1 Tides MagazineFall2013

Bay Adventures

Fall 2013 | Volume 45 | Number 1

Dire StraitsBeach closures are on the rise again

...and how one community is raising the bar for the rest of the state

PLus: Aquarium reopens | STB launches new boat | Bay Adventures for the family!

2 Tides MagazineFall2013

Afternearlyninemonthsofrebuilding,SaveTheBayreopeneditsExplorationCen-ter&AquariuminNewporttothegeneralpublic on Saturday, July 27 at 10:00 a.m.Thefacility, locatedonthegroundfloorofthe Rotunda at Easton’s Beach, sustainedcatastrophic damage to its electrical andfiltration systems when superstorm Sandypushed almost two feet of seawater andsandintothebuilding.

When the seawater came in, it natu-rally settled into the lowest space in therotunda—the basement, where most ofthe Exploration Center’s life systems werelocated. Filtration equipment, plumbing,and electrical equipment were destroyed.Thesevitalsystemskepttheaquariumrun-ningandallowedallofthecrittersthatwerenative to Narragansett Bay to thrive in aneducationalsetting.Oncethedamagewasrealized,SaveTheBaystaffandvolunteersmoved quickly into action to rescue, relo-cate, and, in some cases, release many oftheaquarium’sinhabitants.

Despite the fact that all exhibits werewithout filtration and aeration for severalhours,therewasnolossofcritters.ManyoftheanimalsweremovedtoourBayCenterinProvidence,andseveralpartnerorganiza-tions,suchasMysticAquariumandAquid-neckLobsterCompany,tookinothers.SaveThe Bay staff and volunteers did have torelease two smooth dogfish sharks backintotheocean.

SaveTheBay’srebuildingworkwasbol-steredby14 internsandavolunteerengi-neer.JohnHaley,co-ownerofPortsmouth-based BioProcess H2O, donated hundredsoflaborhoursindesigningandinstallinganewfiltrationsystemonthefirstfloor.Hiscompany also provided the equipment atcost.

Other donations of time and laborcame from Schneider Electric of WestKingston and Hayward Pumps of NorthKingstown. Schneider Electric providedhundreds of staff volunteer hours clean-ing,scraping,andpaintingtheExplorationCenter,pluscollectionofseveralnewspeci-mens. Jamie Murdock of Hayward Pumpssecured thousands of dollars in aquarium

equipment and provided free professionalconsultation on the reconstruction of theaquariums.

Newsmoothdogfishsharksandotherspecimens arrived from the Rhode IslandDepartmentofEnvironmentalManagementandlocalfishermen.

Save The Bay’s education programdependsontheuseoftheExplorationCen-ter&Aquarium.PriortosuperstormSandy,about 18,000 members of the public—includingmorethan3,000schoolstudents—visited theCenter.TheNewportSchoolDistrictsendsitsentirethirdgradethereforvisits.

Location175MemorialBoulevardinNewport

Admission$6.00foragesfourandolder.SaveTheBaymembersandthosethreeyearsandunderalwaysenjoyfreeadmission.

InformationCall401-324-6020orvisitsavebay.org/aquarium

Exploration Center & Aquarium Reopened to Public

Bay AdventuresJoin us on Narragansett Bay this winter! With the addition of Save The Bay’s newest education vessel, M/V Elizabeth Morris, we have plenty of capacity to get people on the Bay to experience our popular Seal Watch Cruises out of Newport.

In the spring, Save The Bay will expand its cruises to include full and half-day lighthouse tours, marine science excursions, and trips to Prudence Island. Our vessels are also available for group charter.

All of our public tours benefit Save The Bay’s mission of protecting, restoring, and educating about Narragansett Bay.

Details at savebay.org/trips

3savebay.org

5 Christening of new vessel, Elizabeth Morris

6 Education Save The Bay launches Bay Institute program and receives NOAA grant

8 Letter from the Director

9 CoverStory Why Rhode Island beach closures dominated the summer, and how one community is raising the bar for the rest of Rhode Island

12 Opening of South Coast Center in Westerly

13 CoastkeeperReport Water quality in Little Narragansett Bay

14 Restoration Restoring Winnepaug salt marsh and bringing herring back to the Mill River

17 Save The Bay Events

What’s Inside...

TIDESMAgAzINE|SaveTheBay|100SaveTheBayDrive,Providence,RI02905

401-272-3540|savebay.org|tides@savebay.org

On ThE COvER:Beach closure sign at Governor Notte Park in North Providence.

Left: A visitor to the Exploration Center & Aquarium in Newport pets a smooth dogfish shark.

Mission: SaveTheBayprotects,restoresandimprovestheecologicalhealthoftheNarragansettBayregion,includingitswatershedandadjacentcoastalwaters,throughanecosystem-basedapproachtoenvironmentalaction;defendstherightofthepublictouseandenjoytheBayanditssurroundingwaters;andfostersanethicofenvironmentalstewardshipamongpeoplewholiveinorvisittheNarragansettBayregion.

5savebay.org

B y E r i c P f i r r m a n n

On the afternoon of September 25,M/V Elizabeth Morris was christened andwelcomed into thefleetofSaveTheBay’seducation vessels. With generous fundingfromTheAllettaMorrisMcBeanCharitableTrust, The Champlin Foundations, DianaE. Oehrli, and Chip and Donna Hazard,Elizabeth Morris was constructed over thepastyearbyexpertboatbuildersatChesa-peakeBoatsofCrisfield,Maryland.

At46feetinlength,Elizabethisjustalittlelargerthanhersistership,M/V Alletta Morris,butsharesmanyofthesamechar-acteristics. Her shallow draft, large opendeck, and fast 20-knot cruise speed willall be familiar to thosewhoknowAlletta.Elizabeth was designed to carry up to40 passengers and will be certified foroperationonallsoutheasternNewEnglandwaters from Nantucket Sound throughRhodeIslandSoundandLongIslandSound.SaveTheBayalsooperatesM/VSwift,a26-foot Oldport Marine launch for educationprogramming.Swiftcarries12passengers.

