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Get your hands wet while helping to protect Narragansett Bay from invasive species

This June, the Narragansett Bay Research Reserve, the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, and other partners will offer workshops on aquatic invasive species (AIS) in Narragansett Bay. AIS are plants and animals that are found outside of their native range and that cause harm to our local economy, environment, or human health. Please join us to learn what you can do to help reduce their negative impacts. Working together we can ensure a healthy Narragansett Bay now and for future generations.

The impacts of AIS affect us all. AIS can negatively affect swimming, boating, and fishing; pollute the water and destroy wildlife habitat for native plants and animals; threaten public health and safety; diminish property values; cause declines in commercially important finfish and shellfish populations; and have economic impacts on water-dependent industries.

The workshop for the general public is scheduled for June 16th from 9:00 am to 11:30 am, with coffee and refreshments served at 8:30 am. This workshop will take place at URI's Bay Campus in Narragansett and include an overview of AIS in Rhode Island, hands-on species identification, and information on how participants may take part in efforts to detect AIS in Narragansett Bay.

In addition to a workshop for the general public, targeted workshops have been developed for the needs of particular stakeholder groups. Both of the following workshops will take place at URI's Bay Campus in Narragansett from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm, with a light supper served from 5:00 pm to 5:30 pm: June 13th- AIS Workshop for Retailers (including bait shops and the aquarium/pet shop industry) and June 14th- AIS Workshop for Recreational Sectors (including recreational fishers, boaters, and the charter/party boat industry). Participants will receive brief overviews relevant to their industries, hands-on species identification training, and information on simple things they can do to help reduce the negative impacts of AIS. An additional workshop for SCUBA divers is planned for June 21st from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Giant Stride Dive Shop in Warwick.