Rhode Island Sea Grant

Law students and faculty from the Marine Affairs Institute at Roger Williams University School of Law toured Block Island in June as part of a law clinic designed to provide students with a real-world problem to address. Municipal leaders showed them areas, starting with the ferry terminal, where concerns are mounting for boosting resilience to the impacts of climate change such as increased storms and sea level rise. The students learned about considerations for dredging, elevating utilities, and moving buildings away from vulnerable areas while preserving the island's history. This hands-on experience informed their final report, which will be published this fall on the Marine Affairs Institute website.

Law Clinic Focuses Students on Block Island Coastal Resilience Challenge - Rhode Island Sea Grant Law students apply a legal and policy perspective to addressing climate impacts to Block Island's infrastructure and community resources.

Sea level rise and erosion are making beaches and coastlines more narrow, and that may make shoreline access in some places around Rhode Island more challenging in the years to come.

Join us on this shoreline access walk at 5 pm on September 17 in Barrington and learn how a Rhode Island Sea Grant-funded research team with specialties in GIS mapping, natural resource economics, coastal geology, and law have been studying this issue in the East Bay and what they have found. Faculty from the University of Rhode Island and staff from the URI Coastal Institute, the Coastal Resources Management Council of Rhode Island, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Town of Barrington, RI will be on hand to answer your shoreline access questions.

Discussion topics:

● Climate change and implications for public access
● Shoreline access improvements in the town of Barrington
● How CRMC is interpreting and enforcing RI’s new shoreline access legislation
● Legal challenges to the shoreline access law and what's to come

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/barrington-shoreline-access-walk-tickets-998770709077

Having fun .gso Science Saturday 9/7 from 10-4 making ocean-themed keychains. Join us!

Having fun at Science Saturday .gso Sept. 7 10-4 making ocean-themed key chains! Join us!

An update on one of our former Knauss Fellows, Basia Marcks

We will be there with a craft for the kids and answers to your questions on coastal resilience, shoreline access, and more!

URI Graduate School of Oceanography Studying the ocean and marine environments for 60+ years.

How abundant shellfish help create healthy waters As a fisheries and aquaculture specialist at the Barnstable County Cooperative Extension, Abigail Archer spends a lot of time trying to help the public connect the dots between shellfish, nitrogen, and healthy estuaries. This relationship starts when nitrogen travels through freshwater streams and r...

They’re here!

King Tide Alert! ⚠️ 🌊 Today, August 22 through tomorrow August 23 submit your photos to MyCoastRI! Two back-to-back King Tides are expected to be 0.8 feet above the average high tide.

Help us capture King Tide photos! MyCoastRI needs your help to document this event’s effect on Rhode Island’s beaches, coastal waterways, and infrastructure. Visit the RI King Tides Initiative page MyCoast.org/RI to learn more about this phenomenon, get the dates for all King Tides in 2024, and read more about how you can contribute.⁠
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Thank you to our MyCoastRI partners Rhode Island Sea Grant , URI Coastal Resources Center , and Coastal Resources Management Council of Rhode Island

“We needed to start looking realistically at flooding,” says Pam Rubinoff ... “FEMA maps all look backward,” Rubinoff says. “How could we look at flooding taking into account climate change moving forward?”

Thanks to University of Rhode Island's magazine for featuring URI Coastal Resources Center, Coastal Resources Management Council of Rhode Island & Rhode Island Sea Grant work to address coastal flooding in Rhode Island!

Swelling the Banks Flood Watch: The Ocean State is no stranger to flooding. Tools developed by URI scientists are helping Rhode Island cope.

Do you spend time outdoors 🏖 🏕 ? Share your feedback on outdoor recreation in Rhode Island 🎣 🏹 🛶🚲 ! Your participation will help inform priorities for outdoor recreation in the Ocean State for the next five years. Complete our short survey for a chance to win a 2025 RI State Beach Parking Pass! The survey only takes a few minutes, find it online at https://riparks.ri.gov/scorp.

Prefer to share your thoughts in person? Stop by an upcoming tabling event:

• Washington County Fair: Sunday, August 18th from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
• Lincoln Woods State Park: Friday, August 23rd from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• Bristol Town Beach: Friday, August 23rd from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administrated by, or associated with Instagram/Facebook. Find more information on the SCORP Survey Contest at https://riparks.ri.gov/scorp-incentive.

King Tides are coming to Rhode Island shores Aug. 22 & 23. Share your photos of coastal flooding with us!

