Can Clams Make a Comeback on a Tribal Reservation in Maine?

Softshell clams flourished for centuries on the Passamaquoddy’s Pleasant Point Reservation, before overfishing and climate change. 

By Sydney Cromwell

Clams have been entwined with the story of the Passamaquoddy tribe for 13,000 years.

Archaeological digs at ancient tribal sites have uncovered “middens,” or piles of discarded clamshells from generations of summer harvests, according to tribe member Brian Altvater.

But the population of adult softshell clams in the waters around the Sipayik peninsula have plummeted due to a century of overfishing, development, climate change and invasive species.

A group of volunteers from the tribe have created a community clam garden in an attempt to bring the species—and its historical role as a major tribal food source—back.

Altvater, 69, remembers digging clams for pocket change during his childhood.

“You could get clams by the bushel. But those days are gone,” he said.

Along the entire coast of Maine, softshell clam populations have declined by an estimated 85 percent in the past 50 years, according to the Downeast Institute.

“It’s out of control how fast it’s actually diminishing,” said Erik Francis, a Passamaquoddy tribe member and the steward of the community clam garden.

The clam flats available to the Passamaquoddy for harvesting are “pretty much barren,” Francis said.

Repairs to Charlestown Breachway Will Protect the Health of Vital Channel

Channel's west wall damaged by winter storms, affecting health of Ninigret Pond

By Rob Smith / ecoRI News staff

Since 1952 the town’s 200-foot-long breachway has split the barrier beaches protecting Ninigret Pond in two, providing access into Block Island Sound and improving the water quality in the state’s largest saltwater lagoon. Now, state and local officials are homing in on a plan for the next 70 years.

“The goal is we’re only going to do this once, and we’re going to do it really well,” Emily Hall, a coastal geologist working for the Coastal Resources Management Council, said Thursday at a community update on the breachway at the Kettle Pond Visitor Center.

It’s been a long 20 months for the breachway, which Charlestown heavily relies on to maintain the health of Ninigret Pond. The winter of 2023-24 was harsh on Rhode Island’s south shore beaches, as a series of intense storms wiped out large portions of the area’s prized coastline.

In Charlestown, the storms tore a gap in the channel’s western wall, sending sand from the breachway’s beach straight into the waterway, making it shallower and more difficult for boaters to navigate. State and local officials, CRMC, and the Salt Ponds Coalition, well aware of the breachway’s role in the commercial, recreational, and ecological life of Charlestown, sprung into action, making temporary emergency repairs, which were completed early last fall.

(While Charlestown is the host community of the breachway, the Department of Environmental Management is actually the owner and responsible for it, working with Charlestown on maintenance and repairs.)

The breachway and Ninigret Pond are important economic and recreational drivers for the town, treasured by boaters, anglers, swimmers, and aquaculturists. About 40% of all aquaculture in Rhode Island is sited in Ninigret Pond, and it remains a popular destination for anglers. Thursday’s community update, which was well attended, was the third such meeting in the past 12 months.

The emergency repairs cost $550,000, with $300,000 paid out by DEM, with the town paying the rest. Over one week last October, a three-man crew began the repair work, hauling in 600 tons of stone and reconstructing a dune protecting the western wall with sandbags.

While officials describe the emergency repairs completed last year as just a “Band-Aid,” the project went a long way toward protecting the health of the breachway.

“You can see how even just the emergency repair has really allowed the breachway to be intact a bit more,” said Casey Tremper, a coastal resilience specialist from the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Center. “It’s also started to naturally build back the beach on the forest side of the breachway.”

Ninigret Pond has returned to being “flushed out” by the breachway again after the temporary repairs, removing sedimentation and restoring the original depth of the human-made channel, around 5 feet or so, similar to what existed prior to the major storm damage.

In addition, a sand bar known as the ebb tidal delta, which formed outside the breachway, has, thanks to the emergency repair structure, almost entirely washed away.

With the repairs in place, officials have spent the past 10 months putting together plans for a more permanent restoration that, officials are hoping, will last at least another seven decades.

There’s two major components to the breachway’s restoration. The first is the actual reconstruction of the breachway itself, which will, more or less, look a lot like the original canal built in the 1950s. The stones used for the emergency repair will act as a foundation for the western wall, which will raise the rock wall by at least 8 feet in height. Once the rock walls are steady, the plan is to rebuild the beach by trucking in sand and steeling it with vegetation and, more importantly, fortifying the dunes, with some additional artificial dunes designed to be a line of defense for the breachway.