TheadditionofElizabeth Morriswilldomorethan justdoubleSaveTheBay’spas-sengerandstudentcapacity.WithbothAl-letta andElizabeth, SaveTheBayplans tostationoneboatinProvidencefortheupperBayandoneinNewporttocoverthelowerBay and Rhode Island Sound. Schools willspendlesstimeandmoneyonbusingandSaveTheBaywillspendfarlessonfuelrun-ningaboatupanddowntheBay.

While Elizabeth Morris will be primar-ilybased inNewport,her largeroperatingareawillopennewmarketsandaudiencesfor Save The Bay’s programs. This winter,wewilloffercruisesonthePawcatuckRiverin Westerly for the general public as wellas on-the-water experiential learning pro-gramsforSouthCountyschools.Theedu-cational programming will be in conjunc-tionwithourWesterlySouthCoastCenter.

Block IslandandBuzzard’sBayarealsopotential futuredeparturesordestinations.

OneofthebiggestadvantagesofaddingavesselthesizeofEliza-beth Morris is our ability to inter-act with our membership. Withtwo boats on the water all yearlong,wehave thecapacity to runadditional public programs. Fromseal watches, lighthouse tours,Prudence Island trips, and marinescience cruises, we aim to run atleastonepublictripperweekend.

We inviteyou tocomeoutononeofourtripsthisfallorwintertocheckoutournewarrival!Visitsavebay.org/tripstolearnaboutallofourexcursionsontheBay.

Save The Bay Expands Education Fleet With New Vessel

Your gift of $100 puts a local student out on the Bay. Give at savebay.org/donate.TAkE AcTIoN

Above: The new vessel, M/V Elizabeth Morris, passes Conimicut Lighthouse on her maiden voyage to Providence. Below: The September 25 christening of M/V Elizabeth Morris with Save The Bay supporter Alletta Cooper and Captain Eric Pfirrmann.

6 Tides MagazineFall2013

Save The Bay Receives

Competitive nOAA Fisheries

Grant for Education

LastspringSaveTheBay’sExplore The Bay education program received $72,000asarecipientoftheNationalOceanicandAtmospheric Administration (NOAA)’sB-WET (Bay, Watershed Education, andTraining) program. The environmentaleducation program promotes locallyrelevant, experiential learning in the K-12environment.ThedeliveryofB-WEToccursprimarily through competitive fundingthat promotes Meaningful WatershedEducationExperiences.

The funded program, Project Narra-gansett—Providence Schools Edition, wascreated in response to teacher feedbackand Providence school district staff whobelievedthatcurrentprofessionaldevelop-ment programs lack the science contentteachers really need. This comprehensiveprogram model aligns with Providence’sscience curriculum, Rhode Island gradeSpan Expectations, as well as Science,Technology,Engineering,andMathematics(STEM)disciplines.

ProjectNarragansett includes aweek-longsummeracademyforupto20Provi-dencepublicschoolteachers,twofieldex-periencesfortheirstudentsaboardoneofoureducationvessels,andbusfunding.

Theuniquenessoftheprogramisthattheteachershavethesameexperiencesthestudents will have during the school year.Theteacherscreateunitsofstudyinaccor-dance with the district’s curriculum basedon their experiences during the summeracademyand incorporate thefieldexperi-ences for their students. It’s experientiallearningatitsbest.

Hereissomefeedbackfromtheteach-ersaftertheirweekonthewaterwithus:

“I just completed my 13th year of teaching in Providence. In all my years in Providence, this was the best professional development I’ve ever been involved in. It is difficult to put into words exactly how much I learned during this experience.

The instruction we received has given me the confidence to teach my students more about where we live and all of the amazing things going on around us.” — Bridget Richardson, Grade 4 teacher at Woods Young Elementary School

“I am excited to have been part of this experience. My knowledge of environ-mental science has been enhanced and deepened. I have been challenged both academically and in the field and can relay this fabulous information to our students. My students will be inspired to be scientists and advo-cates of their environment.” — Christine Mendonca, Grade 4 teacher at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School

Asaresultofthefederalfiscalclimatethisyear,theprocesswasverycompetitive.

“Nearly every application was out-standing,” said John Bullard, regionaladministrator, Northeast, NOAA Fisheries.“greatprojectswereproposedbytalentedwatershed and marine educators, whichmadetheselectionprocessprettytough.”

“We’reexcitedabouttheopportunitiesofferedbytheB-WETfunding,”saidBridg-et Kubis Prescott, Director of Educationfor SaveTheBay.“It enablesus to createa systemic, multi-level experience for thestudents and teachers of Providence overan entire school year, using NarragansettBayastheirlivingclassroom.”

B-WET is national in its scope withsevenregionalprograms:California,Ches-apeake Bay, great Lakes, gulf of Mexico,Hawaii,NewEngland,andthePacificNorth-west.OtherawardrecipientsfromtheNewEnglandregioninclude:SalemSound2000,University of Maine, gloucester MaritimeHeritage Center, Education Connection,University of Rhode Island SMILE, SturgisCharterPublicSchool,andLakeChamplainMaritimeMuseumatBasinHarbor,Inc.

B y B r i d g E t K u B i s P r E s c o t t

e d u c at i o n

Students from Roger Williams Middle School seine for macroinvertebrates at Lonsdale

Marsh along the Blackstone River.

7savebay.org

This past June, Save The Bay launched the inaugural year of the Bay Institute for Experiential Learning. Bringing together educators from Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey —and using historic Narragansett Bay as a resource —participants were introduced to place-based learning and the experiential learning model.

Participating educators were able to take a step back in time and look at how the geological shaping of a place can influence human history. From historic Slater Mill to Pawtuxet Village, teachers discovered how life has changed along Narragansett Bay and what the environmental impacts have been.

Under the guidance and expertise of education staff from Save The Bay, scientists from Brown University and the Narra-gansett Bay National Estuary Research Reserve, and teachers from local schools, participants explored not only the history and science of Narragansett Bay but how place-based education can be brought right into the classroom.

