The Providential Gardener

What Grows On in Rhode Island ~ Mid October 2007

Don't forget to check What Grows On in Rhode Island ~ a sister blog to Providential Gardener that is a kind of newswire service, publishing press releases and meeting announcements I receive of upcoming events. You can send environmental event notices to postinfo@providentialgardener.com for that blog.
It really helps if you send announcements ahead of time. I cannot always get last minute notices onto the blog fast enough. Three days or more is good. I posted twelve new announcements today (October 11, 2007) of events scheduled in the next few weeks.

Also, see The Providential Gardener Calendar, which organizes these announcements and even more events by hour, day, month. On Saturday, for instance, there's trail planning, a teacher workshop on bay animals, bird carving, tree pruning, and a sustainability volunteer work day, to say nothing of all the farmers' markets that are still going strong with the warm weather we've been having. And it's still Coastweeks, I think. So enjoy your weekend!

Keeping Up with Environmental News in Rhode Island

We are lucky in Rhode Island to have an increasing number of dedicated individuals and groups that watch out for our environment in one way or another. And they are producing some great online publications available to anyone who wants to subscribe. Here are a few newsletters and blogs I see:

• Natural News Network ~ "Rhode Island's own online magazine about your environment -- the news and info you need to explore it, have fun outside, keep up with local issues, live greener, and get involved."
• Environment Rhode Island Report ~ "sent to Environment Rhode Island members three times a year by Environment Rhode Island."
• The Fence Post ~ "Stay current with the happenings along Rhode Island FarmWays. Learn more about our Rhode Island FarmWays places. Get announcements about seasonal events and special offers for Fence Post subscribers."
• Audubon's eWing (for general public) and Nature Notes (for educators)
• Rhode Island River Council e-News

And note that Save the Bay now has some blogs, including the BayKeeper blog by John Torgan. There aren't as many blogs as we currently have menhaden in the Providence River yet, but who knows, there may be more bloggers and news sources for our state's environment than we can possibly count some day soon.

Now, how to keep up with all of this? Well, we don't have to. That's not the point, and it's not possible anyway, so don't try to do that. But at least seek out one blog or news source about something you really love, subscribe, and open the emails they send! There are many entry points to environmental news about our wonderful shared garden called Rhode Island, so start where you are, choose something you enjoy, and go for it. The sidebar of this blog lists more than 50 Rhode Island environmental organizations, and I'll bet you'll find something worth reading ~ and doing!