“They’re being set up in a way that waves will hit the dunes first before they hit where the breachway broke last time,” Hall said. “Dunes are nature’s solution to energy and to storms. We’re trying to lean into that resilient component of how we can work with a natural system to keep the tides flowing, and the currents moving through the breachway.”

It will still be a decade before the dunes grow to their original size, before the breachway was battered by winter storms.

The other major part of the restoration plan is dredging the breachway. All the sand that washed into the breachway has to come out, and Steve McCandless, the town’s geographic information systems coordinator, said he expects, depending on the specific area, to dredge to a depth between 4 and 8 feet. That kind of depth will restore natural water flow and open the back of the breachway for boating again.

The town expects to dredge around 100,000 cubic yards of material from the breachway, much of which will be used to repair the town’s beach or restore the dunes surrounding the breachway.

“We’ll put about 50,000 cubic yards of material on this beach to rebuild the dunes, and the other 50,000 will go down to the Charlestown Beach area where we always put it,” McCandless said. “It’s town property and removes the issues of using federal or public funds to dredge public waters.”

The total cost for the new permanent breachway is estimated to be $8.4 million, with $5 million of the total coming from DEM’s budget by way of a transfer to CRMC, with another $2 million coming from the coastal agency for the dredging itself. The remainder, $1.4 million, will be paid from Charlestown’s dredging fund.

Both DEM and CRMC are expected to approve final permits for the restoration project sometime in the next two weeks, according to Hall and McCandless. The Army Corps of Engineers, the federal entity that traditionally oversees all dredging projects in the United States, has already issued its own permits for the breachway restoration.

Prep work for the restoration project, once permits are in hand, is expected to start as early as Sept. 15, once the local piping plovers, a threatened shorebird species, migrate for the season. Once the DEM campground near the breachway closes for the season, on Nov. 1, the bulk of construction can begin, with the new breachway rock walls to be constructed in December, with dredging to follow in early January. Dune restoration is expected to start in March, and delay for six months in April when the plovers return to nest on barrier beaches.

“All I can tell you for sure is that sometime between Sept. 15 and April 15, my thought is that we’re going to be 90% complete for this project,” McCandless said. “As long as we can get some rocks going, we can get it all going at the same time.”

Aquatic Weed Treatment Scheduled for Meadowbrook Pond

Steer clear from popular fishing spot from July 30 until DEM posts an all clear

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces that Meadowbrook Pond, Richmond will receive treatment to control infestations of invasive aquatic plants on Wednesday, July 30. 

Anglers and boaters should avoid using the lake during the treatment. 

Signs will be posted with information about temporary water use restrictions. 

Neighbors and other users of the pond should keep pets from drinking the water for at least three days. 

This treatment will target invasive plants in particular, variable water milfoil, and it will not harm fish or other aquatic life. 

Meadowbrook Pond is popular with anglers and boaters and is stocked with trout several times per year.

Study reveals for the first time the extent to which nanoplastic pollutes the North Atlantic

Underestimated sources of marine pollution

Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research

Plastic particles less than one micrometer in size are found across the globe – from the peaks of the Alps to the depths of the oceans. A research team from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Utrecht University, and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) investigated the presence of nanoplastic in the North Atlantic. 

The findings show that nanosized plastic particles are present at all depths between the temperate and subtropical zone of the ocean. By mass, the amount of nanoplastic is comparable to that of microplastic. An article published in Nature concludes that nanoplastic plays a far greater role in marine plastic pollution than previously assumed.

Plastic waste pollutes oceans across all regions of the world. Marine animals may become entangled in larger plastic debris such as nets and bags or mistake smaller pieces for food. Ingested plastic can block or injure the gastrointestinal tract. The smallest plastic particles in the micro and nano range are mostly excreted, but a small proportion can pass through the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream.

60% of R.I. beaches unsafe for swimming in 2024

Coastal beaches tend to be cleaner than those on the Bay

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

Nearly six in 10 of the 66 Rhode Island beaches analyzed by Environment America were marked by one or more days of potentially unsafe bacteria levels in 2024. (Courtesy Environment America)

Steven Spielberg never made a cult-favorite thriller about the dangers of sewage-infested waters.