The next Bay Institute for Experiential Learning is sched-uled for June 23-26, 2014. Visit savebay.org/bayinstitute for more details.

Bay Institute for Experiential Learning offers Professional Development for Teachers

Clockwise from left: Teachers participate in a trawl onboard M/V Alletta Morris; explore a spider crab; and identify the Bay species caught in the trawl.

B y B r i d g E t K u B i s P r E s c o t t

8 Tides MagazineFall2013

“Stewardship” is a word that aptlydefines Save TheBay’smission. Forus theterm has many dimensions. This issue ofTides illustrates the point. As an accom-plishedadvocate,wemustshinealightonpollution to catalyze action. Widespreadand persistent beach closures this sum-merreflectaninsidiousandgrowingprob-lem: polluted runoff fouling our beachesand rendering the Bay unlivable for fishandshellfish. Inthis issue’scoverstory,wedeliveracalltoaction.Therearesolutionstotherootcausesofbeachclosures,buttheydepend on public education, political will,andresources.BristolTownBeachisaprimeexampleofasolutionputintopractice.

Education is another essential dimen-sion of stewardship. More than a decadeago we committed ourselves to establish-ing school programs that inspire the nextgeneration of Bay guardians and supportstudentproficiencyinthesciences.Thispastsummer marked several milestones in ourExplore The Bayprogram:thearrivalofournewesteducationvessel,theElizabeth Mor-ris;theinauguralsessionoftheBayInstitutefor Experiential Learning, a professionaldevelopment program for teachers; andthereopeningofourExplorationCenter&Aquarium in Newport after its destructionbysuperstormSandy.

Central to our role as Bay stewardis fieldwork. Our staff is on the Bay oralongtheriversandstreamsthatflowintoNarragansettBayyear-round.OurBaykeep-erandCoastkeeper,TomKutcherandDavePrescott, are on the water responding topollutionincidents,monitoringwaterqual-ity,andadvocatingforsoundpublicpolicythatprotectsourcoastalhabitatsandpre-servespublicaccesstoourBayandbeaches.Ourrestorationstaffisidentifyingandpro-motingdamremovalsonBaytributariesandstudyinganalarmingdecline in thehealthofourcoastalsaltmarshes.SaveTheBay’s“bootson theground”arededicatedandpassionate stewards for whom protectingtheBayistheirlifework.

Thismissionaryworkwouldnothappenwithoutyou.Ourmembers,donors,volun-teers, swimmers, and foundation partnersare the backbone of our political strengthand our financial health. To all of you,thank you for your support.Pleaseenjoythis issueofTides,celebratingstewardshipinallitsforms.

JonathanStoneExecutiveDirector

F r o m t h e d i r e c t o r

Celebrating Stewardship in

All Its Forms

9savebay.org

c o v e r s t o r Y

“ExPlORE RhOdE ISlAnd BEAChES. ClEAR OCEAn wATERS, COOl BREEzES And BRIGhT SunShInE.”

So says the Rhode Island Tourism Division. Sure, the ocean-facingbeachestendtohavecleaner,clearerwaters,butwhataboutthebeachesofNarragansetBay?

This summer, Rhode Island beachgoers were faced with over one hundred closure days just halfway through the beach season.Throughouttheentiresummer,22beacheswereclosedforatleastonedayeach,andseveralsawdoubledigitclosuredays.Althougha cluster of closures was in the Warwick and greenwichBay areas, beach closures hit statewide: Newport, Tiver-ton, North Kingstown, Narragansett, Barrington, Warren,Middletown. Few townswere sparedabeach closure thisseason.(Abeachclosuredayisdefinedasonebeachbeingclosedforoneday.Ifthreebeachesareclosedfortwodays,itisconsideredsixclosuredays.)

Sowhythehighnumberin2013?ThebeachclosuresthatRhodeIslanderssawthissummerweremostlikelyduetoacombinationof factors that includedheavy rainfall inJune,plushotairtemperaturesandcalmwindsinJuly.

Save The Bay sounds the alarmTom Kutcher, Narragansett Baykeeper, regularly monitorswater quality in the Bay. In June, it was clear to KutcherthatNarragansettBaywasexperiencingdeterioratingwaterquality similar to conditions that contributed to the 2003greenwich Bay fish kill. Beach monitoring data from theRhode IslandDepartmentofHealth (DOH) confirmed this.Sensingthatthenumberofbeachclosureswasonpacetomorethantriplethepreviousyear’stotal,Kutchercalledforaction.SaveTheBayheldapressconferenceonJuly31atOaklandBeach inWarwick—abeachwithscenicvistasongreenwichBaythathadbeenclosedmorethan45percentofthetimesinceMemorialDay—todrawattentiontotheBay’spoorhealth.

Pollution is the problem, not rain “Youcan’tblametherain,butratherwhattherainfallcar-riesintotheBay,”saidKutcher.“Lawnchemicals,automo-tive fluids, and pet waste get carried from the earth into

NarragansettBay.”StandingunderthegazeboatOaklandBeach,Kutchermotioned towardsgreenwichBay.“Thisbeautifulbeachhasbeenclosedasoftenasit’sbeenopenthisyearduetobacterialcontamination.”

Closures weren’t exclusive to greenwich Bay; they plaguedalmosteverycorneroftheBayandalongthesouthcoastofAquid-neckIsland.

Dire Straits B y P E t E r H a n n E y

Left: Scarborough Beach in Narragansett. Right: Red dots highlight beach closures in every corner of Narragansett Bay during the summer of 2013.

> > >

10 Tides MagazineFall2013 11savebay.org

“We have stormwater pipes discharg-ingthispollutedsoupdirectlyontomanyofourbeaches.”saidKutcherdefiantly.“AmItheonlyonewhothinksthisiscrazy?”

In addition to animal waste, lawnchemicals, and automotive fluids, Kutcherexplained that failing septic systemscontaminatethegroundwaterwithsewage.

