Outdoors in RI: Vineyard Yoga, Goddard Golf fix-up, Birdwatching, Photography, Big River, Walk Audit

Goddard Park Golf Course

An NBC 10 viewer reached out to Ask Alison about the Goddard Park Golf Course.

Jim emailed: “Goddard Park golf course used to be a great, inexpensive place for fixed income seniors to recreate and get some exercise,” he wrote. “Please address the disgusting, negligent, lack of management and resources. We pay good tax dollars and have a right to expect better.”

RIDEM told Alison Bologna that the course has been without a superintendent for a few months but recently they got approval to hire someone.

The position is now posted, and they hope to have one “in place soon.”

In the meantime, staff at Goddard is:

• Increasing the watering schedule.
• Treating invasive weeds.
• And restoring the ground by aerating and overseeding the greens.

The course was scheduled to close this week- starting on the Monday the 15th to accommodate these plans. And a statewide construction crew is helping too.

Watch the video HERE:  https://turnto10.com/i-team/ask-alison/ask-alison-what-is-happening-with-goddard-park-golf-course 

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UnWINED Yoga at Sakonnet Vineyard this Saturday

Final Session in the Summer Series will be held TOMORROW, September 27th, from 10 to 11am.

Sakonnet Vineyard’s popular UnWINED yoga series with instructor Danielle Cerrone will conclude for the season with a final class on Saturday, September 27th.  Danielle will lead an all-level Baptiste-inspired vinyasa yoga session against a backdrop of the beautiful vineyard, and afterward, participants can enjoy a glass of wine and unwind with fellow yogis.

Danielle is a Registered Yoga Alliance RYT-200 Yoga Teacher through Believe You Can Yoga Teacher Training in Bristol, RI. Danielle has been practicing yoga since 2021. She is a physical therapist and earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from Springfield College in 2020. She currently works as a full-time physical therapist at University Orthopedics, Inc. in East Providence, RI at Kettle Point.

Sakonnet Vineyard is located at 162 West Main Road, in Little Compton, RI

Cost:​​$25.00; register here

About Sakonnet Vineyard:

Founded in 1975 and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025, Sakonnet Vineyard is New England’s oldest vineyard and a pioneer of the Southeastern New England AVA. Set on 169 scenic acres in Little Compton, Rhode Island, with more than 20 acres under vine, Sakonnet produces award-winning wines shaped by the region’s coastal climate.

The growing conditions of Southeastern New England yield wines with bright acidity, elegant structure, and vibrant fruit character—hallmarks of Sakonnet’s style. Through sustainable farming, patient cellar practices, and a deep respect for the land, the Sakonnet team crafts wines that reflect both place and purpose. Guided by core values of agriculture, preservation, and community, the vineyard remains a leader in the evolving identity of East Coast wine. 

Voted “Best Vineyard” in Boston Magazine’s New England Travel Awards and the Editors’ Choice for Best Vineyard in Rhode Island in Yankee Magazine, Sakonnet is a favorite day-trip destination. Guests can sip wines in the tasting room, enjoy light fare from the café, and stroll the vineyard’s expansive grounds. A full calendar of seasonal events, including live music, a weekly farmers’ market, fitness classes, and more, makes Sakonnet a gathering place for locals and visitors alike. Select Sakonnet wines are also available at restaurants and retailers throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, and South Carolina. For details and seasonal hours, visit www.sakonnetwine.com.

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Migration Madness: Birds, Binoculars & Beyond!

Birdwatching – Sunday, October 5 at 4 pm – Blackstone Valley

The northern migration for our feathered friends has begun! Join us for an exciting birdwatching event as we head out to observe the incredible migration patterns of various bird species. Bring your binoculars (or use our binoculars) and bird guides to see what species we can spot along the way.

Register – HERE:

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Cruise and Capture: Scenic Photography on the Explorer – Sunday, October 12 at 4 pm

Are you a photography enthusiast, a member of a photography club, or simply someone who loves taking pictures? Climb aboard the Explorer for a relaxing late afternoon cruise designed with photographers in mind. As you drift along the scenic Blackstone River, you’ll have the perfect opportunity to capture stunning images of the region’s rich natural landscapes and historic industrial sites.

