Turn Your Christmas Tree into Fish Habitat

Here's a smart way to dispose of your xmas tree

Spruce up wildlife habitat this holiday season! For the eighth year, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Rhode Island Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU) team up for  “Trees for Trout,” recycling donated conifer trees to restore habitat for wild brook trout and other aquatic life. 

Drop off your trees Saturday, Jan. 10, between 10 AM – 3 PM at the Arcadia Check Station, Wood River Arcadia Management Area, 2224 Ten Rod Rd, Exeter.

Some powerful Christmas messages

Holiday greetings from alternate universes

And then, there's this

Donald Trump's heart-warming message

Wishing you peace and goodwill

URI natural resources faculty offer screen-free suggestions for an active new year

Make a resolution to engage more with the natural world

Kristen Curry

Lots of Boomer kids (like PC's editor) got these
for Christmas

As youth social media time remains a worldwide topic, faculty in the University of Rhode Island College of the Environment and Life Sciences offer some last-minute shopping suggestions for family activities or pastimes that get children — and their family members — off devices and out of the house.

Mindful gift planning can build science literacy and future scientists as well as offer connection and benefits for adults looking to minimize their own screen time in the year ahead, say faculty members, drawing on not only professional expertise, but also their off-campus roles as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

“There are a number of ways to encourage science interests in young people from an early age,” said Becky Sartini, the college’s associate dean. “We don’t have to wait for kids to be in high school to give them opportunities to try science or explore.”

Looking at the world around you

Scott McWilliams, professor of natural resources science, says a simple pair of binoculars is a great idea for a holiday gift. “It changes the way kids see the world and also makes them feel like a real birder,” he said.

McWilliams, an expert in birds and their migratory patterns, says the first foray into birding can start in one’s own backyard. He likes the bird feeders that come with a camera so children (“and adults that behave like kids”) can see their feathered friends up close. Likewise, he says a dissecting microscope can open up a whole new world for a young person. He also is a fan of collection display cases; future geologists might use them to store rocks — McWilliams’ grandson uses one for bugs. Bug boxes are fun to get or give, too.

Other gift suggestions from faculty include microscopes, mineral kits, a bird field guide, nature journal, a plant or tree ID guide, a lupe magnifying tool, nature notebook, or a plant press to start a dried plant collection (heavy books and old newspapers can also be used).

Michelle Peach, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources Science, enjoyed many outdoor activities with her own children and says that nets make a fun gift for younger kids to catch insects or frogs. Children might also find the idea of a butterfly garden appealing, she says, and can learn about which plants attract butterflies by contacting the University’s Cooperative Extension Gardening Hotline at gardener@uri.edu.

Faculty members also suggested ways for Rhode Island families to be more active or set adventures in the year ahead that don’t require shopping.

Christmas in America

 

How To Have a Plastic-Free Holiday Season

Some suggestions

By Sonali Kolhatkar

Our world is awash in plastic. From single-use water bottles and food packaging to synthetic clothes, shoes, and even nail polish, our overreliance on plastic is spreading a toxic, chemical-laden material all over the planet — including in our own bodies.

Most Americans are sick of plastic use, but manufacturers continue to push the product on us. This holiday season, is it possible to have a plastic-free celebration?

There’s no substitute for systemic policy change to regulate plastic use, but individual actions on a mass scale can have an impact. They can also be a dinner table conversation, potentially spurring cultural shifts and inspiring local activism.

“None of us voted for more plastic,” says Judith Enck, founder and president of Beyond Plastics. Enck, who served as regional administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency in 2009, adds that “the reason we have so much plastic is because there is a glut of fracked gas on the market.”

Enck says it’s entirely possible to have a plastic-free holiday season. She suggests forgoing disposable dinnerware for your Christmas, Hannukah, or Kwanzaa meal. “You can rent glassware and plates and beautiful reusable tablecloths and napkins from local vendors,” she says.

King Donald announces official Xmas ration

King Donald celebrates the holidays

Trump Advent Calendar on sale now

ICE Barbie wishes you a Merry Christmas. This is real - not a joke

It's for real.

HopArts for the holidays...that's REALLY buying local

South County Rising meeting and party - December 5

Charlestown Gallery opens doors for Charlestown Ramble

Special event prices

The Charlestown Gallery invites you to join us for the Annual Charlestown Holiday Ramble on Friday, December 5th from 3pm to 9pm and Saturday, December 6th between 10am and 7pm.  You can find us at 5000 South County Trail in Charlestown, Rhode Island. 

We have collected over 100 original art works priced at $500 and below for this event. You will not be disappointed.  Friday night raffle 50% off one original work of your choice (limit applies) and Saturday night raffle 1 free workshop of your choice.  Sip a hot beverage and mingle while you tackle some holiday shopping. Exquisite original paintings, sculptures, furniture, books, ornaments, jewelry, and pottery will make memorable gifts.  You might even find something for yourself if you dare.  

Chef Bryan Chavez Food Truck Curbside Creperie will be on site Friday and his Farm to Sandwich Truck on Saturday.  Gather around the fire pit while you meet the artists and your Charlestown neighbors while supporting small local artists and businesses this holiday season.  Make a lasting difference in our community.  

Holiday greens and help send kids to camp

Rhody grown: Real trees support local farmers

Tips and trends when picking out this year’s Christmas tree

Kristen Curry 

Local choices can have a big impact: Real trees support local farmers.

It’s that time: One of the particular joys of the season is heading outdoors to pick out a Christmas tree.

Some good news for tree shoppers this season: If you are buying from a big-box store or pop-up lot where the trees are likely shipped from Canada—live trees imported from our northern neighbor are exempt from tariffs.

However, a better option might be to buy local, advises URI forestry extension specialist Christopher Riely. He will be heading to a local tree farm to make his selection, keeping his decorative dollars in the local economy. Plus, it’s a magical experience.

“It can be a fun expedition to pick out a Rhody-grown tree,” says Riely.

Riely likes to vary the type of tree he puts up from year to year. He enjoys buying fresh-cut trees from local farms, and in recent years has been drawn to “character” trees that are far from the perfect conical shape but unique in appearance (and also offer a good value). Last year, he brought home a white fir.

Supporting Christmas tree farmers helps ensure the continued economic viability of local agriculture and reduces the likelihood that productive open space will be developed or converted for another use.

Forget Black Friday

Bad toys!

Choking hazards, toxic resin and unfiltered AI teddy bears, oh my!

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current

(NY Public Interest Research Group)

A teddy bear. Colorful beads. A Disney princess jewelry kit.

They were displayed on a table at a downtown Providence shop Friday afternoon in a collection of popular toys families might be considering purchasing for their kids this holiday season. 

But they’re also among the most dangerous, according to the latest “Trouble in Toyland” report recently published by the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), a Denver-based consumer rights nonprofit. 

It’s the 40th year the group has published its annual list of toys that could be dangerous to children, Henry Welch, a campaign associate for the Rhode Island chapter, told reporters gathered outside Craftland Friday afternoon.

In the past, Welch said the biggest dangers with toys were choking hazards and lead.

“A lot of the toys that we found that were dangerous are no longer available,” Welch said. “However, some of these dangers are still out there, including some toys that seemed like a dystopian science fiction of the past that are now available.”

Exhibit A among those dystopian toys is that teddy bear on the table. 

Sold for $99 by Singapore-based FoloToy, “Kumma Bear” uses OpenAI models to hold “both friendly chats and deep conversations to stimulate curiosity and learning,” according to its now-gone product page.

But the PIRG report found Kumma’s programming had very few guardrails in place.

November 22: Holiday sale