What Grows On in Rhode Island News

John Wald Science Grants ~ Application Deadline February 25, 2008

From RINHS Calendar & NBay-L:

2008 WALD GRANTS—CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Rhode Island Natural History Survey and The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island seek proposals for the 2008 John Wald Science Grants. These small grants are made to support research addressing RINHS and The Nature Conservancy priorities. We anticipate funding three to five projects for between $2,000 and $4,000 per project on or before May 1, 2008. Applications following the format described below must reach the Rhode Island Natural History Survey office by 5 P.M., Monday, 25 February 2008. NOTE: this is an extension of the previously announced deadline.

Read the full details or download them as a PDF :
www.rinhs.org/index.php/what-we-do/wald

13th Annual Ecology of RI Conference - Call for Abstracts Deadline January 23; Conference March 20, 2008

From ECRI Newsletter and RINHS:

SAVE THE DATE!

Rhode Island Natural History Survey
13th Annual Ecology of Rhode Island Conference
"Recent Advances in Understanding the Ecology of Rhode Island"

Thursday, March 20, 2008, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Corless Auditorium - URI Bay Campus, Narragansett, Rhode Island

Call for Abstracts: Oral Presentations and Posters

Winter Learning Landscape Offered at Roger Williams Park Botanical Center ~ From January 29 on

From URI CELS Education and Outreach Center:

NOTE: This is for Elementary School Classes Only ~ Grades K - 5

Parents, ask your children's teachers to take advantage of this wonderful learning opportunity!

The University of Rhode Island’s CELS Outreach Center is pleased to announce that a winter Learning Landscape environmental education field trip for elementary school groups is now available through our partnership with the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center.  Students can now engage in hands-on exploration of Learning Landscape topics while immersed in the special environment provided by Roger Williams Park’s state-of-the-art tropical conservatory. 

LIFE IN A CONSERVATORY
A taste of the tropics in Rhode Island:  discover flora from diverse ecosystems, including cactus, carnivorous plants, palms, and seasonal displays. 

RED WIGGLER WORM BIN
View a natural recycling system at work: learn about vermicomposting and what makes these wiggly invertebrates so important.

NATIVE BIRDS
Take a closer look at our feathered friends: what makes birds special?   Learn how differences in beaks, feet, and other adaptations help them to survive in their environment.

NATIVE MAMMALS
Examine native Rhode Island mammals using skulls, teeth and skins.  What can animal adaptations tell us about predator / prey relationships?    Answer this question and many more with a hands-on look at life in the wild!

A WORLD OF SEEDS
Discover seed diversity.  Make plant pots from recycled materials.  Plant seeds to bring home.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

Dates: Weekday mornings beginning January 29 by reservation only    
Hours: 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon
Location: Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, Providence, RI   Grades: K - 5, limit 40 students
Cost: $7.00 per student includes the cost of admission to the Botanical Center, $20.00 deposit required.
Adult chaperones are responsible for paying the $3.00 Botanical Center admission fee.
- Scholarships are available -

Call today for reservations or more information
(401) 874-2900
Or visit our NEW web pages! 

Civic Tourism Workshop ~ January 24, 2008

From the Sustainable Tourism Lab of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council:

Join the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council’s Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory as they present the first Tourism Laboratory for 2008.

January 24, 2008
Civic Tourism Workshop - Connect, Re-frame, Invest and Integrate a New Style of Tourism Development
9:00 - 9:20 a.m. Civic Tourism II Conference Announcement
Press Conference

Visitor Center, 175 Main Street, Pawtucket, RI
Join the Presenters and Sponsors and Dr. Dan Shilling from Arizona State
University as they announce the Civic Tourism, The Politics of Poetry and
Place II Conference to be held in Rhode Island October 2008.
9:30 a.m. Workshop

Salve Regina University Graduate Studies, 175 Main St, Pawtucket, RI
A Civic Tourism Workshop - Connect, Re-frame, Invest and Integrate a New Style of Tourism Development. Civic Tourism, authored by Dr. Dan Shilling of Arizona State University in 2006, who held the first Civic Tourism Conference in Arizona in 2006.

Shilling will present an intense workshop on re-framing the conversation on tourism development. Learn new ways of looking at tourism to create appealing communities, investing in place, merging the built, natural and cultural environments and ways to connect to the public.

12:30 p.m.
Rhode Island Meatball and Pasta lunch

Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
Blackstone Valley Visitor Center
175 Main Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
1 800 454 2882
Registration information:
SustainableTourismLab.com
$35 per person

Holiday Craft Show and Tree Sale ~ December 1, 2007

From Audubon Society of Rhode Island:

Holiday Craft Show and Tree Sale, Dec. 1, 2007

Audubon Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, Smithfield, RI   

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Get a head start on your holiday shopping and enjoy some cookies and cider with your friends from the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.  Local artisans and craftspeople will be displaying and selling their work – all inspired by the natural world. There will be raffles and children’s programs all day. Fresh trees and holiday wreaths will also be available for sale.

Members of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island receive a 20% discount on merchandise in the NATURE NOOK during this event.

Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI.  For more information call (401) 949-5454 ext. 3009.