“One of the worst offenders is cess-pools, which are holes in the ground thatoften directly feed into the groundwatersystem.Likesurfacewater,thiscontaminat-edgroundwaterflowsdownhilltotheBay.”

“Andthisisbasicallyrawsewage,”saidKutcher. “Clearly, more work needs to bedoneat the local level toaddressourout-datedandfailingsystems.Let’snotwaitforfish todie.OurbeautifulBay, theprideofour state, is in crisis now. How could wepossiblychoosenottoaddressthat?”

Beach closures have a harmful effect on the economyLocal businesses such as restaurants,convenience stores, hotels, and summerpropertyrentals,dependonsummervisitorsandresidentsalike.Whenabeachisclosedto swimming, people take their business

elsewhere.Communitiesarealsohurt by lowered property valuesandbadpublicity.

Public investments have paid offThe2003GreenwichBayfishkillprompted action by the RhodeIsland General Assembly andmunicipalities. Prior to 2009,enormous amounts of bacteria enteredtheBay through sewage treatmentplants.Heavyrainsweretoomuchfortheplantstohandle,andtheoverflowwasreleasedun-treatedintotheBay,takingsewagewithit.

The problem of local polluted run-off canbefixed.At the state level,RhodeIslandvotershaveoverwhelminglyapprovedinvestments in upgrading our wastewatertreatment plants. The Narragansett BayCommission’s(NBC)CombinedSewerOver-flow(CSO)systemisaprimeexample.

InOctoberof2008,theNBCcompletedthefirstofthreephaseswiththeconstruc-tionofaCSO tunnel. This tunnelwasde-signedtoholdbackthemixtureofrainwa-ter,roadrunoff,andrawsewagethatusedto run directly into the Bay after storms.According to the NBC, approximately 4.6billiongallonsofcombinedstormwaterandwastewaterthatwouldhavegonestraightinto Narragansett Bay have been treatedat the Fields Point Wastewater TreatmentFacility.TheCSOtunnelhashadsignificant,positiveeffectsBay-wide.

Despite the heavy rains in the first half of the summer and the copious beach closures that followed, Bristol Town Beach’s clear waters have been open all summer long for the public to enjoy.

Bristol Town Beach’s lack of closures and improved water quality are easily linked to the initiative of Bristol’s Director of Parks and Recreation, Walter Burke. His passion for the environment, and his desire to provide a beach where residents could swim in clear, pollution-free water, spurred his plan to address the sources of pollution contaminating the beach.

“Traditionally, the number of beach closures [in Bristol] has been sky high,” said Burke. “But this year our beach closure count has remained at zero. It just goes to show that environmental work can have beautiful results.”

The beach did not transform overnight. Stormwater runoff once washed fertilizers and goose droppings from the parking lots and lawns into the water, while the wetlands surrounding the area harbored invasive plants. Two failed septic leaching fields, as well as four nearby storm drains that discharged nearby, also affected the beach’s condition.

A Success Story in Bristol

Beach closures associated with waste-water treatment plant overflows have de-clined dramatically since the first phaseof the CSO tunnel was completed. Thereare fewerbeachclosuredaysattributedtorunoff fromtheProvidenceareawhentheamount of rain is factored. Beach closuredayshaveroutinelyfollowedtheamountofrainfall.Since2009,thegapbetweenrain-fallandclosuredayshaswidenedasstorm-watermanagementprojects—especiallytheCSO tunnel—have done what they weredesignedtodo.

We also know that stormwater run-off isamajorculprit inpoorwaterquality,carrying human and animal waste, fertil-izer, pesticides,oil, grease, and trash fromlawns,parkinglots,androadwaysintotheBay. Properly engineered parking lots androadways channel runoff into catchmentbasins,vegetatedswales,orraingardensthatallow the pollution to be filtered naturallybyplantsandthewatertosinkintothesoil.

Bristol, a town that used to experi-ence repeated beach closures at its townbeach, had zero beach closures in 2013.That’s because the town invested in thecapture and treatment of polluted runoff

and wastewater from failed septic sys-temsthroughtheplantingofraingardens,vegetated swales, and the relocation of aparking lot. And it’s paid off. [see articlebelowonWalterBurke]

Rhode Islanders love their beaches. But how do we know the water is safe for swimming?AllofRhodeIsland’s39citiesandtownsarewithina30-minutedrivetoapublicbeach.After all, we’re the Ocean State. So whilewe are slathering on the sunscreen, fillingthecoolerwithdrinksandsnacks,andput-ting the beach chairs and umbrella in thecar,doweknowifthewateratourfavoritebeachissafetoswimin?

The Department of Health monitorsthesafetyofour licensedbathingbeachesthroughout the summer. Every weekdayfrom Memorial Day to Labor Day, staff orvolunteerscollectwatersamplesatlicensedswimming beaches. Those samples areanalyzed at the State Health Lab in Provi-denceforEnterococci bacteria,anindicatororganism used to detect the presence offecal matter in the water column. DOHrecommends thatbeaches closewhen the

bacteria levels are above standards set bythe Rhode Island Department of Environ-mental Management and the U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection Agency. When levelsare above the standard, DOH announcesrecommendedbeachclosings.

The widespread beach closures thissummer are an unwelcome reminder thatwe still have a long way to go. Pollutedrunoff is a local problem affecting localbeaches.InmanyareasoftheBay,commu-nitiesmustdomoretoaddresstheproblem.

“I never liked having to grab that ‘Beach Closed’ sign,” said Burke. “There was no worse feeling in the world than seeing children and families heading to the beach for a day of fun, and then having to tell them to get out. I hated doing it.”

Over eight years, Bristol Town Beach has undergone a multitude of projects that have reshaped the area for the better. The parking lot was re-graded and a series of swales was built to capture and infiltrate runoff and prevent it from flowing down to the beach.