But the amount of fecal matter lurking in the water surpassed federal safety recommendations at least one time in 2024 at nearly six in 10 of the 66 Rhode Island beaches tested, new data shows.

Even more alarming: 25 state and local beaches exceeded federal water quality safety thresholds on 25% or more of the testing days, according to a report published on July 7 by Environment America’s Research & Policy Center.

 “It’s absurd in today’s society we need to be worried about crap in the water, literally,” said Rex Wilmouth, state director for the Rhode Island chapter of the nonprofit research and advocacy firm. “Even one day is one day too many.”

Wilmouth unveiled the disturbing findings at a press conference at Oakland Beach in Warwick Friday morning. The Rhode Island Department of Health closed the city-run saltwater beach on June 24 due to high bacteria counts, though it was reopened two days later. On Thursday, two other Warwick swimming areas, at City Park and Conimicut Point beaches, were closed due to high bacteria accounts detected by the Rhode Island Department of Health.

The state health department samples and tests water at state and local saltwater beaches during the summer season each year and notifies the public if unsafe bacteria levels are detected. Swimming in contaminated water can cause gastrointestinal illnesses, respiratory disease, eye and ear infections and skin rashes, with an estimated 57 million cases of illness nationwide each year. However, a majority of the illnesses go unreported.

Environment America’s report compares state and federally reported levels of fecal contamination against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s health safety threshold, or Beach Action Value, to determine which beaches may pose health risks to swimmers, and how often. 

Of the 3,187 beaches tested nationwide in 2024, 61% showed unsafe levels of contamination on at least one testing day. And one in seven of those tested were marked by dangerous levels of bacteria at least 25% of testing days.

And that’s just on days when waters were sampled — suggesting infected waterways were contaminated even more often than data suggests, Wilmouth said. Take Tiverton’s Fogland Beach, for example, which surpassed the federally recommended bacteria cap on five of seven days it was tested in 2024.

“There were a lot more days it was probably unsafe as well,” Wilmouth said. 

Other repeat offenders in 2024 included Matunuck Town Beach in South Kingstown and Jamestown’s Mackerel Cove Beach, which both exceeded recommended bacteria levels on roughly two-thirds of testing days, along with Narragansett’s members-only Dune’s Club. State-run beaches were not immune either: Scarborough State Beach North showed unsafe levels of bacteria on 38% of the 24 testing days, according to the data. 

Senators Whitehouse and Murkowski Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Ban Commercial Octopus Farming

America is plunging into fascism and the world is going to hell, but let's make time for octopi

U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), founders and co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus, reintroduced the Opposing the Cultivation and Trade of Octopus Produced through Unethical Strategies (OCTOPUS) Act for World Ocean Day on June 8^th.  The bipartisan legislation would preemptively ban commercial octopus farming in the U.S. and prohibit imports of commercially farmed octopus from foreign countries. 

In August, 100 scientists published an article in the prestigious journal, Science, endorsing the senators’ bipartisan legislation and urging Congress to quickly pass the bill.

“Octopus are smart, sentient creatures that have no business cooped up on commercial farms,” said Whitehouse.  “I’m glad to reintroduce this bill with Senator Murkowski to ban this practice and keep octopus wild in our oceans.  Congress should heed the call of over 100 leading ocean scientists from around the world and quickly pass our bill.”

Bevy of bills by area legislators advance

As the end of this year's General Assembly nears, local legislators push to get bills passed

Senate OKs Gu bill protecting parking at shore access points

The Senate approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Victoria Gu to protect the public’s access to the shore by establishing requirements that must be followed before parking can be reduced or restricted near any Coastal Resources Management Council designated right of way.

The bill is part of a package of bills sponsored in the Senate by Senator Gu (D-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown) and in the House by Rep. Terri Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown) to protect public shoreline access.

The bill (2025-S 0716aa) would set requirements that municipalities, private agencies and other organizations would have to follow before they could reduce or restrict parking near designated CRMC rights of way. These requirements would include submitting a comprehensive parking plan, analyzing the impact on accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act and conducting a public comment period of at least 30 days. It would also allow the CRMC and DEM to enforce these requirements and impose fines and penalties if they are violated. Any fines and penalties would go into a newly created Rhode Island Shoreline Access Improvement Fund, a restricted receipt account that will be used to support projects enhancing public access to the shoreline.

