Where every doctor, nurse, and caregiver provides the greatest of care.

It may be helping a grandmother recover from heart failure. Providing direct access to Smilow Cancer Hospital’s personalized therapies. Or offering expert medical specialties to residents across southern Rhode Island. Whatever the situation, and whoever the patient, all of our acclaimed doctors, nurses, and caregivers are committed to the same thing: doing their jobs with the greatest of care.

Town of Westerly Will Request Ownership of Watch Hill Lighthouse Property

The move comes three weeks after US Sen. Jack Reed announced the property was slated to be transferred to a private non-profit in Watch Hill

The Westerly Town Council is formally requesting that the US government transfer ownership of a roughly four-acre shoreline property in Watch Hall to the town instead of the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association.

The decision to seek ownership of the Watch Hill Lighthouse property came in a 5-1 vote during a special meeting convened Monday night to consider a resolution that would also support giving the lighthouse building and other structures on the property to the Lighthouse Keepers and exempting them from town property taxes.

A copy of the resolution will now be sent to U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, US Rep. Seth Magaziner, whose district includes Westerly, state lawmakers representing the area, the National Parks Service, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the state Coastal Resources Management Council.

Councilor William Aiello, who authored the resolution, called it “a great opportunity for everyone involved.”

Councilor Joy Cordio said she supported the move as a way to ensure public access to the property in the years to come and that passage of the resolution shouldn’t be interpreted as a reflection on the Lighthouse Keepers.

“This is about the land, and it’s not about the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association,” Cordio said. “I’m hopeful that we’re going to have a great partnership that will benefit the public.”

Councilors Dylan LaPietra, Mary Scialabba, and Phil Overton joined Aiello and Cordio in passing the resolution.

Council President Edward Morrone voted against it, saying he was opposed to the process of considering the decision at a special meeting where public comment isn’t allowed instead of at a regular meeting where the council could have heard from the Lighthouse Keepers.

“I cannot support a one-sided document,” Morrone said.

Councilors scheduled the special meeting last week because the transfer agreement between the federal government and Lighthouse Keepers is expected to be finalized soon.

Monday night’s decision reverses course from Westerly’s position under the previous town council, when the town formally supported the Lighthouse Keepers’ application to the federal government for ownership of the property.

Reed announced the impending transfer of the lighthouse property July 9, as part of a group of three approved lighthouse transfers in Rhode Island. Shoreline access advocates quickly responded by asking the current town council to intervene, because they feared transfer of the land to private hands could result in the loss of shoreline access to a peninsula that’s popular with fishermen and sightseers.

Reed’s o ce did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.

Before Monday’s meeting, the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association President Ann Snowden Johnson and Vice President Buck Barber expressed disappointment with the current town council’s direction on the matter, saying the town was right when it initially passed on the property when it had an opportunity to seek ownership.

During a tour of the grounds, which the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association has been managing under an agreement with the federal government since 1986, Barber pointed out cracked areas in the seawall that goes around the peninsula and said repairs to reinforce the barrier are expected to cost millions of dollars over the coming years.

He and Johnson said their group was prepared to take on the responsibility of making necessary repairs and pointed out a more than 200 foot section of seawall that was rebuilt after Superstorm Sandy with state grant funding from the Rhode Island Historic Preservation & Heritage Commission and private financial support. They estimated the cost of that work at upwards of $750,000.

“We’re rebuilding what’s falling apart,” Barber said.

Johnson said, “I can’t stress enough how much this is pure devotion and love.”

Johnson said public access would be maintained at the property under the ownership of the non-profit, as required by the federal law that guides the transfer of government lighthouses.

The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act says organizations that assume ownership of lighthouse properties need to make the areas accessible to the general public “at reasonable times and under reasonable conditions.” Shoreline access advocates argue that language is vague and leaves too much open to chance in Watch Hill, where the town and state are now being sued over an access point to another shoreline area in a separate case.

