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Outdoors in RI: Sheep festival, a RIDEM summer, shellfish water quality, 2A State House update

May 16, 2025/RINewsToday

The Annual Sheep & Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm Museum in Bristol will be held on Saturday, May 17th from 10am to 4pm at 1 Colt Drive.

The festival brings traditional fiber arts to life with sheep shearing and wool dyeing demonstrations, spinning and weaving exhibits and Two Coves Farm sheepdog herding demonstrations. Browse a large selection of fiber goods from over 40 vendors. There will be children’s activities, fiber crafts, music and food trucks.

COST: $12 for adults; $5 for ages 4 to 17; free for 3 and under – MORE INFO: Get tickets at https://coggeshallfarm.org

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Coyotes, Bumblebees, Dragonflies, and Bats, Oh My! – News from the RIDEM:

Have some fun in the sun by attending an educational program with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s (DEM) Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW)! Get outdoors while learning new skills; from fishing days to hunter education classes to guided walks, there’s something for everyone. Join DFW’s Aquatic Resource Education, Hunter Education, Wildlife Outreach and volunteer staff to learn, explore, and enjoy! Most programs being offered this summer are free and family friendly. A list of programs and registration information are listed below: 

Aquatic Resource Education Programs:

Introduction to the ‘Hex Hatch’

Where there is a hatch, there are trout to be caught! Join fly tyers from United Fly Tyers, Rhody Fly Rodders, and Trout Unlimited to learn about the largest mayfly hatch on the Wood River, Hexagenia limbata. This three-hour workshop begins with a talk about the mayfly and its habits, when it emerges to spawn, what gear to use to mimic the hatch, and how to catch a trout during the hatch.   All fly-tying equipment and materials are provided. Space is limited and registration is required. For more information and to register, please email [email protected].

Come Clam with Me  

The Aquatic Resource Education program invites you to “Come Clam with Me!” Learn how to dig for clams, what equipment you need, and what management strategies support Rhode Island’s quahogging industry. Longtime quahogger Jody King will be instructing people of all ages about the ins and outs of recreational clamming. Space is limited, registration required. $10/person for participants 8 years old and older. For more information and to register, please email [email protected]. There are sessions throughout the summer: 

  • Friday, July 11, 1 – 4 PM Gull Point, Portsmouth
  • Friday, July 25, 1 – 4 PM, Rocky Point, Warwick
  • Tuesday, August 12, 2 – 5 PM, Rocky Point, Warwick
  • Monday, August 25, 2 – 5 PM, Gull Point, Portsmouth
  • Tuesday, September 9, 3 – 6 PM, North Kingstown Town Beach

Hunter Education Programs:

Bowhunter Education Certification Course

In a classroom and field setting, learn about the basics of modern-day archery hunting and safe hunting practices according to International Hunter Education Association standards. There is a 50-question multiple choice test at the end of the class, which is written to a 6th grade/12-year-old reading level. Participants must be at least 11 years old on the final day of class to take the test. 

2025 Family Day at the Range

Join DFW, The Federated RI Sportsmen’s Club, and other partners for the 2025 Family Day at the Range! Beginners and families are encouraged! No Great Swamp Shooting Range permit is required for attendance. Experienced DEM Hunter Education instructors, Range Safety Officers, and qualified volunteers will provide one-on-one and small-group instruction in shotgun, rifle, and handgun shooting.

2025 Women’s Day at the Range

Join DFW, The Federated RI Sportsmen’s Club, and other partners for the 2025 Women’s Day at the Range! No Great Swamp Shooting Range permit is required for attendance. Experienced DEM Hunter Education instructors, Range Safety Officers, and qualified volunteers will provide one-on-one and small-group instruction in shotgun, rifle, and handgun shooting.

Wildlife Outreach Programs: 

Coexisting with Coyotes

Coyotes are greatly misunderstood, but most of their fear-instilling actions are simply a part of their life history and survival strategy. Still, these critters can certainly become a nuisance, especially if they begin to den under decks and dine out of chicken coops. Learning why these creatures behave the way they do is the key to finding resolution. Join DFW to learn about coyote natural history, discoveries made by the Narragansett Bay Coyote Study, and ways to coexist with them. 


Rhode Island Bumblebee Survey Showcase: Three Years of Community Science for Conservation

With summer bringing longer days and warmer temperatures, here come the bumblebees! DFW has spent the past three years coordinating an atlas project of RI’s bumblebees through the Rhode Island Bumblebee Survey. This virtual event will show the results and data that DFW and hard-working volunteers have collected. The event will also preview new outreach materials including species profiles with distribution maps, natural history information, and more. 

Summer Bat Night

Bring the whole family together and join DFW to participate in a bat colony count! Sit back, relax, and learn about RI’s unique bat species and the conservation work being done to help these commonly misunderstood mammals. Kids are invited to make a bat craft before the bats take to the night sky! All participants are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs and get comfortable as they count bats flying by. 

Summer Dragon Hunt

In the swampy wilds of Rhode Island, there be dragons! Join DFW staff and special guests Virginia “Ginger” Brown and Nina Briggs on a summer “dragon hunt” in the Great Swamp! Ginger and Nina will be sharing their wealth of knowledge on RI’s dragonflies and damselflies, as well as their experience collecting data to write and illustrate the recently published Dragonflies and Damselflies of Rhode Island. Be prepared to learn a lot and have fun! This program is free to attend, but space is limited, and registration is required.