The bill now goes to the House, where Representative Cortvriend is sponsoring its companion (2025-H 6093).

“Sometimes, local governments — often pressured by nearby property owners — will remove or reduce public parking near beach access points. This makes it harder for the public to visit, since fewer people will come if they can’t park nearby. This legislation provides guardrails and a public, transparent process if there is any effort to reduce or restrict the parking available near a CRMC-designated right of way to the shore,” said Senator Gu.

In recent years changes to parking near public rights of way have drawn complaints from members of the public who say that they serve to restrict public access to only those who already live on the waterfront.

House approves Fogarty bill that would allow driver education in an instructor-led virtual format

The House of Representatives passed legislation introduced by Rep. Kathleen A. Fogarty (D-Dist. 35, South Kingstown) that would allow virtual driver education classes.

The bill (2025-H 5731A) would permit instructor-led virtual instruction for driver education until July 1, 2027, and calls for an evaluation of the program.

“Not everyone has access to driver’s education classrooms, and many students prefer virtual learning, particularly those with physical or learning challenges,” said Representative Fogarty. “It also provides an alternative for families whose parents may not be able to take the time off to bring their children to driving instruction in traditional classrooms.”

Mary Maguire, vice president of public and government affairs for AAA Northeast, testified in favor of the bill, telling the House Committee on State Government and Elections, “During the pandemic, students could only take driver education virtually, and the format proved to be very effective. During the pandemic, we taught almost 100 virtual classes to more than 2,300 Rhode Island students. We found that our virtually trained students’ average test scores were almost identical to what they were before COVID.”

Under the terms of the legislation, the Board of Education would be required to provide a report comparing test scores of virtual versus in-person instruction to the speaker of the House and president of the Senate no later than Sept. 1, 2027.

The measure now moves to the Senate where similar legislation (2025-S 0832) has been introduced by Sen. Louis P. DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Newport, Tiverton, Little Compton).      

Senate approves Sosnowski legislation creating license to harvest invasive green crabs

Schoodic Institute/Suzannah Buzzell

The Senate approved legislation introduced by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown) that would create a license for the harvesting of green crabs.

The European green crab is an invasive species in Rhode Island’s coastal waters. Like many invasive species, the green crab poses a threat to the ecosystem and is particularly harmful for shellfish and eelgrass habitats, which serve as nurseries for native marine species.

The bill (2025-S 0938A) would authorize the Department of Environmental Management to offer commercial licenses for the taking of green crabs subject to a fee of $10.

“Not only are green crabs an invasive species, they are also a high-protein food source,” said Senator Sosnowski, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture. “Under current state law, they can only be caught with a $200 non-lobster crustacean endorsement add-on to the DEM marine license. A $10 license exclusively for green crabs would greatly increase access to the harvesting of a species that is endangering native sea life, including quahogs and blue crabs.”

The measure now moves to the House of Representatives where similar legislation (2025-H 6157) has been introduced by Rep. Kathleen A. Fogarty (D-Dist. 35, South Kingstown).           

Senate approves Sosnowski bid to make clean air, soil and climate a state constitutional right

The Senate approved a resolution introduced by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown) that seeks to add a Green Amendment to the state constitution.

The resolution (2025-S 0327) would ask the state’s voters to amend Article I of the state constitution to provide all people in the state with an inherent, inalienable, indefeasible and self-executing right to clean air, health and uncontaminated soil, a life supporting climate and the preservation of the environment’s natural, scenic and recreational values.

“When it comes to protecting the environment, Rhode Island has always been a leader, and I’m proud that the General Assembly has prioritized protecting the vast natural resources of our small state,” said Senator Sosnowski, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture. “This would ask Rhode Island voters to forever enshrine in our constitution the protection of these resources for present and future generations.”

If enacted, Rhode Island would join Montana, Pennsylvania and New York in preserving environmental rights in its constitution.

The measure, which would be placed on the ballot at the next statewide general election, now moves to the House of Representatives where similar legislation (2025-H 5732) has been introduced by Rep. David A. Bennett (D-Dist. 20, Warwick, Cranston), who chairs the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

Senate passes DiMario’s textile recycling bill

UpriseRI

The Senate approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Alana M. DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown, New Shoreham) that would create a public outreach campaign about textile recycling.