The Lighthouse Keepers shared the “use plan” section of their federal application when asked for documentation on plans for public access in the future. The plan included current policies, like the hours the property is currently open to the public, but not specific commitments for public access to the land that surrounds the lighthouse going forward.

Local fishermen are particularly concerned by the prospect of the transfer to the Lighthouse Keepers because, they say, a gate to the property blocks them from fishing at night. The land is reachable by foot and only accessible by vehicle to people who are elderly or have disabilities.

Current policies posted near the entrance to the property grounds say the area is “only for sightseeing and casual strolling.”

When asked if that means fishing isn’t allowed on the property, Johnson said people can fish on the public trust land adjacent to the lighthouse property.

Johnson would not say whether she was willing to partner with the town going forward, if Westerly wants to own the land. She said she was operating under the conditions that the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association was selected to take ownership of the property and is working toward finalizing its agreement.

This article was originally posted on July 31, 2023. Alex Nunes can be reached at anunes@thepublicsradio.org

Rhody Pets of the Month

Looking to welcome a new furry friend into your home? Adopt, don’t shop! Shelters around South County and across the state have dogs and cats ready to find their forever homes. Here are three pets ready to meet you, or reach out to the shelters to learn about even more adoptees.

If you have been thinking of adopting or if you know of an animal in need, please contact Karen directly at animaltalk1920@gmail.com.

THOMAS

They call it puppy love! When you see Thomas’ adorable face, you’ll be enamored. The six-month-old mixed-breed puppy has a gorgeous red coat and chocolate brown eyes. He’s a little shy but loves other playful dogs and kids. Thomas is looking for a patient adopter and maybe a furry sibling to show him the ropes.

Rhode Home Rescue

RhodeHomeRescue.org

RhodeHomeRescue@gmail.com

JASMINE

This two-year-old Lab mix with hazel eyes will steal your heart with her good looks and pearly white smile. Jasmine likes belly rubs, yummy treats, and snuggling. She does well around other dogs and is an overall great girl – now all she needs is a great family to bring her home!

Animal Rescue Rhode Island 506B Curtis Corner Road, Peace Dale 401-783-7606 • AnimalRescueRI.org

Snowball

Believed to be a Flame Point Siamese, Snowball is an eight-year-old blue-eyed beauty. He is a gentle soul who enjoys a quiet home and, as a diabetic kitty, someone who can give him insulin twice a day. If you have another mellow cat, he would be happy to have a friend. Snowball is ready to roll into your life!

Ten Lives Cat Rescue

TenLivesCatRescue.org

Hello@tenlivescatrescue.org

All Species Great and Small

A 24-hour survey of local flora and fauna brought naturalists and citizen scientists to Narragansett Tribal land

“And so, the answer is 1,038!” boomed David Gregg, to the applause and cheers of lingering biologists and naturalists, who came up for air from their microscopes to fold chairs and pack up the Science Central tent after 24 hours of BioBlitzing. No, he hasn’t summed up the meaning of the universe in one neat figure (and in fact, weeks following this year’s BioBlitz, that number is still growing), but rather, it’s a count of species identified on 1,200 acres of Narragansett Tribal land in Charlestown.

But let’s rewind. For those who have never embarked on a BioBlitz, which feels both like summer camp for adults and hands-on science in the field, the goal is to take the temperature of a specific parcel’s biodiversity, inviting volunteers to fan out and leave no rock unturned (often literally) in search of as many species dwelling there as possible. From abundant ants to elusive bears, blanketing moss to towering trees, taxonomic groups led by experts and specialists identify and record their findings in this “full-contact biology” sport.

Though the tentative tally isn’t record-breaking, this year’s BioBlitz, held in early June, was special for a few reasons. Ecologically, the area included Atlantic white cedar swamplands iconic to southern Rhode

Island, as well as two ponds mostly free of the groundwater pollution that many water bodies surrounded by residential development experience. “The most amazing part about it was the warmth and generosity of the Narragansett Tribe for trusting us to bring this three-ring circus to their sacred land,” says Gregg, executive director of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey (RINHS).

