Small Portion of Ninigret Sand Trail Must Close Temporarily to Vehicles this Summer

Information
United States Department of the Interior
Fish and Wildlife Service

Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex
50 Bend Road
Charlestown, RI 02813
(401) 364-9124  •  FAX: (401) 364-0170

Due to severe winter storm damage about a half mile portion of the sand trail on the Ninigret Conservation Area in Charlestown will be closed to vehicular traffic from April 1 through Labor Day this year.

The closure is in effect from the Eastern most parking lot on DEM’s Ninigret Conservation Area to the Western shores of the Charlestown Breachway, affecting the last .5 mile of the trail.

The Coastal Resource Management Council, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Town of Charlestown, and private landowners have been meeting to address the washout to determine how best to restore the dunes and re-align the trail safely on a permanent basis.  The sand trail was washed out in November, 2005.

“We have made a concerted effort to provide for continued vehicular access to the breachway, but have found that a temporary closure is necessary, but for this season only” Charlie Vandemoer, Refuge Manager for the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge said. “A combination of factors, including the need to provide for public safety, time to obtain necessary permits for re-routing the sand trail, and for protecting the piping plover, a threatened species, has made the temporary closure necessary”.

All of the agencies and private land owners share the same goal of re-opening the sand trail as soon as possible along an alignment which will be much less susceptible to washouts and which will provide long term access.   The agencies are cooperating in the restoration effort, and are insuring long term public rights of way or prescriptive easements will be maintained.

The storm destroyed vegetated dunes and the sand trail, but also created ideal nesting habitat for the piping plover, a threatened species protected under the Endangered Species Act. Because vehicles are not permitted within nesting habitat, vehicular access near where the sand trail used to be is not  possible.  Endangered Species staff of the Fish and Wildlife Service stationed at the New Hampshire field office were called in to review the situation, who determined that continued vehicle use in the washout area would pose a high risk to the threatened birds.

The group explored whether vehicles could be detoured onto the beach face this summer, but Town Ordinances, safety concerns, and difficult terrain combined to make this alternative unfeasible as well. Re-alignment of the sand trail will require a variety of permits at the federal and State level, and therefore could not be completed in time to provide for continued vehicular access this season. The entire area remains open to foot traffic.

“We understand the inconvenience and temporary loss of this important recreational use for this season presents a hardship on those who have traditionally enjoyed use of the sand trail to reach the western shores of the breachway.” Vandemoer said. “We appreciate everyone’s patience, and all of us are committed to re-opening the sand trail as soon as possible”. The entire area remains open to foot traffic.

For more Information, contact:

Janet Freedmen, CRMC, 783-3370
Richard Jacques, RIDEM, 322-8910
Charlie Vandemoer  USFWS  364-9124