October Newsletter

'Tis Autumn on Aquidneck Island! Our team is winding down our summer engagement and cozying up to begin analyzing all the data and feedback we've received from the community. Thank you to everyone who connected with us this summer, whether it was at our listening sessions, pop-up engagement tables, or through various partnership efforts. We couldn't do this work without the gracious support of community members like you!

While our Climate Resilience Plan public engagement phase is wrapping up, our survey is still live until October 19th! Please take the survey if you haven't yet, and forward to any friends. We're looking for a few more responses to reach our goal!

There is one more chance to provide in-person feedback at our Spanish Listening Session and Community Meal. This program will be entirely in Spanish and include a free hot meal with emergency preparedness bags! It will take place from 5-7 pm on Wednesday, October 14th at the MLK Community Center in partnership with Conexión Latina.

Comida comunitaria y conversación

Aquidneck Resilience está liderando el desarrollo de un Plan de Resiliencia Climática para toda la isla, que servirá como guía para reducir el riesgo que corre nuestra comunidad ante fenómenos meteorológicos severos.

¡Únete a nuestra sesión de escucha en español para aportar tu opinión al plan! Este evento es gratuito e incluye cena. También se entregará un kit gratuito de preparación para emergencias.

Se recomienda confirmar asistencia a través de Eventbrite.

Aquidneck Island Rail with Trail

We are so excited to bring together partners to help advance the island’s long-awaited rail with trail project! This fall marks the kick-off of a year-long project, which will deliver initial designs for a 4.5-mile segment of rail with trail adjacent to Burma Road, running from Access Road in Middletown, to Stringham Road in Portsmouth.

A working group, made up of representatives from Bike Newport, Aquidneck Island Land Trust, Naval Station Newport, and Green Street Associates, stewarded by Aquidneck Resilience, has been working over the past year to reignite rail with trail efforts in the Newport Secondary Rail Corridor on the island’s west side.

Studies date back to at least the year 2000, when the Aquidneck Island Land Conservation Strategy named a goal of “linking open spaces so people may walk or bike safely from one end of the island to the other” including a “path alongside the railway”.

You can join us for one or both of our upcoming public engagement events to learn more!

Community Info Session and Open House - October 27th

Community Train Ride - November 1st

We Need Your Help!

If you haven't yet, please take a few minutes to share your vision for your dream Aquidneck Island via our Climate Resilience Plan survey! You can learn more about our the plan on our webpage .

If you have already completed the survey,

forward the link to a friend!

Our survey will close on October 19th!

Climate Resilience Plan Survey

Slow the Flow:

Homeowner Solutions for Managing Stormwater

When heavy rain hits Aquidneck Island, stormwater runoff transports pollutants straight into our local watersheds. Managing coastal stormwater isn’t just a maintenance task—it’s an ecological infrastructure challenge. To address these challenges, Ocean Hour Farm is co-hosting Slow the Flow: Homeowner Solutions for Managing Stormwater. This interactive workshop will take place at Ocean Hour Farm on October 29 from 4-7 pm. It will bring together regional specialists in watershed science, ecological design, and native nurseries to demonstrate how rain gardens and soil filtration protect critical local waters like Almy Pond.

🔗Reserve your spot online!

Explore Our Webpage!

Have you checked out our website recently? We have loads of resources available, from water quality monitoring updates, to rain garden guides, to general information about climate risks!

Most recently, we added Climate Hazards and Severe Weather Resource pages.

Our Webpage

Work with us! Request for Proposals - Climate Resilience Plan Dashboard Development!

We are seeking professional services for the development of an online dashboard to display and track implementation of actions from the Climate Resilience Plan and associated projects across Aquidneck Island. Check out our website for the RFP!

Learn more here

Water We Up to?!

Block Island Visit

The Rhode Island Sea Grant Islands Cohort took a trip out to Block Island to learn more about island resilience, particularly looking at issues like drinking water supply and coastal erosion. We are so glad to be part of this cohort with folks from RI Sea Grant, URI, Hog Island, Conanicut Island/Jamestown, Prudence Island, Block Island, and our very own Aquidneck Island.

Martha's Vineyard Coastal Conference

Paige and Emma took a trip to the Vineyard to learn about coastal resilience efforts. This conference is hosted annually by the WHOI Sea Grant. We continue to appreciate learning from peers in our region facing similar challenges!

Flooding to Flowers: Rain Garden Series Update

The Flooding to Flowers pilot rain garden program is wrapping up assessments in the Almy Pond neighborhood. Our projects team, along with Wild & Scenic Landscaping and O'Connor Design Build, have been visiting the properties of several homeowners in the Almy Pond watershed to assess their rain garden potential. We look forward to seeing the future rain gardens that come out of this program!

If you'd like to learn more about rain gardens, you can checkout our rain garden design resources page. Be on the lookout for more opportunities to get involved, as we hope to expand this program across the island!

Resilience in the News

As Climate Warms, Rhode Island Weighs Heat-Stress Worker Protections

After the death of a Rhode Island worker due to heat illness, the state considers how to "close the heat-protection gap."

RI got record rainfall. So why are water limits staying?

Rhode Island's water resources have yet to recover from summer drought. Read to learn more about what this means.

A farm-to-cafeteria milestone in Portsmouth

Postmouth AgInnovation, a student-run farm, brings farm to table into Portsmouth schools.

Watch Read Listen: Combatting Fast Fashion Scaries this Fall

Watch

The Lies That Sell Fast Fashion

Watch this Vox explainer to learn more about how fast fashion encourages consumers to overbuy, leading to buyers' remorse, environmental harms, poor working conditions, and other negative impacts.

Read

9 Halloween Costume Ideas That Are Surprisingly Easy to Thrift

Martha Stewart's blog suggests nine different Halloween costumes you can likely thrift (or make using items you already own)! Including dressing up as Martha herself!

Listen

The Cost of Slow Living: How to Align Your Values Without Burning Out

This podcast episode features a conversation with someone working in fashion about how to depart from consumerism and fast fashion and replace them with slow living practices amidst a capitalistic, "fast" societal pressure.

Check us out on Socials!

We shared some photos from community members after the recent Nor'easter!

Reminder to keep us with us on Instagram, and give our podcast Island Folk a listen to stay up to date with our happenings!

Community Bulletin

Island Park Walk in Portsmouth | 10/14

Join the Rhode Island Sea Grant for a guided walk along Portsmouth's Island Park shoreline to learn about public access, coastal buffers, and more!

From 5:00 - 6:00 pm, there will be a short, one-hour walk through Island Park in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. During the walk, participants will visit several shoreline rights-of-way and learn how these protected public access points connect the community to the coast.

aquidneckresilience.org

42 Spring St Newport, RI