Results of an Informal Survey in Charlestown, RI

Last Friday I had the pleasure of having an information table at the Charlestown Farmers' Market. I always have lots of information to share at such events, but this time I also turned the tables, so to speak, and asked the people who came by some questions. This is what I heard. Thanks to everyone who answered!

What problems do you see with Rhode Island's environment?

Issues from Charlestown Farmers' Market, August 20, 2015, from 12 people (1 person had two issues)

1. Invasives in the woods
2. Make it easier to get rid of hazardous waste in Charlestown and other places far from the Central Landfill (Connecticut has collections each month at transfer stations)
3. Preserving valuable undisturbed land from development when transferred at owners' deaths
4. Losing meadows and open grasslands to development and forests, which leads of losing native plants, insects, and ultimately undermining of the food web. For example, grasshopper sparrows need 200 acres of grassland to breed.
5. How talk to our neighbors, whose land borders the salt ponds, about the problems caused by using pesticides and herbicides on their lawns? Don't want to alienate, but would like to know how best to educate people about ecology
6. Litter on beaches, and especially the boat launch area in Charlestown. It is not supervised and there's lots of trash. (2 people independently mentioned beach trash)
7. Balloons on the beach especially noted. One woman picks up 100/year on the south coast of RI.
8. Ticks
9. Why are they cutting trees before Exit 92 in Connecticut? [Ed. note: Possible answer here: http://www.norwichbulletin.com/article/20140123/News/140129746 -- Do a web search using Connecticut DOT 30 feet trees for more info]
10. So many rules for farmers. Dairy licensing is a particular problem
11. Frogs are disappearing. Nine years ago family heard mostly frogs, but now its mostly crickets.
12. Storm drains and sewers are connected, which pollutes waterways
13. No mass transit in Southern RI, thus total dependence on cars

What people like about Rhode Island (6 people):

1. Unspoiled beaches
2. Beauty of South County
3. Four seasons; ocean fishing
4. Beauty; great birding
5. Wood-Pawcatuck nighttime boat trip; Bioluminescent algae/jellyfish? in Bay

One person had many likes:

•  Salt marshes
•  Mixed hardwood forests & hemlock in Northwest RI (also find SOME American chestnuts coming up from roots. Never get large enough to produce chestnuts before Bark Shattering Blight kills shoot)
• Kings Beach in Newport - one of few places where you have good visibility for scuba diving
• Tiverton/Little Compton/Sakonnet Point: Wild marsh mallows and Turks cap lilies - spring-trout lilies and cardinal flower
• Norman Bird Sanctuary: guided bird walks
• Osprey everywhere - I even saw an osprey with a fish fly over Wickford State Police Barracks
• Wickford: many osprey
• Sachuest Point: winter ducks, Harlequin & Eider & King Eider
• Ninigret Pond: Bayberry

I also learned about:

• OLLI at URI.edu - Osher Lifelong Learning Institute - http://www.uri.edu/olli
• RI Historical Society's RI History Online Directory Initiative (RHODI) Project - http://rhodi.org