Save The Bay identified a section of the park to infiltrate runoff from a pipe that drained directly into an adjacent wetland. The Town constructed a “bio-retention area” that allows polluted runoff from the neighborhood to sink into the ground where it is filtered by soil rather than flowing directly into the Bay.

Two septic systems were removed, and the beach was connected to the town’s sewer system. To discourage Canada geese, more than 100 trees were planted around the site. Native plants were installed as a natural vegetative buffer. Youth from the sum-mer camp program worked with Save The Bay planting salt marsh plants in an area that had been impacted by mowing.

cAll to ActIon

“I never liked having to grab that ‘Beach Closed’ sign. There was no

worse feeling in the world than seeing children and families

heading to the beach for a day of fun, and then having to tell them

to get out. I hated doing it.”

B y K i m B e r ly D e l a n D e

Phase 1 of the CSO tunnel has captured and treated more than five billion gallons of untreated

stormwater and sewage since October 2008. Photo courtesy of Narragansett Bay Commission.

> > >

• Eliminatecesspoolsstatewide

• Buildandmaintainlocalstormwatermanagementinfrastructure

• Providestatesupporttomunicipalitiesforstormwatercontrols

SaveTheBaydependsonitssupporterstoshine the lightontheproblemofpollutedrunoff and topress for action. It’s time toendbeachclosuresonceandforall.

Walter Burke, Bristol Director of Parks and Recreation

12 Tides MagazineFall201312 Tides MagazineFall2013

“The East Bay has a very sensitive environment,” Burke said. “Since it’s a peninsula, its health is crucial to the health of the Narragansett Bay. Everything feeds back into it. We have to work hard to preserve and protect it.”

Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, the renovation of the beach proved to be a success. Burke attributes this success to the many partnerships he’s made during the course of the project.

“The more work, drive, and energy you put into a project, the more people will want to get involved,” said Burke.

Burke has a strong reliance on his partnership with Save The Bay, who pitched in to recondition the beach.

“Wenley Ferguson [Save The Bay’s director of habitat restoration] has been the catalyst of all my environmen-tal work. I don’t do anything environmental without consulting with her.”

Burke still isn’t finished improving Bristol’s environ-ment and has plans to restore the wetlands and make it more functional. While his task may be large, the renovation of Bristol Town Beach proves that hard work and dedication can lead to remarkable results.

“It’s important to live, swim, and breathe in a pollution-free area,” Burke said. “I couldn’t be more proud and excited of what we can accomplish.”

The partnership between Burke and Save The Bay con-tinues throughout the Town of Bristol. In Silver Creek, Save The Bay is collaborating with Mt. Hope High School on projects to infiltrate runoff and a rain garden has recently been installed by students and teachers.

In April Save The Bay officially opened the South Coast CenterindowntownWesterly.While SaveTheBayhashadanon-the-waterpresence and office space in Westerly since 2007, this was the firstopportunityforavisitorcenterwherethepubliccantouch,explore,andlearnabouttheamazingmarineandfreshwaterspeciesthatcallRhodeIslandwaterstheirhome.

The 400-square-foot South Coast Center features a large touchtank, several aquaria, a children’s story area, anda craft area. So far,the response from the local community and tourists has been great.Sincetheopening,morethan1,200childrenandadultshavevisitedtheCenter.Wecontinuetoaddnewexhibitswith interestinganduniquemarinecreatures,andourRiversideStoryHourwillcontinuethroughouttheyear.

The South Coast Center is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays,and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. It is located in theRiverside Building (former McCormick’s building) at 8 Broad Streetin downtown Westerly. For more information or if you are interestedinvolunteeringattheCenter,pleasecall401-315-2709orvisitusonlineatsavebay.org/southcoast

new digs on South Coast

Bristol Town Beach. Photo courtesy of Town of Bristol.

SOuTh COAST CEnTER OPEnS In dOwnTOwn wESTERly

AnnaKate, an AmeriCorps member at Save The Bay, shows Will some of the marine life in the touch tank at the South Coast Center.

13savebay.org 1313

B y d a v i d P r E s c o t t, s o u t H c o u n t y c o a s t K E E P E r

The summerof 2013 wasarollercoasterride for waterquality. Fromthe record-breaking rainsin June, tothe extremeheat wave inJuly, our localwatersandthe

creatures that inhabit themwerestressed.Watertemperatureswerewayup;dissolvedoxygen levels were way down. In LittleNarragansettBay,largematsofmacroalgaelitteredthetopofthewater.

Whilewedidnotexperiencethehighnumbersofbeachclosures(duetobacterialcontamination) in South County as com-paredtotherestofthestate,takingadipinyourlocalwateringholeshouldhaveatleastmadeuspause.

Since2008,staffandvolunteers fromSave The Bay’s South County office havebeencollectingwaterqualitydatafromsixlocations within the Pawcatuck River andLittle Narragansett Bay. Samples are col-lected twice a month from May throughOctober, and bacteria, nutrient, and chlo-rophyllsamplesareprocessedthroughtheUniversity of Rhode Island’s WatershedWatchprogram.

Save The Bay has used this five-yeardata set to initiate a dialogue on waterquality improvements with the towns ofWesterly,RI andStonington,CT.Wehavedirectly advocated for upgrades to septicsystems and treatment facilities, furtheredpublic education on the environmentalharm of fertilizers and pesticides, con-tinued enforcement of illegal waterfowlfeedingandshellfishharvesting,andmade

improvementstomorethan50stormwateroutfallsthatdraindirectlyintotheestuary.

Our water quality testing remains animportant part of measuring the healthof our local waters. While Labor Day haspassedandstatelicensedbeachesinRhodeIsland are no longer tested for bacteria,many locals and tourists alike continue torecreateinthesewaters.Thenumberwhoswim, paddle, dive, and shellfish may bedown,butthepotentialriskofgettingsickinpollutedwatersstillremains.

Upgrades to septic systems and sew-age treatment facilities, complete removalof all cesspools, and targeted improve-mentstooutdatedstormwatersystemsstillneedtobeapriorityforcommunitiesalongthecoastaswellaswithinthewatershed.While we rely heavily on our local com-munities to address these inadequacies atthetownlevel,itisalsoprudentthatweashomeownersdoourpartaswell.

