CoastWeeks 2017

Friday, September 22, 10 a.m – 12 p.m.
Allen Harbor Marina, North Kingstown

Participants of Coastweeks learn how to identify aquatic invasive species.

Come help Rhode Island monitoring efforts for aquatic invasive species by collecting specimens at the docks at Allen Harbor Marina with Kevin Cute, R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council marine resources manager.

New species arrive every year in Narragansett Bay, with several having negative impacts on the local environment. “The problem is that invasive species take over critical habitat for native species,” says Cute. “The issue is habitat and the competition for food and space.”

Aquatic invasive species are marine plants and animals that are not in their natural, native environment and come from all over the world via ballast water in shipping vessels. Many invasive species found in Rhode Island are from as far as Europe and Asia.

Participants will get a hands-on educational experience and will walk away with a better understanding of native and non-native marine species in Rhode Island and their impacts on the local environment.

NOTE: Wear clothes and footwear that can be dirtied.

Sponsored by CRMC. Pre-registration required. Please contact Rhode Island Sea Grant at (401) 874-6805 or rhodeislandseagrant@gmail.com.

Wednesday, September 27, Two tours: 9:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Boat ramp in the breachway DEM lot off Charlestown Beach Road.

Caitlin Chaffee discusses how standing ponds impact salt marshes.

Tour Ninigret Pond salt marsh on one of Rhode Island’s most prized coastal lagoons in a pontoon boat. This site has been the focus of an extensive marsh restoration and elevation enhancement project designed to help this vital habitat better withstand flooding from sea level rise and coastal storm surge.

Caitlin Chaffee, R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council policy analyst, will lead the tour and be joined by officials from the town of Charlestown to share details on this project and how storms and sea level rise are affecting coastal marshes.

NOTE: Footwear will get wet. Please plan accordingly. This event is appropriate for adults and children 10 and older.

Sponsored by CRMC. Pre-registration required. Please contact Rhode Island Sea Grant at (401) 874-6805 or rhodeislandseagrant@gmail.com and note your preferred tour time.

Friday, September 29, 5 p.m.–6 p.m.
Perrotti Park, 39 America’s Cup Ave., Newport

Join Clean Ocean Access to learn about how the city of Newport is trying to clean up marine debris.

The Newport Harbor trash skimmers, the first on the East Coast, have collected over 6,000 pounds of miscellaneous plastic, foam, cigarettes/filters, food containers, and beverage bottles, as well as oil and toxins, since they were installed a year ago, helping to improve water quality and overall environmental conditions in the harbor.

Marina Trash Skimmers can filter 300 gallons of water per minute and look like submerged dumpsters attached to a floating dock. A three-quarter horsepower water circulation unit on the bottom forces water out of the skimmer, creating a current on the surface that collects trash, soaks up oil and traps floating debris.

The tour will showcase how these skimmers work, what kind of debris is commonly collected, and provide tips on what participants can do to reduce waste entering our water systems.

Sponsored by Clean Ocean Access. Pre-registration required. Please contact Rhode Island Sea Grant at (401) 874-6805 or rhodeislandseagrant@gmail.com.

Wednesday, October 4, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Oakland Beach Parking Lot, Oakland Beach Avenue, Warwick

Take a walking tour of two Warwick sites showcasing coastal resilience practices put into action – Oakland Beach and Strand Avenue.

Janet Freedman, R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council coastal geologist, and Pam Rubinoff, senior coastal manager at the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Center and Rhode Island Sea Grant, will be leading the tour and discuss how natural and nature-based infrastructures are being used to address flooding and erosion, as well as stormwater management plans that have been completed along Suburban Parkway and Strand Avenue and a proposed plan for stormwater improvements at Oakland Beach.

The tour will take participants within visual range of City Park Beach, and will discuss that project as well.

Sponsored by CRMC, Sea Grant, and the Coastal Resources Center. Pre-registration required. Please contact Rhode Island Sea Grant at (401) 874-6805 or rhodeislandseagrant@gmail.com.