Photos of flooded roads, parking lots, buildings, shoreline access sites, and more can help communities better understand, plan for, and protect areas vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise. Volunteering is easy - check out our post for more information!

https://createsend.com/t/i-791E46155061D4392540EF23F30FEDED
- with Coastal Resources Management Council of Rhode Island URI Coastal Resources Center Save The Bay - Narragansett Bay

An art exhibit intended to communicate oceanographic research to wider audiences is on display at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography through September 20. The Synergy Project has paired artists across many mediums with scientists from URI and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). This exhibition at Studio Blue is free and open to the public. Learn more:

Art and science merge in The Synergy Project at URI’s Bay Campus KINGSTON, R.I. — Aug. 15, 2024 —Art League RI and the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography are featuring the works of artists and scientists in a new exhibition titled “The Synergy Project: A Collaboration of Art and Science,” from Aug. 15 through Sept. 20 at Studio Blu...

Aquaculture in Rhode Island has a value of over $6 million annually and employs nearly 400 people. But for it to continue to thrive, growers say, advanced training is needed. Rhode Island Sea Grant has received over $200K from the National Sea Grant College Program to provide training on how to operate a successful aquaculture business, minimize conflicts, and take advantage of state funds and resources.
- with URI Coastal Resources Center

Rhode Island Sea Grant Receives $234,000 for Advanced Aquaculture Training - Rhode Island Sea Grant Rhode Island Sea Grant will offer advanced aquaculture training at URI to strenghten the workforce and reduce conflicts.

Science Saturday 2024 Save The Date: Saturday, September 7, 2024, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. We can’t wait to welcome you to the URI Bay Campus for a day full of exhibits, tours and conversations centered on marine exploration, discovery, science and conservation! Mark your calendar for September 7th to participate in behind-t...

More visits to shoreline rights-of-way this morning in Warwick with Coastal Resources Management Council of Rhode Island to add QR code stickers and make note of where signs and repairs are needed.

(No, I don't know who's going to DO the repairs but, baby steps.)

Nice to see repaired steps at Beachwood Drive #1 (@104 Beachwood), but unfortunately the steps at Beachwood Drive #2 (32 Beachwood) are broken. Hence the saying, "You can have everything you want but not all at once."

The Elkins Ave. ROW (don't go looking for it ON Elkins Ave., it's actually on Bradford, which makes sense if you look at the CRMC ROW map and documentation on their website) is nondescript from the street, but a walk down the path reveals a beautiful vista and a small beach with a rocky groin that could be a nice fishing spot.

Ives Road is another nice spot with a lot for a few cars to park and access Sandy Point Beach. The CRMC sign there got a QR code stucker that will take you to the CRMC website for more info on ROWs.

Lastly, the Bradford Ave. ROW is another beautiful spot that is popular with birders, though there is no ROW sign present. There is off-street parking onsite for a few cars.

Want to find these ROWs and more? Visit https://www.shoreline-ri.com/ or http://www.crmc.ri.gov/publicaccess.html

Can you tell when you're at a shoreline right-of-way just by looking? Sure, it helps if there's a sign, but do you know how wide the path is, or where the public area ends and private property begins?

Recently a shoreline access walk in Bristol led by the Coastal Resources Management Council of Rhode Island, the URI Coastal Institute, and Rhode Island Sea Grant, with the help of the Bristol harbormaster and neighbors, sought to show people how to identify shoreline access and feel confident in using it. Learn more:
https://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/bristol-walking-tour-highlights-hidden-shoreline-access-gems-including-the-people-who-care-for-them/

"Multi-use in the seaside context means cooperative relationships," but "existing frameworks largely fail to provide a path forward in terms of supporting and incentivizing collaboration."

This Rhody Today article features the work of URI Coastal Resources Center & Rhode Island Sea Grant's Jennifer McCann, Sue Kennedy, and Pam Rubinoff in assisting communities with concerns on offshore wind, climate resilience, and other coastal and environmental issues.

“More must be done to proactively provide resources to primary industries, such as commercial fishing, and local communities to ensure they can invest the considerable time and energy needed to work together to find points of interaction and cooperation,” says McCann.

with URI Graduate School of Oceanography

URI’s Sea Grant program featured in Oceanography Society magazine KINGSTON, R.I. – July 24, 2024 – “Multi-use” is the way to go in ecosystem management planning. That’s what staff from the University of Rhode Island say in a paper recently published for the worldwide ocean community in Oceanography magazine. The URI team had its work featured in a specia...

https://whatsupnewp.com/2024/07/newport-acts-quickly-to-buy-strategic-flood-zone-property/

Newport acts quickly to buy strategic flood-zone property Newport’s Department of Utilities is set to purchase a property at 81 Garfield Street for an amount not to exceed $500,000 to facilitate stormwater infrastructure improvements and potential flood mitigation efforts. The City Council approved the purchase and sale agreement with the Rhode Island De...

URI wildlife and conservation biology major Corinne DeAngelis trained alongside commercial fisheries apprentices as part of her Community-Engaged Internship this summer. The group learned how to put on a survival suit and jump into a pool, perform CPR at sea, mend fishing nets, and load gear and supplies onto a fishing vessel while maintaining its stability in the water.