What You can DoInstall rain barrels, pick up pet waste,reduce or eliminate your use of fertilizersandpesticides,takecareofyoursepticsys-tems,andbuildaraingarden.Eachofthesesmallstepshelpstoreducetheamountofpolluted runoff thatmakes itsway toourrivers,bays,andcoasts.

AndbesuretostopbyourSouthCoastCenter indowntownWesterly topick up a complimentary copy of “Bay Friendly Backyards.”Weallneedtobepartofthesolution!

Coastkeeper Report: Water Quality in Little Narragansett Bay

In our 2013 fiscal year, 1,726 volunteers contributed nearly 16,000 hours to Save The Bay. This represented $360,000 in in-kind contributions! Through volunteer efforts, we were able to monitor water quality, restore salt marsh habitat, track seal and scallop populations, educate thousands of visitors to the Exploration Center, mark storm drains, mobilize mailings and so much more. Our Shore-line Cleanup program was especially successful, removing 23,800 pounds of trash from our beaches!

There are many ways to get involved, from regular volunteering to single-day events or full internships. For more information, visit savebay.org/volunteer

volunteering with Save The Bay

volunteer in your area of interest. contact July Lewis at 401-272-3540, x130 or volunteer@savebay.org.TAkE AcTIoN

14 Tides MagazineFall2013

B y W E n l E y f E r g u s o n

When driving west on AtlanticAvenueonMisquamicutBeachinWesterly,itishardtotellwhatthetideisbylookingnorthacrossthemarsh.Poolsofwatercanbe seen rightalong the roadat theupperedge of the marsh even when the tide isout. In mid-May Save The Bay, in partner-shipwith theRhode IslandDepartmentofEnvironmentalManagement(DEM)andtheTownofWesterly,beganapilotrestorationprojectofthesaltmarshonthesoutheast-erncornerofWinnapaugPond.

The marsh, degraded by excessiveamounts of standing water on its surfacedue tooldmosquitoditches and sea levelrise,wasthesiteofapilotprojecttoassessthebenefitsofdiggingsmallcreekstodrainwater trapped on the marsh. Last spring,staff from the Town of Westerly operateda DEM excavator that was specifically de-signed to work on marshes with minimalenvironmental damage. With its relativelysmall size and wide tracks to evenly dis-tributeitsweight,theexcavatorallowstheoperatortodigsmallcreeks,allowingwatertrappedonthemarshtodrain.

As Westerly Public Works employeeDonnie Brough expertly maneuvered thebucket of the excavator to dig creeks just

wide enough to drain the impoundedwater, Save The Bay staff and volunteersworked alongside, hand digging smallercreekstoconnectwiththelargercreeks.Asthewaterbegantodrainoff themarsh,avarietyofshorebirdsmigratingtonorthernbreeding grounds in the Arctic descendedtofeastuponthenewlyexposedmudflats.

Themarshwasoriginallyditchedduringthe1930s inanefforttoreducemosquitobreedinghabitat bydrainingnatural poolson the marsh. Al gettman, DEM’s Mos-quitoAbatementCoordinator,describesthehistoric ditching as misguided and inef-fective. The ditching had the unintendedconsequenceofcreatingsmalldamsalongthe edges of the ditches. As sea levelcontinuedtoriseduringthelastcentury,theselinear dams held water on the marsh

surface.Whathadoncebeenmarshmead-ow was slowly flooded over the decades.The marsh surface sank and a grid likeseriesofshallowpools formedthroughoutthemarsh.

During last spring’s digging, layers ofpeat and sand were exposed, providinganother window into the marsh’s past. Asandlayerwasfoundunderafewinchesofmarshpeat,ormud,thatwasdepositedonthemarshduringthe1938hurricane. JustassuperstormSandywashedsandfromthebeachesintoWinnapaugPondlastfall,thesurge from thehurricaneof1938coveredthemarshwithlargeamountsofsand.Overtime, themarshplants colonized the sandandslowlybuiltuppeatoverthesandlayer.

During the summer, Save The Baymonitoredhowthemarshrespondedtotherestorationbytrackingbothchangesinthemarsh plant community and salinity levelsin the marsh soil. The initial results showmarsh plants reestablishing on the marshwhere water had once been trapped fordecades.

ThediggingcontinuesthisfallbySaveThe Bay and community members whoparticipate in“digdays”toexcavatesmallcreeks in areas where the excavator couldnot reach. With hip waders and shovels,

Restoring a Marsh, One Creek at a Time: The winnapaug Marsh Restoration

r e s t o r at i o n

15savebay.org

volunteersbecome intimately familiarwiththeeffectsoftoomuchwateronthemarsh.Peatbegins tobreakdownwhenwater is

trappedonthemarsh,sowalkingwithoutgettingstuckor losingabootcanbecomeachallenge.

This project was made possiblewith funding from the Coastal Resourc-es Management Council’s Coastal andEstuarine Habitat Restoration Trust Fundand the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s(USFWS)CoastalProgram.

In recent years, Save The Bay has no-ticedexpandingareasofstandingwaterintheupperpartsofsaltmarshesthatwouldhistorically be dry at most tides, even inmarshes without historic ditching. Thecause couldbe thatmorewater hasbeen

getting onto the marsh during high tidesasaresultofsealevelrise.Since1990,sealevelhas increasednearlythree inchesandtherateofrisehasbeenincreasingoverthepasttwodecades.

This seemingly small change in waterlevel can cause major changes in marshvegetation.Sectionsofthemarshthatusedtoonlyfloodduringhighermoontidesarenowfloodingregularly,causingachangeinthemarshplants.Saltmarshsparrowsneston themarshsurfaceand relyonareasof“highmarsh”thatdon’tfloodsoregularly.Yet, initial results of our assessment showthattheseareasofhighmarshareshrinking

insize,limitingsuitableareasforthesebirdstonest.AccordingtoUSFWS,thesaltmarshsparrowpopulationregionallyislikelyonthedecline,anditsfutureisdirectlythreatenedbysealevelriseandmarshloss.

