Outdoors in RI: Wolves, Deer, Marine pump-outs, conserving Burrillville, 2A Firearm bans in Canada

Wolf protection lessened in Europe to better manage population

The European Union will adapt the protection status of the wolf from ‘strictly protected’ to ‘protected’ effective March of 2025. This change will give additional flexibility to “Member States” in managing their local wolf populations. At the same time, as the wolf will remain a protected species, Member States’ conservation and management measures will still need to achieve and maintain favourable conservation status.

European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Important news for our rural communities and farmers. The Bern convention has decided to adjust the protection status of wolves. Because we need a balanced approach between the preservation of wildlife and the protection of our livelihoods.”

“EU’s conservation policy and efforts towards the wolf have been a success in the past decades. The reality on the ground, however, is changing. Ever increasing wolf populations and the risk that this poses has justified to adapt the legal protection status of the wolf. Today, the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention voted in favour of the EU proposal to change the protection status of the wolf from ‘strictly protected’ to ‘protected’. As a next step, we will propose to update EU’s rules in line with this decision.” – Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy

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Deer Hunting on Nantucket

Hunters checked in 160 deer on Monday, the opening day of shotgun season, a total that represented a significant increase from the 99 deer taken on the first day of the 2023 season, according to the Nantucket Current.

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Marine Pump-Out Facilities in RI

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is announcing that grants are available to communities and private businesses that own and/or operate boating facilities that are accessible to the public. The grants, funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Clean Vessel Act (CVA), support construction and maintenance of marine and land-based pump-out facilities to assist boaters with properly disposing of sewage. Since 1994, DEM has awarded over $2.5 million in CVA grants. 

New for the 2025 CVA Grant program, DEM has partnered with the Rhode Island Marine Trade Association (RIMTA) to streamline grants for routine operation and maintenance costs such as periodic maintenance, winterization, spring commissioning, and replacement parts. Contact Brian Dursi, RIMTA executive director, at [email protected]for information on how to apply.

“DEM is thrilled to work together with RIMTA to more effectively support municipal and marine trades partners to help prevent the discharge of boat sewage,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “With nearly 40,000 registered boats in Rhode Island, the CVA grant program critically empowers Rhode Island’s recreational boaters to do their part to keep Narragansett Bay and our local waters clean, which are central to the Ocean State’s environment, way of life, and economy.”

Marinas, yacht clubs, and municipalities are eligible to apply for funding. Projects to construct, replace, retrofit, or maintain pumpout facilities will be considered. All grant awards are subject to a 25% grantee (partner) dollar match requirement. DEM will offer grant awards for eligible project costs of new and replacement land‐based facilities, and for eligible project costs of new and replacement mobile pumpout boats. Operators of mobile pumpout vessels can also apply for grant awards for eligible Operation and Maintenance (O&M) costs. O&M costs eligible for reimbursement include hull painting; engine, pump, and trailer maintenance; insurance of pumpout vessels; fuel and oil; winterization; storage; launching and hauling; boat safety equipment, and personal protective equipment. DEM also offers grant awards to operators of land-based pumpout stations for eligible O&M costs. O&M costs eligible for reimbursement include periodic maintenance; winterization; spring commissioning; replacement parts; and repair of sewer connections.

All applications besides for small recurring operation and maintenance costs must be submitted via the state Grant Management System (eCivis), located here. Applications are currently being accepted for the 2025 season through Dec. 31, 2025. Additional information can be found on DEM’s website. For more information, please contact Steven Engborg at (401)-537-4224 or by email at [email protected]. 

Boat sewage can threaten water quality by introducing bacteria and pathogens, excess nutrients, and chemicals that are harmful to humans and marine life to the water. In 1998, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to receive a statewide “no discharge” designation from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that prohibits boaters from discharging sewage into local waterways.

There are currently 15 pump-out boats and 48 public landside facilities located at 50 locations across Narragansett Bay and coastal waters. All pump-out facilities must be kept fully operational to adequately meet demand. Some 40,000 boats are registered in Rhode Island, and the Ocean State welcomes many thousands more visiting boats each year. Last year, a total volume of over 600,000 gallons of sewage was pumped out at these locations and diverted from entering Rhode Island’s surface waters. Visit DEM’s website for a map of marine pump-out facilities in Rhode Island.

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942 Acres of Forestland in Burrillville conserved with $1.2M from US Fish & Wildlife Service

he Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today announces the conservation of 942.11 acres of forested land in Burrillville for public recreational use, including hunting – the largest single acquisition by DEM since 2014 and one of the last large undeveloped parcels remaining in the state. DEM received a $1.2M grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) through Wildlife Restoration Program and $301,250 award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) through Walmart’s Acres for America Program to complete the purchase of the Rhode Island Boy Scouts’ Buck Hill property.

The conservation of this unusually large property for Rhode Island provides critical connectivity between the over 4,000-acre George Washington Management Area and Pulaski State Park to the south, the 2,220-acre Buck Hill Management Area to the north, as well as a large tract of conservation land in Connecticut to the west, and the Douglas State Forest to the north in Massachusetts, resulting in a total contiguous protected area of over 13,000 acres. 

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2A in Canada

Yesterday, Canada announced an additional ban on firearms. 324 models have been added to a list of over 2,000 deemed so in the past 4 years – assault-style weapons designed for rapid, high-capacity shooting. Saying these firearms are designed for war, and not for civilian use, the government intends to donate the confiscated arms – to Ukraine – to aid them in the war. One strategy to assure compliance is a national buyback program.

Conservatives label the ban a political stunt targeting lawful gun owners. Pierre Poilievre accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of using gun control as a political tool, saying, “This is nothing more than a stunt. It attacks licensed and law-abiding hunters and sport shooters while doing little to address the real issue of illegal firearms.”

Canada’s actions took place on the 35th anniversary of École Polytechnique massacre, where a gunman killed 14 women at the engineering school.