CRMC, RI Sea Grant continue public access education series with Charlestown beach walk

September 21, 2023, WAKEFIELD – The R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) and Rhode Island Sea Grant (RISG) will be hosting a walking tour aimed at informing people on issues related to the new lateral shoreline access law.

For the last three years CRMC and RISG have hosted webinars and free events aimed at educating the public on issues relating to shoreline public access.

This event on Thursday, Sept. 21, will take place at East Beach in Charlestown, where Janet Freedman, former CRMC coastal geologist, CRMC staff including Leah Feldman, coastal policy analyst and Emily Hall, coastal geologist, and Clean Ocean Access and Rhode Island Sea Grant staff will discuss the new law and what it means for beachgoers and coastal property owners. There were more than 100 people registered for the walk at the time of this release.

These talks organized by the CRMC and RISG are part of a larger effort to improve shoreline public access, awareness, and education through opportunities like the webinars and in-person events, and in the future, improved signage and infrastructure, branding and messaging. The CRMC is also working to designate more rights-of-ways in locations throughout Rhode Island, including underserved and urban communities.

As part of this effort, CRMC and RISG also held a webinar in June, “Behind the Scenes of the RI Coastal Access Bill.” Information about that discussion and a link to the video on YouTube can be found here - http://www.crmc.ri.gov/news/2023_0616_webinar.html

Check the CRMC web site for additional information and resources pertaining to shoreline public access - www.crmc.ri.gov/publicaccess.html, as well as www.shoreline-ri.com.