Panel to hold forums on Aquatic Invasive Species

10/3/07, WAKEFIELD – The Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species (NEANS) Panel is hosting a series of public forums from October 10-12 to gather comments on the draft Rhode Island Aquatic Invasive Species (RIAIS) Management Plan that was recently completed by the RIAIS Working Group, chaired by the Coastal Resources Management Council.

The public comment meetings will be held from 6-8 p.m. each of the three days, with a meeting schedule as follows: October 10 at Stedman Government Center, Room 232, 4808 Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI; October 11 at Narragansett Bay Commission, One Service Road, Providence, RI; and October 12 at Roger Williams University School of Law, Room 286, 10 Metacom Avenue, Bristol, RI. The general public is encouraged to attend.

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are non-native animals, plants, or microorganisms that may harm aquatic environments, economic resources, or the public health. The most notorious AIS in the United States is the zebra mussel which has caused billions of dollars in damage while spreading throughout the nation’s freshwater systems since its accidental introduction to the Great Lakes in 1988. The RIAIS Plan will become a significant part of the NEANS Panel’s efforts to address the threat of AIS in Rhode Island and the northeast once it is approved by the Federal Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force. The CRMC is a charter member and serves as co-chair of the NEANS Panel, which was established in 2001 under the Federal Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990. This law seeks to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species into U.S. waters and to control or eradicate them if necessary. The NEANS Panel includes the six New England states, the State of New York, and the Canadian Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. It represents state, provincial, and federal governments; academia; commercial and recreational fishing interests; recreational boaters; commercial shipping; power and water utilities; environmental organizations; aquaculture; nursery and aquarium trades; tribal concerns; lake associations; and the bait industry. The RIAIS Plan’s goals to prevent, control, and abate the impacts of AIS in the state will be implemented on a continual basis upon receiving federal approval.

RI Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan (Draft) (PDF)

Directions to the Meeting Locations

DIRECTIONS TO THE STEDMAN GOVERNMENT CENTER:

From the North:

Follow Interstate 95 South to Exit 9, Route 4 South
Follow Route 4 South to Route 1 South
Stay on Route 1 South for approximately six miles, Stedman Government Center is on left side of highway

From the South:

Follow Interstate 95 North to Exit 3, Route 138 East
Follow Route 138 East to Route 1 South
Stay on Route 1 South for approximately three miles, Stedman Government Center is on the left side of the highway

Please take notice!!! The front door to the government center will be locked shortly after 6:00 p.m. If you find the door to be locked please press the doorbell just top the right of the front doors and someone will arrive to open the door for you.

DIRECTIONS TO THE NARRAGANSETT BAY COMMISSION OFFICES:

From Points North:

95 South to Providence
Take the Thurber's Avenue exit
Bear left off the exit to Allens Avenue
Take a right onto Allens Avenue
Follow Allens Avenue approximately 1/4 mile
Take a left on Terminal Road at stoplight
Take the first right onto Ellis Street
Take the first left onto Ernest St.

From Points South:

95 North to Providence
Take the Thurber's Avenue exit
Bear right off the exit to Allens Avenue
Take a right onto Allens Avenue
Follow Allens Avenue approximately 1/4 mile
Take a left on Terminal Road at stoplight
Take the first right onto Ellis Street
Take the first left onto Ernest St.

Continue along Ernest Street until road turns right. The Narragansett Bay Commission's Field's Point Wastewater Treatment Facility is immediately to your left. Visitor parking for Field's Point is located in the second lot. The NBC Corporate Offices are on your right. Visitor parking is available in the parking lot north of the office building, and the building is accessed via the door adjacent to this parking lot. A Narragansett Bay Commission employee will greet you at the door and request that you sign in as you enter the building.

DIRECTIONS TO ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW:

From Boston, Massachusetts and points north:

Follow either 128 South (also called I-95 South) or I-93 South to Route 24 South heading toward Fall River, Massachusetts. Merge onto I-195 West and follow for about a mile to exit 8A to continue on Route 24 South. Follow for approximately 8 miles to Exit 2 towards Bristol and the Mt. Hope Bridge. Turn right at bottom of exit, continue across the Mt. Hope Bridge; the University is just after the bridge on the right.

From Albany, New York and points west:

Take Route 87 to Interstate 90 East (Mass Turnpike). Take Route 146 South to Interstate 95 South to Providence, Rhode Island. Take Interstate 195 East to Exit 7 (Route 114- Barrington/Warren). Travel south on Route 114 approximately 14 miles through Barrington, Warren and Bristol. The University is on the left just before the Mt. Hope Bridge.

From New York City and points south:

Take Interstate 95 North to Providence, Rhode Island. Take Interstate 195 East to Exit 7 (Route 114- Barrington/Warren). Travel South on Route 114 approximately 14 miles through Barrington, Warren and Bristol. The University is on the left just before the Mt. Hope Bridge.

Please use the following link for a campus map showing the location of the School of Law: http://www.rwu.edu/maps-directions/campus-parking-map

RI Coastal Resources Management Council

Directions to the Meeting Locations