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Outdoors in RI: MyCoast wants pix, Halloween farm family fun, Breachway fix, Hunter Orange
Photo: Pamela Bhatia, Artistic Images RI
Snap the Shore, Track the Change
MyCoast: Rhode Island is a portal to collect and analyze photos of shorelines across the Ocean State. Rhode Island is one of 8 states/locals that will have information collected to capture the impact of flood hazards today, and to illustrate possible future conditions. Photos, linked to data about weather and tides, create reports that help stakeholders like government agencies, business owners, and residents to understand shoreline change and make informed decisions.
If you live along the shoreline and want to document changes – take a look at MyCoast and consider uploading your photos and observations. The project is one of the URI Coastal Resources Center, Rhode Island Sea Grant, Save the Bay, and the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council.
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Coggeshall Farm Museum this weekend and next
Coggeshall Farm Museum will host a spooktacular Halloween celebration the next two weekends, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 19 and 20, and Oct. 26 and 27, from 3 to 6 p.m. each day. The annual event invites families to immerse themselves in the spirit of spooky season, blending tradition and creativity against the backdrop of the museum’s historic grounds.
Visitors can explore a series of themed trick-or-treat stations, each offering a variety of unique treats. In addition to candy collecting, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a range of hands-on activities, including carving spooky apples and turnip heads and embarking on the Hobbes the Cat mystery hunt.
New this year, the event will showcase the talents of renowned magician Bob Olsen, who is set to mesmerize audiences with his spellbinding performances throughout the evening.
Families are encouraged to embrace the Halloween spirit by dressing up in their favorite costumes. Organizers remind attendees to choose costumes that are suitable for all ages, ensuring a fun and inclusive environment for everyone.
“Halloween at Coggeshall Farm is a wonderful opportunity to bring families and friends together to celebrate the beauty of autumn while creating lasting memories. We invite everyone to join us this October for an unforgettable, magical experience,” said Shelli Costa, executive director of Coggeshall Farm Museum.
Due to the event’s popularity, pre-registration is highly recommended, especially as space is limited. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://coggeshallfarm.org/event/a-coggeshall-halloween/.
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Charlestown Breachway repairs begin
Temporary emergency repair work of the west wall of the Charlestown Breachway is beginning today on Friday, Oct. 18. The repair work is to prevent further hazards to boaters caused by storm damage to the breachway over the years, reduce the influx of sand into Ninigret Pond, and protect nearby coastal properties from increased erosion and flooding risks. Large angular granite boulders will be placed to partially restore the Breachway’s structural integrity, improve safe navigation, stabilize the coastline, and preserve essential water flow to maintain ecological balance, water quality, and economic stability for the Town of Charlestown. Some sediment will be removed from the breachway to stabilize the placed stones.
“The Ocean State is on the frontlines of the ongoing impacts of climate change, and the Charlestown Breachway’s current condition is a result of storm damage and coastal erosion from climate impacts,” said Governor Dan McKee. “I am glad that the Town of Charlestown and state agencies are working collaboratively on these necessary temporary repairs as we continue to work together to identify a long-term solution for the breachway.”
“Rhode Island’s coastal communities are increasingly contending with sea level rise, flooding, more frequent and severe storm events, and erosion due to the impacts of climate change,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “Last year, the Charlestown Breachway was damaged by the intense winter storms in December and January, leading to impacts on the channel and environmental conditions in Ninigret Pond. This followed years of loss of beachfront in the area, which brought the ocean much closer to the breakwaters. DEM and the Town of Charlestown remain committed to the successful completion of repairs to the breachway and looking at the long-term repairs and upgrades for this important coastal infrastructure.”
The work is being conducted by RMA GeoEnvironmental of Wickford, RI. The total cost of the temporary repair project is estimated to be around $500,000, with DEM contributing fifty percent of the final project cost up to a maximum of $300,000 from RI Capital Plan Funds, and the Town of Charlestown contributing the funding for the rest of the cost. Boaters should continue using caution when passing through the Breachway, as Town officials, DEM, and the RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) remain in collaboration to determine a long-term plan to further repair the breachway.
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Fluorescent Orange Requirements when in the woods
Solid fluorescent hunter orange must be worn above the waist and be visible in all directions. Examples are: a hat that covers 200 square inches or a combination of hat and vest covering 500 square inches. Fluorescent camouflage does not meet this requirement.
Each state has their own “orange” requirements.
In Rhode Island, all hunters (and the general public using hunting lands during hunting season) must wear at least 500 square inches of fluorescent orange above the waist and visible from all sides. This can be a combination of a hat and vest, equaling 500 square inches of solid hunter orange.
In Massachusetts, “During firearm seasons in Massachusetts, hunters must wear at least 500 square inches of fluorescent orange on the chest, back, and head. Additionally, hunters on WMA land must wear a hunter-orange hat during pheasant and quail season.”
In Connecticut, “Anyone hunting from Sept. 1 through the end of February in Connecticut must wear at least 400 square inches (about the size of four sheets of paper) of blaze orange above the waist and visible from all sides. This can include a hat and a vest. Archery deer hunters are not required to wear orange during archery-only seasons. Additionally, hunters are not required to wear orange when hunting waterfowl from a boat.”
Always check for Blaze Orange updates in the state you will be hunting – or hiking – in.
- 200 sq. in. by small game hunters during the small game season, fall turkey hunters while traveling, and muzzleloader deer hunters during the muzzleloader deer season.
- 200 sq. in. by archers when traveling to/from elevated stands during the muzzleloader season. Once in an elevated stand, archery deer hunters are exempt from the orange requirement during the muzzleloader season.
- 500 sq. in. by all hunters (including archers) and all users of management areas and undeveloped state parks during all portions of shotgun deer seasons.
- Hunters using pop-up blinds during the firearms deer season must display 200 square inches of fluorescent orange visible on the outside of the blind from all directions. Hunters must also wear orange in accordance with the rules for the specific seasons while in the blind.
- Exemptions: Raccoon hunters when hunting at night, crow hunters while hunting over decoys, spring turkey hunters, first segment dove hunters, and waterfowl hunters while hunting from a boat or a blind, over water or field, when done in conjunction with decoys. Fluorescent orange is not required in areas limited to archery-only hunting by regulation.
- All other users of State Management Areas and designated undeveloped State Parks, including but not limited to: hikers, bikers, and horseback riders are required to wear 200 square inches of solid daylight fluorescent orange from the second Saturday in September to the last day of February and the third Saturday in April to the last day in May.
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