“This legislation is needed because most of the public does not realize that textiles can be recycled and that recycled textiles are a valuable commodity.  And by increasing the practice of textile recycling, we will also be able to extend the life of the state’s landfill, which is rapidly approaching its capacity.  At a time when we are striving to create a more sustainable way of life, this bill will move us closer to that goal,” said Senator DiMario.

According to the most recent data, an estimated 28,860 tons of textiles from residential, industrial and commercial institutions were delivered to the landfill per year, and the state’s only landfill will reach its capacity by 2046.

The legislation (2025-S 0324) would create a public education outreach program to educate residential households and commercial businesses on the value of, and proper methods to, recycle textiles in the state.  The bill also contains a reporting and accountability requirement to measure if the outreach and education program is effective in helping individuals, businesses, and municipalities increase their textile recycling rates and divert textiles from the landfill.

It was developed with input from the Department of Environmental Management, the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, the League of Cities and Towns, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island (BBBSRI).  Organizations like BBBSRI recycle non-usable textiles and utilize the profits to fund essential programs.  In addition, cities and towns will benefit from reduced tipping fees if textiles are recycled properly as opposed to being thrown away.

The bill now heads to the House for consideration, where Rep. Raymond A. Hull (D-Dist. 6, Providence, North Providence) has introduced the legislation (2025-H 5293).  Representative Hull’s bill was approved by the House on March 20 and was passed by the Senate Environment and Agricultural Committee on May 28.

Blue-green algae bloom makes Worden Pond unsafe

RIDOH and DEM Recommend Avoiding Contact with Worden Pond

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) are advising people to avoid contact with Worden Pond in South Kingstown due to harmful algae blooms (HABs). 

HABs are caused by blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, which are naturally present in bodies of water. HABs can produce toxins which can be harmful to humans and animals.

Toxins and/or high cell counts have been detected by the RIDOH State Health Laboratory from water samples collected by DEM at this location. 

Use caution in all areas of Worden Pond, as HABs can move locations in ponds and lakes. All recreation, including swimming, fishing, boating and kayaking, should be avoided at this waterbody. People should not drink untreated water or eat fish from affected waterbodies. Pet owners should not allow pets to drink or swim in this water. This advisory remains in effect until further notice. 

Carolina Trout Pond gets bombed next week

Aquatic Weed Treatments Scheduled for Carolina Trout and Shippee Sawmill Ponds on June 9

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will treat Carolina Trout Pond in Richmond and Shippee Sawmill Pond in Foster on Monday, June 9 to control invasive aquatic plants. Anglers and boaters should avoid these ponds during treatment. 

Signs will be posted with temporary water use restrictions. Residents and visitors should keep pets from drinking the water for at least three days.

These treatments target invasive plants including variable water milfoil, fanwort, water hyacinth, and waterlily. It will not harm fish or other aquatic life. Both ponds are popular fishing and boating spots and are stocked with trout several times during the season.

Invasive aquatic plants are harmful to fishing, boating, swimming and impacts wildlife management. 

DEM hosting meetings on toxic chemicals in Pawcatuck fish

Beware of green slimy water

Steer Clear of Harmful Algae Blooms this Summer

As we approach the summer months and recreational activities on the State's abundant lakes, ponds and rivers increase, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) remind the public to be on the lookout for harmful algae blooms (HABs). 

HABs are caused by blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, which are naturally present in bodies of freshwater. Higher temperatures, slow moving water, and high amounts of nutrients cause the cyanobacteria to grow excessively and create potential for HABs. These HABs can produce toxins which can be harmful to humans and animals.

RIDOH and DEM work together to monitor and respond to HABs and issue recreational advisories when thresholds are met. During a HAB, all recreation, including swimming, fishing, boating, and kayaking should be avoided. 

In addition people should not drink untreated water or eat fish from affected waterbodies. Pet owners should not allow pets to drink or swim in this water. State and local officials work to post warnings around bodies of water when HABs are present. However, the public should be on the lookout for HABs and know to avoid affected waters if they encounter a HAB before warnings have been posted.

Affected waters may be bright to dark green in color and have dense, floating algal mats on the water's surface. The water may look like green paint, thick pea soup, or green cottage cheese. If you see bodies of water that look like this, it's best for people and pets to avoid contact with the water.