Laterthisyear,SaveTheBaywillcom-plete an effort to assess the health ofmarshes aroundRhode Islandwith an eyetoward sea level rise and to establish abaselinefromwhichtoassesstheeffectsofsealevelriseontheregion’smarshesgoingforward. From this assessment, Save TheBayandourpartnersfromtheNarragansettBay National Estuarine Research Reserveon Prudence Island have identified othermarshes where “adaptation” efforts arebeing planned to address standing wateron marshes including sites in Barrington,Warwick,PrudenceIsland,andJamestown.

TAkE AcTIoN Participate in a salt marsh dig day. contact July Lewis at 401-272-3540, x130.

Clockwise from above: Save The Bay coastal ecologist Marci Cole Ekberg digs small creeks called “runnels” to help drain water off the marsh surface; just 24 hours after the project to drain the marsh began, sandpipers and other shorebirds converged on the area to feed; Donnie Brough, a Westerly Public Works employee, care-fully clears clogged ditches with an excavator; and Director of Habitat Restoration Wenley Ferguson discusses the project with a reporter from the Westerly Sun.

Photo courtesy Peter Paton

16 Tides MagazineFall2013

TheMillRiver inTauntonison itswaytoonceagainbecominga thrivinghabitatfor fish that migrate to the river from theoceanandforthefishthatusetheriverastheir home. After the Hopewell Mills damwasremovedinthefallof2012,fishbeganusing this stretchof river immediately.TheMassachusetts Division of Marine FisheriesisusingtheMillRiverasacasestudytoseehowfishrespondtohabitatrestoration.Thisspring, they installed a video monitoringdeviceupstreamof thedam removalproj-ect anddocumented thefirst riverherringtomigrateintothispartoftheriverinover200years!

During this spring’s herring run,several hundred fish came through thenewly restored section of the river. Otheranadromous fish (live in saltwater, spawninfreshwater)seenintheriverincludedthesealampreyandwhiteperch.Residentfishsuchasyellowperchandwhitesucker liveintheriverallyear,butmoveupriverinthespringtospawn.AnadultAmericaneel,acatadromousfish(liveinfreshwater,spawninsaltwater),wasalsodocumented.Projectpartnerswerealsodelightedtoseeevidenceofnativebrooktroutintheriver.

In addition to video monitoring, theDivision of Marine Fisheries has started astudyofAmericaneelintheriverusingpittagstomarkandrecapturefishtobetterde-terminetheirpopulationsize.Theywillalso

begin to track herring as they travel intotheupperwatershed tobetterunderstandwhich habitats they use and their popula-tion response to their new habitat. This isaninterestingcasestudybecauseabouttwomilesofriverarebeingrestoreduptoLakeSabbatiawiththreedamremovalsandafishladder.Theprojectwillopenupabout400acresofnewlyavailablepondhabitat.

Last summer a second dam on theriverwas removedat theWhittentonMillscomplex. This dam was partially removedin 2005 and tons of rock were placed ontheremainsofthedam.Thedebrisandtheconcreteandtimberdamwereallremoved,revealingnativecobbleandgravelfromtheoriginalstreambedofthemill.Becausesedi-mentbehind thisdamdidnotneed toberemoved, native seed stock took off andtherestoredfloodplainregrewquicklyafterdam removal. Stream bank reconstructioninthevicinityofthedamandstreambankplanting along the stream up to Morey’sBridgearealsopartoftheproject.

One lastfishpassagebarrier, thedamat Reed & Barton, will be removed nextsummer, completing this multi-phaserestoration project. When all dams areremoved,fishwillpassthroughanewfishladder before entering Lake Sabbatia. Fishwillbecountedandmonitoredat thisfishladder,andthepublicwillbeable toviewthefisheachspring.Byrestoringtheriver’sfloodplain,thisprojectwillalsohelpprotectdowntownTauntonfromflooding.Thecitywillno longerhave failingdamson its listofworries.

The Mill River restoration would notbe possible without the support of manyprojectpartners,includingstateandfederalagencies in partnership with non-profitsincluding The Nature Conservancy, Ameri-canRivers,andSaveTheBay.

The Rebirth of the Mill

RiverB y r a c H E l c a l a B r o

Photos (above and right) show the Hopewell Mills dam during the removal process. The photo below shows the Whittenton Mill impoundment after restoration. The newly constructed stream

banks are located where the dam once stood.

17savebay.org

citizens Bank “Sequester” SwimThe2013CitizensBankSwimwasone-of-a-kind.TheSwimprovedchallenging,aswewere unable to start at the Naval StationNewport, preventing the traditional cross-BaySwim.Theeventstillunitedmorethan1,500peopleincluding351swimmersand97 kayakers who began and finished the1.7-mile triangular swim in Jamestown’sPotter Cove. The 37th annual Swim wel-comedparticipantsfromages15to83andcelebrated two swimmers who had eachcompletedtheeventfor35years.TheSaveTheBaySwim—thelargestcharitableopen-waterswim inthecountryandour largestfundraiser—raisednearly$300,000.

Taste of The BayInMay,oursecondannualTasteofTheBaycelebratedthebestofRhode IslandatourveryownbeautifulBayCenterinProvidence.SponsoredbyNewportBioDieselandResi-dentialProperties,theeventinvitedcommu-nitymembersandfriendstoeat,drink,andrelishinthedistinctflavorsofmorethan20localpartners.Weraisednearly$10,000tosupport programs to restore, explore, andprotectNarragansettBay.

Golf outingOursecondannualgolfoutingwasheldinMayatTheCarnegieAbbeyClubinPorts-mouth and hosted more than 80 golfersand special guests. Overlooking beautifulNarragansettBay, theScottish links courseisoneoftheregion’spremiergolfcourses.generously sponsored by the ProvidenceJournal Charitable Foundation, the outingraised over $47,000 to support Save TheBay’smission.