Through a partnership with the Narragansett Tribe’s Department of Community Planning and Natural Resources and director of natural resources Dinalyn Spears, RINHS brought BioBlitz to a parcel of auke ut Nahiganseck (meaning “we dwell here”), which is normally closed to the public.

Opening remarks from Narragansett Tribal Councilman Cassius Spears, Jr. reminded participants that the tribe’s land once stretched far beyond reservation limits, underscoring the importance of the place they steward today.

Arriving Friday afternoon, mine and likely everyone’s first species sighting was the white and pink Mountain Laurel blooms dappling either side of the road, though a novice enthusiast and first-time BioBlitzer, I wouldn’t learn the plant’s name until tagging along with the ant team, made up of Providence College professor James Waters and students.

Turning over logs and rocks, Waters pointed out colonies of ants while students, armed with aspirators to suck up the tinier specimens into vials, collected insects to identify under microscopes later. By the end of the blitz, the team had found two species never observed there before, including a first for Rhode Island in the pheidole genus of big-headed ants, which shows us an example of a southern species moving north.

Another important figure from this year’s BioBlitz was 367: the record-breaking number of registrants – over 200 of which were newcomers. In an event that brings together both passionate field biologists and a host of amateur citizen scientists, striking a balance

Accepting New Primary Care Patients & Walk Ins

Please call to be seen for same day appointment

Monday-Friday: 9am-5pm t (401) 789-1086 | f (401) 789-5344

Narragansett Medical Building @ the Narragansett Rotary 360 Kingstown Road Suite 104 Narragansett, RI 02882 between facilitating meaningful discoveries and enabling the public to engage in ecological awareness is a tenuous line to walk.

RINHS program director Kira Stillwell, whose self-declared taxonomic specialty is people, shares that the event didn’t always require registration. “We made a really intentional decision, I think it was probably in ‘08, that it’s not a public event. You have to be pre-registered; you have to identify as part of a team,” she explains. “And so we’ve got the taxonomic experts and we’ve got the new folks who I call able-bodied bucket carriers.”

This also means everyone is busy. Breaking only to pitch my tent, reapply bug spray, and hear about other BioBlitzers’ highlights of the day over sketching a leaf around the art and writing table, I embraced the organized chaos of being bounced from group to group, ready to grab an insect net or specimen vial, and asking questions along the way.

I learned that nomada bees are kleptoparasites that lay their eggs in host nests, listened for frogs on a nighttime amphibian walk along the water, saw a Common Yellowthroat through binoculars, and memorized the Ovenbird’s song, activities made more resonate in the context of tribal member and PE teacher Thawn Harris’ traditional storytelling over dinner, a spread that included authentic succotash prepared by tribal member Pearl Brown. In the morning, a medicinal plant walk with Spears enlightened listeners about the uses of sassafras, wintergreen, and more, and a sketching workshop with Frances Topping and Thea Ernest challenged participants to look at natural subjects in new ways.

Between exploratory hikes, workshops, and IDing specimens even late into the night beneath the glow of Science Central (as a handful of scientists showed o their musical talents around the campfire), a flurry of naturalist activity ascended on reservation land, and in a 24-hour span that blew by, the caravan was packed up and on its way.

Gregg and Stillwell’s work continues long after the horn signals the close of BioBlitz. RINHS will share findings with Spears and her department, turning data into land management plans and conservation outreach. The selection process for next year’s BioBlitz is already underway, and the pair is busy year round operating a figurative switchboard, plugging scientists and the public into a larger network of projects.

“The survey’s general role in the environmental world in Rhode Island is that of connecting people, providing contact and acting kind of like the hub of the wagon wheel for all of the other groups,” explains Stillwell. Echoes Gregg, “Everybody has a little piece of the puzzle, but you need somebody to bring everybody together.”

At latest tally, Gregg reports 1,248 species, but more than a number, the experience is an invitation for all ages to engage with the natural world around us. This hobbyist naturalist certainly looks forward to next year’s BioBlitz. RINHS.org

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