Fred Mattera and Shaye Rooney, co-executive directors of the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, which hosted the intership, praised Corinne’s professionalism and dedication to her position, saying that she was “an asset to our program, filling in the gaps where and when needed,” adding that she “connected extremely well with the apprentices, creating a more cohesive group.”

“I was genuinely excited to come here and learn and do all this hands-on stuff because I’m definitely a hands-on learner,” Corinne says.

Learn more about Corinne and this Rhode Island Sea Grant-funded internship opportunity at the link below.

- with University of Rhode Island, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, National Sea Grant College Program

Community-Engaged Internship Offers an Immersive Experience - Rhode Island Sea Grant URI senior Corinne DeAngelis learned about running a fisheries apprenticeship program—and picked up some unusual skills along the way.

Collier Point Park is temporarily closed for repairs due to vandalism.

South Providence Park, Coastal Access Point Closed by Private Owner - ecoRI News Local residents looking to beat the heat this summer are having to go without one of their most significant parks and coastal access points.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/SZ1v4okVXhyveUuZ/?mibextid=WaXdOe

Rhode Island's small coastal businesses aren't particularly interested in the "multi-use" concept of sharing infrastructure and working together as a way to minimize conflict. What they WOULD like is improved shoreline access and more parking to expand the experiences they can offer guests.

Rhode Island Sea Grant-funded researchers from the University of Rhode Island, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Marine Policy Center have conducted focus groups with these small businesses, including commercial and recreational fisheries, aquaculture, tour boat operators, marine educators, and other recreational uses such as sailing, surfing, boating, and kayaking. Follow the link to learn more about their findings so far! Research continues this fall, and we'll continue to share results as they come in.

National Sea Grant College Program

https://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/multi-use-no-thanks-say-small-businesses-in-rhode-islands-blue-economy/

"Taft-Carter’s decisions clear the way for the lawsuits to continue. They do not resolve either case or prevent the state from enforcing the new shoreline access law."

Judge sides with property owners in blow to new shoreline access law - TPR: The Public's Radio A Rhode Island Superior Court judge says the state’s new shoreline access law has resulted in the unconstitutional taking of private beachfront property without just compensation to landowners. In two decisions filed Friday, Associate Justice Sarah Taft-Carter denied Rhode Island Attorney General ...

Rhode Island Sea Grant is seeking a specialist to help us better connect with and serve diverse communities across Rhode Island. If you have professional experience in public engagement, diversity initiatives, and/or project coordination and would like to work with a team dedicated to supporting vibrant and resilient coastal communities, economies, and environments, check out this job posting!

Rhode Island Sea Grant is based at the University of Rhode Island, and program offices are located at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography.

This animated short for kids makes learning about and respecting rip currents fun and easy: https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/fullmoon-ripcurrentsafety/welcome.html

Hop in Rhode Island, we're going to the beach!

Starting TOMORROW, June 29, RIPTA's South County Express Beach Bus returns for the summer season with express service to South County beaches from:
- Central Falls
- Cranston
- North Providence
- Pawtucket
- Providence
- Woonsocket

These express trips will run weekends and holidays to Salty Brine (Galilee), Roger Wheeler (Sand Hill Cove) and Scarborough beaches from June 29 to August 31, 2024. The fare will be the regular bus fare of $2 one-way.

Click here for the schedule: RIPTA.com/BeachService

-- What do you do if you see someone caught in a rip current?

**Remember: If you find yourself in a rip current -- don't fight it! Swim parallel to the beach and out of the current.

-- How do you handle a sneaker wave?

Find the answer to these questions and learn other important water safety procedures in our feature story:

noaa.gov/stories/handling-waves-and-currents-how-to-stay-safe-in-water

Pictured: A rip current (between the red arrows) in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, in 2015. Credit: NOAA.

U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) National Ocean Service

Congratulations to Alex Pouliot and Mallory Lentz, both recent graduates from University of Rhode Island’s Master of Environmental Science and Management (MESM) program, for receiving NOAA Office of Coastal Management fellowships! Alex will be working on coastal resilience for the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), and Lentz will be working with the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) on coastal access.

Alex also served as a Rhode Island Sea Grant MESM Fellow, working at the URI Coastal Resources Center

https://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/uri-graduate-students-selected-for-competitive-noaa-coastal-fellowships/

Harmful algal blooms, which can make shellfish unsafe to harvest, have thankfully been rare in Narragansett Bay. Rhode Island Sea Grant is sponsoring research to better understand the conditions that contribute to them.⁠ ⁠

One such project, led by the URI Graduate School of Oceanography's David Ullman, is refining an existing plankton model so that it may predict harmful algal blooms. His team is separating out the genus of plankton that is sometimes responsible for the harm in harmful algal blooms. They are comparing results of the model with observed plankton from the weekly GSO Long-Term Plankon Time Series survey. Learn more at our link!

The Making of a Model - Rhode Island Sea Grant Researchers are working on refining a model of plankton dynamics in Narragansett Bay to better understand and predict harmful algal blooms.