RI DEM announces summer schedule of education programs

Coyotes, Bumblebees, Dragonflies, and Bats, Oh My!

Have some fun in the sun by attending an educational program with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s (DEM) Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW)! Get outdoors while learning new skills; from fishing days to hunter education classes to guided walks, there’s something for everyone. Join DFW’s Aquatic Resource Education, Hunter Education, Wildlife Outreach and volunteer staff to learn, explore, and enjoy! Most programs being offered this summer are free and family friendly. A list of programs and registration information are listed below:

R.I. environmental police are finally staffing up

No surprise: better pay and benefits improve recruitment

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

Rhode Island’s state environmental police force has been troubled by vacancies for at least 20 years.

But not for much longer. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Law Enforcement is poised to reach its full 32-person staff for the first time since Deputy Chief Mike Schipritt began working there in 2005.

Schipritt, who was promoted to deputy chief in 2024, will get a break from the endless hiring paperwork. More importantly, he won't have to struggle so much over how to deploy critical environmental guardians across the sprawling landscape of state-owned land and waters. 

Fish for free this weekend

Get Hooked During Free Freshwater Fishing Weekend May 3-4

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces its annual Free Fishing Weekend Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4. On both days, residents and visitors can fish all species of freshwater fish without a fishing license or a trout conservation stamp. A complete list of stocked waters can be found here.

The program, started in 1995, promotes    freshwater fishing as a new outdoor experience and highlights some of the state’s top fishing spots. Free Fishing Weekend does not include saltwater fishing or saltwater licenses.

Can a local fishing panel make a difference in offshore wind projects?

We’re about to find out.

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

When the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) put out a public call for volunteers to revive a state fishing advisory panel, a former panel member warned Jim Riggs against joining.

Riggs, a 75-year-old recreational fisherman and retired electrician who lives in Westerly, applied anyway.

“I feel that in order to have your voice heard when it comes to fisheries management, you’re either on the table or on the plate,” Riggs said in an interview. “I prefer to be at the table.”

His seat at the table is now secured; he is one of nine new members the CRMC named to its Fishermen’s Advisory Board (FAB) after a single, unanimous vote on April 8. The advisory panel has been inactive since all of its former members resigned together in August 2023 to protest what they viewed as the CRMC’s kowtowing to offshore wind project developers at the expense of local fishermen. 

Will the same frustrations bubble up? The first test comes this week, as the new panel begins negotiations with SouthCoast Wind, which has applied for a permit to run transmission lines from its wind turbines up the Sakonnet River and out Mount Hope Bay. 

Study warns of deadly future marine heat waves in East Coast estuaries

Increasing temps threaten the productivity of coastal waters

Bottom of Form

by John Wallace 

A first-of-its-kind study led by William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS is predicting estuaries along the East Coast of the U.S. will experience marine heat wave conditions up to a third of the year by the end of the century. With estuaries serving as important nursery habitats for nearly 75% of all fish species and supporting more than 54 million jobs, this could have devastating consequences for marine ecosystems as well as the fisheries and communities that depend on them.

Published today in Nature Scientific Reports, the study used long-term monitoring data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) program to examine conditions in 20 estuaries across the U.S. over the past two decades. The results showed rising frequencies of marine heat waves in East Coast estuaries that, if continued as modeled, could have disastrous ecosystem consequences.

RI Health Dept. warns against eating some locally caught fish

Especially the Grills Preserve Pond in Bradford

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is recommending that the public limit consumption of native fish caught in certain areas of the Pawcatuck River downstream of Burdickville Road in Hopkinton and to avoid eating any fish from the Grills Preserve Pond in Bradford. 

Fish caught in these areas have had high levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

RIDOH is issuing the following fish consumption recommendations to protect public health:

- Do not eat any fish caught from the Grills Preserve Pond.

- Eat no more than 1 meal per month of native fish (i.e., perch, bass, and pickerel) caught from the Pawcatuck River downstream of Burdickville Road in Hopkinton.

- Since PFAS tend to accumulate more in organs compared to muscle tissue, do not eat the organs of fish caught from the Pawcatuck River downstream of Burdickville Road in Hopkinton.

- RIDOH does not currently have the data needed to make a health-based recommendation on the safety of consuming stocked trout in this section of the Pawcatuck River. Individuals concerned about PFAS should know that these species can accumulate PFAS. People can be exposed to PFAS from a variety of sources and can lower their intake from one or more sources by limiting or replacing them.