Why Study Native Plants ~ January 12, 2008

From New England Wild Flower Society via ECRI:

 

Saturday January 12, 2008 at the North Kingston Free Library in Wickford, Greg Lowenberg leads a free talk, "Why Study Native Plants" and introduces the Certificate Program in Native Plant Studies. Sign up at registrar@newenglandwild.org or phone 508-87-7-7630 x 3303.                   

 

2007 Ledermann Lecture in Natural History and Conservation Biology ~ November 19, 2007

From Narragansett Bay Estuary Program:

Ed note: This adds more info to another post about the 2007-2008 URI Coastal Institute Ecology Seminar Series.]

2007 Ledermann Lecture in Natural History and Conservation Biology

November 19, 3:00 PM , Weaver Auditorium, Coastal Institute Kingston

Dr. Kevin McGarigal, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Metapopulations and Their Application to Wildlife Conservation:  A Case
Study of the Marbled Salamander in Massachusetts

Co-sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources Science and the CELS
Ecology Seminar Series

The Ledermann Lecture in Natural History and Conservation Biology is a
scholarly event held every year to celebrate the memory of Ingeborg and
Christoph Ledermann.   The Ledermann Lectures are made possible by a
generous endowment from an anonymous donor to the College of the
Environment and Life Sciences.

Norman Bird Sanctuary Events ~ November 2007 - February 2008

From Norman Bird Sanctuary:

Here are some upcoming events for the Norman Bird Sanctuary.

 

Contact information for the Norman Bird Sanctuary programs is 401-846-2577 ext 10

 

The Norman Bird Sanctuary

583 Third Beach Road

Middletown, RI

 

 

November 11th and November 25th - Free Guided Birdwalks
For: FAMILY
Join us every other Sunday morning for a guided bird walk.
Time:8:00 to 10:00 am
Join expert birders, Jay Manning and Bill Saslow,for a guided birdwalk every other Sunday. Whether you are just a beginner or more advanced, this is a great way to sharpen your skills. This walk is free for members and non-members. Wear hiking shoes and appropriate clothing Meet in the NBS parking lot.
Members: Adults - $0, Children - $0
Nonmembers: Adults - $0, Children - $0 

Hike Barn Island ~ November 10, 2007

From Environment Council of Rhode Island newsletter and Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association:

Hike Barn Island with WPWA

(Pawcatuck, CT)  On Saturday, November 10 you can enjoy a peaceful hike on the shores of Little Narragansett Bay.  Hosted by the Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association, this hike will be lead by Danielle Aube, WPWA Program Assistant.  Aube will share her knowledge and history of the area.

Hiking at Barn Island is noteworthy because of its diversity- open fields, deciduous forest and salt marshes.  In season the bird watching is spectacular with larks in the fields, upland birds in the woods and osprey and herons by the bay.

This is a hike that the whole family can enjoy due to its gentle slopes and secure footings.  Beginning at 10am, this 3 mile hike will end at 12pm.  The cost is $5 member/ $10 non-member.  Please call the WPWA office in advance to register.  401-539-9017.

Getting there:  US 1 west from Pawcatuck, CT for 2.5 miles to the traffic signal at Wequetequock Cove. Turn left onto Greenhaven Rd and then first right onto Palmer Neck Rd.  Follow to the dead end boat launch and parking area on Little Narragansett Bay.

RI Natural History Survey Workshop ~ November 8, 2007

From Environment Council of Rhode Island newsletter and South Kingstown Land Trust:

Please register before November 6^th!

 Washington County Land Trust Coalition Workshop
Thursday, November 8, 2007

6:30pm light dinner, 7pm - 9pm workshop
SKLT Barn, 17 Matunuck Beach Road,   South Kingstown

Come Learn about the RI Natural History Survey

Today's naturalists—professional or amateur—stand in a long line going back through Roger Tory Peterson to Charles Darwin to Galileo all the way to Aristotle, who wrote the earliest surviving systematic description of the biological world, Historia Animalium, in 343 BC. Like the naturalists of yore, today's naturalists value first hand observations of animals and plants in their natural habitats, study close to home, and believe that any curious observer can make valuable contributions to science.

In Rhode Island, natural history values are promoted by the RI Natural History Survey (RINHS), a non-profit organization founded in 1994.  RINHS’s mission is to improve environmental conservation by fostering the work of naturalists and improving communication among them, and so contribute to a better overall picture of our state's natural heritage.

David Gregg, executive director of RINHS, will describe the Survey’s work including new initiatives, the online RI Biodiversity Center and BORIIS, the Biota of Rhode Island Information System. 

Please let us know if you plan to attend, so we can plan for handouts and food.

Please register by email to Joanne.Riccitelli@sklt.org or call 789-0962 by November 6^th.  We ask for a donation of $5 for food, and the workshop is free.

Please forward this message to others who may be interested.

Directions: From Route 1 North, take the Matunuck Beach Road exit, and SKLT’s Barn is the first driveway on the right. 

Joanne Riccitelli
South Kingstown Land Trust
313 Main St. Suite C
Wakefield, RI  02879
Phone - 401.789.0962
Fax - 401.789.9898
Joanne.Riccitelli@sklt.org
www.sklt.org