Book HERE

 

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DEM to Conduct Brush Clearing Project at Big River Management Area

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will soon begin a forest health project to reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfires within an 8,300-acre parcel of the Big River Management Area that spans Coventry and West Greenwich. Starting next week, weather permitting, a crew of professional wood operators will thin dense tree cover and remove brush along at least two miles of forestland near fire roads to reduce the risk of wildfire spread, making it easier for first responders to suppress it.

The project will create areas called “shaded fuel breaks” where foresters reduce fuels such as brush, shrubs, and dead branches that could feed a wildfire. This project is not clear cutting and unlike firebreaks, which remove all vegetation to stop a fire, shaded fuel breaks keep much of the forest canopy intact while reducing the amount of fuel on the ground. A fuel break by itself will not stop a wildfire but will help reduce a fire’s speed and severity. This scientifically supported strategy also helps reduce wildfire spread by maintaining cooler and moister understory conditions, helping vegetation remain greener longer.

“We have two main goals by taking steps to thin and manage these areas now,” said DEM Division of Agriculture and Forest Environment Deputy Chief Tee Jay Boudreau. “First is protecting people and property by reducing the risk of a wildfire spreading on state lands. Just as important, we want to make it safer and easier for fire departments to fight wildfires if they do happen.”

The project is funded using $3 million that was designated for forest health projects at state management areas in the voter-approved 2022 Green Bond. In recent years RI has experienced busy wildfire seasons. In 2024, southern New England saw a historic fall fire season, with RI experiencing a total of 75 wildfires, 41 occurring between Oct. 18 and Nov. 19. In 2023, DEM recorded 78 wildfires encompassing 582 acres, includes the back-to-back Congdon Mill Fire in West Greenwich that covered nearly 196 acres and the worst-in-decades Queen’s River fire in Exeter that burnt 286 acres.

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Walking Audits in Providence Neighborhoods – Herb Weiss

“As part of Walktober, AARP Rhode Island has scheduled additional walks and audits throughout October. On October 9, a Broadway Walk/Roll Audit will take place, along with other events including a Comedy Walk & Roll with Brumfield and a Glow Stick Walk/Roll Dance Party.

Other Walktober walks are being hosted by Village Common Walking Group, Providence Preservation Society and Ocean State Center for Independent Living.

Through AARP’s 2025 Community Challenge grants, Providence’s Age-Friendly PVD initiative is funding four walk audits in neighborhoods with high concentrations of older adults to identify pedestrian safety challenges.

“AARP Rhode Island is pleased to work with so many community partners and with America Walks to promote access and safety for walkers and rollers of all ages and abilities,” said AARP Rhode Island State Director Catherine Taylor. “Walktober is truly a celebration, and we hope, at times, an inspiration as well as a wake-up call, as walk audits throughout the city reveal barriers and unsafe conditions that need to be addressed.

Added Taylor, “Walking is great exercise, and as walking groups become more and more popular, they serve as an opportunity for socialization that is very important to many people as they age.”

Here is How It Works…

According to AARP Rhode Island, walk audits involve participants walking through neighborhoods and noting infrastructure issues: missing or uneven sidewalks, unsafe crosswalks, poor lighting, or lack of benches and shade. Participants then document and report their findings so changes can be proposed and considered.

The events are meant to be inclusive, with accessibility a top priority. Walk audits not only identify safety concerns but also raise public awareness and encourage cities to take action.

Get Involved

• For kickoff event and registration details and locations of walk audits visit register: www.aarp.org/RIWalktober, where you also will find an interactive Walktober Map.  

• To learn how to assess and report on the safety and walkability of a street, intersection, or neighborhood, visit the AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit at https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/getting-around/aarp-walk-audit-tool-kit.html”

Look for Herb Weiss’ column on Monday in RINewsToday.com for all the details on Walktober!  

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