  • Date: Saturday, July 12
  • Time: 10:00 – 11:30 AM
  • Location: Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area, West Kingston
  • Age group: Ages 8 and up
  • Cost: Free
  • Registration: https://forms.office.com/g/kJ45Tr5a1Z

Pollinator Stroll  

Summer is a wonderful time to get out and appreciate the natural world – it is a sensory feast, with all sorts of life being at their most vibrant. However, you don’t need to get lost deep in the woods or in the middle of a vast meadow to experience nature! Join DFW at the splendid garden at Kettle Pond Visitor Center in Charlestown for a nature walk exploring native plants and pollinators and learn how to make a pollinator garden of your own. This program is FREE and held in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Registration is required and space is limited.

Diamondback Terrapin Monitoring

DFW is beginning recruitment for the annual diamondback terrapin monitoring program. Volunteers are assigned a coastal site where they will visit once a week, for nine weeks, conducting shoreline scans in search of Rhode Island’s only brackish water turtle, the diamondback terrapin. Each weekly survey consists of short observation period where volunteers will look for terrapin heads poking out of the water, as they surface for air. Participants must provide their own binoculars and rain boots, as many sites require walking on uneven marsh terrain. Those interested in volunteering for this project can register here: https://forms.office.com/g/x2VZw3AcnM

Herp Observer 

Everyone is ready to enjoy the summer sunshine, including RI’s reptiles and amphibians! Securely submit your sightings of frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes, and turtles to RI’s State Herpetologist (reptile and amphibian biologist) through our easy-to-use smartphone app, Herp Observer. Observations of species, both common and rare, are welcome. Your reports will help biologists identify where these animals are in the state, and in turn, where to focus conservation efforts for RI’s scaly and slimy critters – this is a great volunteer opportunity for families! Learn more at www.dem.ri.gov/herpobserver. 

RI Wild Bee Observer

Want to help us protect the bees of Rhode Island? Join DFW as a community scientist by contributing to our RI Wild Bee Observer project through the free iNaturalist app! It’s an easy way to document bee species anywhere in RI, from your neighborhood to your favorite hiking spot – this is a great volunteer opportunity for families! For project instructions, including tips for taking photos of bees, follow this link: https://dem.ri.gov/media/63796/download

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DEM Environmental Scientist Olivia Chatowsky and Shellfish Water Quality Program Supervisor Dave Borkman collect water samples for testing

Just in time for Quahog Week, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces that rain-related shellfish closures have reduced from seven to six days for the Lower Providence River and Greenwich Bay shellfish conditional areas due to improved water quality. Closures will now last six days after 0.5” to 1.2” of rain in a 24-hour period. For heavier rainfall over 1.2”, the seven-day closure remains. These changes will add an average of ten additional days of harvesting each year. 

“This is a water quality success story for our environment, Rhode Island’s quahoggers, and our food economy,” said Governor Dan McKee. “Clean water is at the center of our way of life in the Ocean State.” 

“This change reflects ongoing water quality improvements in Narragansett Bay and our commitment to work collaboratively with the shellfishing industry,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “By working together through infrastructure investments, science-based environmental laws, and state-local-federal cooperation leading to the cleaner waters, we can continue increasing access to RI’s shellfishing grounds.”

As a result of water quality improvements, the Providence River conditionally approved shellfish area was opened for the first time in 75 years in 2021 with a seven-day closure management plan when there was 0.5” or more of rain in a 24-hour period. The Greenwich Bay shellfish conditional area has also had a seven-day closure management plan when there was 0.5” or more of rain in a 24-hour period for over 30 years. DEM’s Office of Water Resources (OWR), following a recent review of data found that water quality in shellfish areas returns to safe levels six days after moderate rainfall of 0.5” to 1.2” in a 24-hour period. These positive results are due to long-term improvements like upgraded stormwater infrastructure, cesspool removal, and expanded sewer service.

This progress is the result of collaboration between DEM, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), and the RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), and shellfishing partners, who work together to maintain Rhode Island’s reputation for a high-quality product through careful monitoring and stewardship.

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2A update in Rhode Island

From RI Gun Rights, coordinating legislative activities this year, with a large “yellow shirt” turnout. As posted on “X”:

“Yesterday’s turnout was solid. Most importantly, we had a stronger presence than the red shirts, despite their big push to get people out. That alone is a win worth recognizing. So a Huge Thanks to Everyone Who Came! Whether you testified in person, held a sign, shook a hand, or just stood tall, thank you! We had a lot of great conversations and met some new faces. That kind of presence matters. What’s Next? We Wait. The bill has been held for further study, which means we’re in a holding pattern for now. There’s plenty of speculation going around, but nothing solid yet. Rather than chase rumors, we’ll break down what we do know and what could come next on an upcoming podcast. In the Meantime: Stay Ready. This isn’t over. We’ll need to stay alert and mobilized for whatever comes next. Until then, rest up, keep spreading the word, and don’t forget to keep engaging with your Reps and Senators!”

Towns Standing Strong in 2025

So far, these cities and towns have passed resolutions opposing gun control legislation.

We’ll leave the report with the testimony of (Vanessa) Gothix – follow her on “X”, here: @GothixTV

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