which could also change to unhealthy as the heat continues.
Here is the forecast from DEM:
Fortunately, just about all of us except the covidiots have face masks that should do fine in screening out the pollen and pollution.
The pollen is a normal, seasonal part of our "rural character;" the ozone pollution is also part of summertime heat, sunshine and heavier travel from visitors.
Burlingame
Lifeguard, Groundskeeper, and Facilities Attendant Positions Available at
State Beaches, Parks, and Campgrounds
Rhode Island
residents, ages 16 and older, are encouraged to apply.
Full-time lifeguard positions are available at state swimming areas, including saltwater beaches such as Misquamicut, Roger Wheeler, and Scarborough, non-surf beaches such as Goddard, and freshwater beaches such as Burlingame Campground and Lincoln Woods State Park.
Flexible, 20-hour workweeks are available for lifeguard positions at our busiest swimming areas. Hourly rates for lifeguards range from $13.25 to $16.25 an hour, based on location and position level.
DEM Seeking Lifeguards, Park Rangers, Facilities Attendants and Others to Staff RI State Beaches, Parks, and Campgrounds
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is actively
recruiting lifeguards, park rangers, facilities attendants and other key staff
to fill seasonal employment positions at state beaches, parks, and campgrounds
during the 2021 recreation season. Rhode Island residents, ages 16 and older,
are encouraged to apply.
With
only 52 full-time employees managing 25 parks and preserves, eight saltwater
beaches, and dozens of other properties, DEM's Division of Parks and Recreation
relies hugely on seasonal employees. Every year, it hires between 400 and 450
"seasonals" to fill essential summertime positions such as
lifeguards, park rangers, beach managers, facilities attendants,
groundskeepers, laborers, and nature educators.
Main Camp at Burlingame Restricted to Tents-only
Going forward,
the main camp at Burlingame, which tends to become crowded and congested, will
be restricted to tent-only campsites for those making new reservations.
Individuals with current reservations will not be affected by this change in
policy.
DEM will be re-opening 13 camping sites at Burlingame that were previously closed to campers due to the public health pandemic. DEM's Division of Parks and Recreation has evaluated these sites and determined that there is adequate space to allow for proper social distancing.
As part of their review, the
Department has determined that two campsites need to be closed in order to
allow for adequate space between camping sites.
Also, three cabins along the waterfront of Watchaug Pond have been relocated to ensure that all campers have convenient access to the shoreline in this part of the campground. Swimming is prohibited in this portion of Watchaug Pond. The beach will serve as a kayak and canoe launch, fishing area, and a sandy spot to relax near the water.
Pets may enter the water from this shoreline but must remain on
a leash as required in the Campground's pet policy. A few parking spots will be
added in this area for the convenience of campers.