Beach SlamSave The Bay held its third Annual BeachSlaminSeptemberatanewlocation:god-dardMemorialStatePark inWarwick.TheBeachSlameventcelebratesfreeaccesstothe Bay and brings community members,sponsors,andsupporterstogethertoenjoy

and explore Narragansett Bay. Families ex-periencedbeachactivitiessuchaskayaking,seining,andstand-uppaddleboarding.Theyalsoenjoyedartsandcrafts, facepainting,naturehikes,arockclimbingwall,a“Chillzone,” live entertainment, and local foodtrucks. The Beach Slam’s major sponsors,including DuPont, Liberty Mutual, Hemen-way’sSeafoodgrillandOysterBar,andStop&Shop,helpedusraisemorethan$30,000to support education programs that willreach15,000childrenthisyear.

Artists for the Bay Show and Sale December5,2013

Taste of The Bay May21,2014

38th Annual Citizens Bank Save The Bay Swim July19,2014

4th Annual Beach Slam September2014

Save The date

Events

Clockwise from above: Foods from around Narragansett Bay were served up to the public at the Taste of The Bay event in Providence; the starting line of this year’s “Sequester” Swim; participants at the Golf Outing enjoyed picturesque views of Narragansett Bay while supporting Save The Bay’s mission; and kids enjoy paddleboarding and kayaking at the Beach Slam.

18 Tides MagazineFall2013

Feel good about where your money goes ProceedsfromyourpurchasesofSaveTheBaygearhelpoureffortstoprotect,restore,andeducateabouttheecologicalhealthoftheNarragansettBayregion.

WehaveT-shirts,poloshirts,hoodies,children’sbooks,reusabletotebagsandmore!Merchandiseisavailableonlineatsavebay.org/shoporatanyofourthreelocations:

Editorial inquiries to: tides@savebay.org

Board of DirectorsF.PaulMooney,Jr.PresidentThomasE.RogersPast PresidentAldenM.Anderson,Jr.Vice PresidentgilbertConover,Jr.Vice PresidentCindyButlerVice PresidentAidanPetrieVice PresidentLynnManningSecretaryAkhilguptaTreasurer

Board MembersLauraBottaroJohnnieChaceWayneCharnessStephengeremiaJohnKaplinHowardKilgussSuzanneMagazinerEugeneMcDermott,Esq.CherylNathanson,Esq.WarrenPrellFranz.Slutsky

Board of TrusteesJoanAbramsTrudyCoxeKateKilgussSarahBeineckeRichardsonDr.VincentRoseH.CurtisSpaldingEllicottWright

President’s Leadership CouncilJoanC.Abrams,Co-ChairKateKilguss,Co-ChairHughD.Auchincloss,IIIRuudBosmanJohnJ.BowenNickandWendyBowenHelenD.BuchananTimothyBurnsDuncanandBarbaraChapmanJemmaCraigDeniseDangremondElizabethM.Delude-DixJosephDiBattistaBradDimeoPatrickDriscollAnneg.EarleJonathanD.FainMichaelFoleyMarkJ.FormicaLesliegardnerThomasP.I.goddardBobandRobinHallPeterHallockAlang.HassenfeldC.MichaelHazardDavidandSusanHibbitt

Mr.andMrs.RichardHigginbothamJenniferHosmerHopeHudnerMichaelKeyworthSanneKure-JensenJohnLarameeBrookeLeeRaymondT.ManciniBradMillerRaymondF.Murphy,Jr.JoopandRiaNagtegaalAliceM.NicholsMrs.ClaibornedeB.PellElizabethPrincedeRamelJeffreyRasmussenMichaelRauhSarahBeineckeRichardsonMartyRobertsNancySaferRobertSavoieLauraTurnerSeydelgeorgeandStephanieShusterJeffreySiegalEricR.C.SmithHarryStaleyHon.O.RogerieeThompsonPhilipTorganFredR.TrippWilliamVareikaKennethW.WashburnEllicottWright

Executive DirectorJonathanStone

StaffJaneKenneyAustinMelindaBrownRachelCalabroJoshuaCherwinskiLeanneDanielsenRupaDattaStanDimockDeniseDowlingMarciColeEkbergJenniferFarrellWenleyFergusonMaureenFogartyTopherHamblettPeterHanneyRobHudsonAdamKovarskyTomKutchergráinneLaniganIsaacLavoieJulyLewisPatriciaMacchioniKatiMaginelFrankMaherJoeMarianiLeslieMunsonEricPfirrmannBridgetKubisPrescottDavidPrescottMichaelRussoPaulRyanEmilyStanleyMatthewVieira

SHoP Save The Bay

ProvidenceSaveTheBayCenter100SaveTheBayDriveProvidence,RI02905401-272-3540

NewportExplorationCenter&AquariumEaston’sBeachRotunda175MemorialBoulevardNewport,RI02840401-324-6020

WesterlySouthCoastCenter8BroadStreetWesterly,RI02891401-315-2709

Become a member and receive 10% off all merchandise. call stan at 401-272-3540, x115SAVE moNEY

DESIgN:DonnaDeForbesCreates.com

100 Save The Bay drive Providence, RI 02905

savebay.org

addrEss sErvicE rEquEstEd

non-profit

uS Postage

PAId

Providence, RI

Permit no. 758

yOuR MEMBERShIP:• Workstowardclean,accessiblewatersandbeaches

• Investsineducatingfuturegenerations

• Makesadifferenceinyourcommunity

• EnsuresthehealthofNarragansettBay

savebay.org/membership

yOu CAn hElP SAvE nARRAGAnSETT BAy!• Supportmarinescienceeducationprogramsformorethan17,000students

andteachersthroughoutRhodeIslandeachyear

• Helptoprotectandrestoreover124,000acresofwetlandsinRhodeIsland

• Helpsupportourcleanupeffortsofover30,000poundsoftrashcollectedfromourcoastline

JoIN Save The Bay