EDITOR'S NOTE: While the hazards associated with PFAS contamination become better known, the Musk-Trump administration are cancelling federal efforts to better assess those risks and their sources. Even though what you know (or don't know) can hurt you, the Trump regime thinks you're better off not knowing.  - Will Collette.

Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association has three upcoming events

 

Three Upcoming Events   All WPWA Events and Registration on Eventbrite.com, Click Here  Scouts Fly-Fishing Merit Badge 4/15 and either 4/17 or rain date 4/18, 9am - 2:30pm Just six spots still available! Please share this link, with all details and registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/wpwa-17992604724 This two-day workshop will cover all Requirements listed for the Badge, including fun activities of fly-tying, casting, knot tying, sampling aquatic bugs to match fishing lures, and even fishing. Registration is $30 plus Eventbrite fees and includes the Scouts Pamphlet on Fly-Fishing. Plan to attend Day One on Tuesday, 4/15 at the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association in Hope Valley, RI. Depending on rain and wind, Day Two will either be 4/17 or 4/18 and guardians will be informed upon pick up on 4/15. Day Two will be at a fishing location, at Carolina Trout Hatchery, 3 Old Richmond Townhouse Rd, Carolina, RI 02812. Timing for both dates is 9am - 2:30pm. Scouts of America Fly-Fishing Merit Badge will be taught by expert fishermen from 4+ local organizations and overseen by the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association's Merit Badge Counselor, Kassi Donnelly. Angling organizations: Rhode Island Trout Unlimited, United Fly Tyers of RI, Fly-Fishers International and Rhody Fly Rhodders. "My Kind of River" video on youtube highlights the outstanding fishing in this nationally designated Wild and Scenic Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuffMtvU5w4 For questions, Contact Kassi Donnelly, kassi@wpwa.org Registration is required. Register Here Map and Compass Workshop May 1st, 6pm-9pm and May 3rd, 9am-3pm Do you like to get out and explore, but worry about your skills to find your way back? Join the Narragansett Chapter of the AMC and the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association for a two-part course to read and understand maps and use a compass correctly. Class will be on Thursday May 1, 2025 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association Campus, Hope Valley, RI. For Thursday class, dress for the weather, part of the class will be held outdoors, as conditions permit. Topics include reading map symbols and contour lines, matching the terrain to the map, taking and using bearings, orienting map and compass, declination, determining your location and planning your route. Field Practice will be on Saturday May 3, 9:00 AM - 3 PM at Arcadia Management Area in Exeter, RI. Information about Saturday’s field practice will be provided in the class notes. The morning session will allow participants to practice their new skills. After lunch they will plan and then execute a bushwhack route through the woods. More details in the linked button below. For questions, Contact Kassi Donnelly, kassi@wpwa.org Registration before April 28th is required. Cost is $29. Register Here Birding by Kayak... During Migration! May 3rd, 10am-1pm  (rain date May 4th) Enjoy the height of bird migration on a pristine river, centrally located in Rhode Island. Expert birder from the Ocean State Bird Club pairs up with naturalist and kayaking guide from the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association. All kayaking gear is provided, this stretch of river begins as very wide and forgiving. The group may meander up a tighter stretch of river. Rare birds are often heard in this nationally designated Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic River System. Reserve both Saturday, May 3rd and rain/heavy wind date of Sunday, May 4th. Kassi@wpwa.org will send an email Thursday informing participants when the event will take place. The event is 10am till 1pm at the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association. Bring food, a water bottle and dress for the early spring weather. Suggestions on what to bring and expect are in an email confirmation. Limited to 20 participants so that we can best hear the birds. Cost is $45 for OSBC or WPWA Members, $55 for non-members. Kayaks, life jackets and gear are included. Kayaks can often be managed by children 10 years old and up. Canoes and tandem kayaks are also available, great for an adult to share with a child under 11. Scroll down on the registration link to see this additional option. For More Information Contact: Kassi Donnelly: kassi@wpwa.org Registration is required. Register Here P.S. Lookout for Raptor Encounter Program Sunday, June 1st @ 10am Our Contact Information Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association 203 Arcadia Road Hope Valley, RI 02832 401-539-9017 http://www.wpwa.org