Outdoors in RI: The million dollar Penguins are here, Paws off the wildlife, Beach ready…

The Penguins are HERE! At Roger Williams Park, Providence

Part of what the city of Providence spent their COVID dollars on – $1 Million if it – was to bring back the Penguin exhibit to Roger Williams Park. Under a grant made by then Mayor Elorza, plans were put into place for a new penguin exhibit and penguin purchase.

Roger Williams Park Zoo is opening a new Humboldt penguin exhibit called Penguin Point this Memorial Day weekend. The zoo hasn’t had penguins since 2013 and is now one of only 24 facilities in North America to care for this species. The penguins will be housed in a new coastal habitat where guests can observe them both on land and swimming underwater. The penguins come from Chile and Peru and do not like cold weather.

The Black & White Ribbon Cutting in Honor of Our New Residents will take place TODAY when guests arrive at 10 am, and remarks start at 10:15 am. Speakers will be Mayor Smiley and Zoo Executive Director, Stacey Johnson. Attendees should park in the Roger Williams Park Zoo’s main visitors lot and proceed to the outside admissions area.  You will be directed to the habitat from there. 

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Keep Your Paws Off the Wildlife

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) urges the public not to interfere with baby wild animals, especially fawns, which are often mistakenly thought to be abandoned. Fawns lying quietly in grass are not orphaned and should be left alone, because moving or handling them may separate them from their mother and jeopardize their life. 

“In nature, it’s normal for a fawn to be hidden in grass or brush for the first week after birth, as it can’t yet follow its mother,” said Dylan Ferreira, a wildlife biologist in DEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). “Sometimes well-intentioned people wrongly assume that a fawn is abandoned and take it home and try to rescue it, but the mother is usually nearby and returns to feed it. If you see a fawn alone, please leave it alone – it does not need help and should not be handled.” 

“DEM stresses that wildlife is beautiful but should always be enjoyed from afar,” said RI State Veterinarian Dr. Scott Marshall. “Never approach wild animals and certainly never touch them. Handling mammals is always a potential rabies exposure. Once people handle or have contact with these animals, public health officials are compelled to test the animal for rabies, which requires that the animal be humanely dispatched because testing requires brain tissue.” 

While some may be tempted to feed deer, feeding wildlife is illegal in Rhode Island and harmful. It can cause digestive problems, spread disease, attract more wildlife than the area can support, and lead to conflicts with humans. 

Each year, DEM receives many calls about healthy fawns mistakenly believed to need rescue. This is almost never the case. Removing wildlife from the wild is illegal in Rhode Island and not an act of compassion. Every spring, fawns are unnecessarily brought to wildlife rehabilitators by mistaken people trying to help but end up having to be brought back to the wild. Removing fawns from the wild greatly reduces their chance of survival and reconnecting with their mother. This also reduces DEM and wildlife rehabilitator staff resources. The only solution to this annual problem is for the public to stop handling wildlife in misguided attempts to “save” them – leaving fawns alone gives them the best chance to survive.

If you find a fawn, leave the area immediately and avoid disturbing it. Unless a dead doe is nearby, the fawn is not abandoned. Fawns stay still and hidden to avoid predators but may occasionally approach people or pets – if so, leave the area. If you see a fawn in immediate danger – like lying in a road – monitor from a safe distance. It may move once you back away. If it stays in a hazardous spot, call DEM Environmental Police at 401-222-3070. For visibly injured fawns, contact the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island at 401-294-6363.

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Rhode Island Beach Season

Memorial Day weekend kicks off state beach season with all state beaches, with the exception of Roger Wheeler, open daily with lifeguards, beach staff, concessions, and restrooms starting Saturday, May 24 until Labor Day. Roger Wheeler will open Saturday, June 14 due to an upgrade project. To provide more options during the delayed opening, Scarborough South will open for Memorial Day Weekend – earlier than its usual Father’s Day opening. Amenities will be available, though concessions will be limited on weekends for the next several weeks. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is encouraging beachgoers to buy their 2025 state beach season parking passes before heading to the beach.

“The First Lady and I love beach season, and Rhode Island has the best beaches anywhere,” said Governor Dan McKee. “We look forward to welcoming all Rhode Islanders and visitors to our beautiful beaches to have a fun, happy, and safe summer!”

“Memorial Day weekend is the on-switch for summer, and we invite beachgoers to get out and enjoy our spectacular state beaches,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “There’s nothing like summer in the Ocean State and any day at the beach is a good day!” 

Reduce wait times by purchasing your parking pass online. DEM’s parking vendor, LAZ Parking, uses license plate recognition (LPR) for fast entry so no physical pass is needed.Season pass holders can use express lanes for speedier access. Online season parking pass sales can take up to 24 hours to validate but returning online customers with unchanged registration and contact information can now bypass the verification process. In-person purchases of season passes are now available at a new LAZ office at Fishermen’s Memorial State Park & Campground (1011 Point Judith Rd, Narragansett). Office hours will be Monday through Friday from 8:30AM to 4:30PM and Saturdays from 8:00AM to 4:00PM. The office is closed on Sundays and holidays. Passes allow parking at all eight state beaches but do not guarantee entry – parking is first-come, first-served.

State beaches can reach capacity during holiday weekends. Beachgoers can check the near real-time beach capacity status before heading to the beach. For the safety and enjoyment of beach patrons, staff may close parking lot entrances to prevent overcrowding on the beachfront, ensuring lifeguards and first responders have space to respond to water emergencies. Closed lots may reopen as space becomes available. 

Lifeguards are on duty as staffing allows, seasonally from 9 AM to 6 PM. When lifeguards are not on duty, swimmers are responsible for their own safety. DEM highly recommends that people of all ages learn to swim, respect the water, and know their swimming limitations. Parental or adult supervision is critical. Labor Day is the last day of the season that state beaches will be staffed with lifeguards and rangers and after it, restrooms will be closed and winterized for the season. Public safety is DEM’s highest priority and staff monitor weather and ocean conditions daily. For more safety tips, please visit www.riparks.ri.gov/beachsafety.