Press & News
EastBayRI — Residents consider suit over Little Compton Town Landing access
By Ruth Rasmussen — Not all happy with state's declaration that spot is open to all, not just locals.
Rhode Island Current — Forced to submit a plan to remove illegal seawall, Quidnessett still backs water reclassification
By Nancy Lavin — Country club restoration plans appear ‘incomplete,’ says Save the Bay
Rhode Island Current — North Kingstown country club on rocky terrain in quest to keep illegal wall
By Nancy Lavin — CRMC hearing on proposal to ease water protections pits club members against environmentalists
The Public’s Radio — Judge sides with property owners in blow to new shoreline access law
By Alex Nunes — Two lawsuits are challenging a law enacted in 2023 that sets a new definition for the public trust shoreline in Rhode Island
The Public’s Radio — Contested beach parking restrictions in Narragansett aren’t going up anytime soon
By Alex Nunes — Beachgoers say time-limited parking along the seawall in Narragansett will make it harder to enjoy the town beach and make the coastal community more exclusive. State officials want more time to review the restrictions that have already been approved by the town.
The Public’s Radio — A push to further restrict driving on a local barrier beach has shoreline advocates crying ‘ruse’
By Alex Nunes — Members of Nope’s Island Conservation Association say the town of Charlestown should change a town ordinance to help prevent drivers from damaging a barrier beach. Shoreline access advocates portray the proposal as a Trojan Horse for blocking public use of the beach.
The Public’s Radio — Feds complete Watch Hill Lighthouse transfer, and public access guarantees aren’t included
By Alex Nunes — The official transfer of the property deed to a private nonprofit comes after months of delays and legal research that didn’t result in public access protections to the historic property and popular fishing grounds.
Boston Globe — R.I. shoreline fire district sues to stop path to beach from being opened to public
By Brian Amaral — “This lawsuit is about two things: property rights and abuse of government process for political gain,” Weekapaug Fire District moderator Bob McCann said of the would-be shore access path in Westerly
Projo — 24 to Watch in 2024 — Conrad Ferla helps protect shoreline access in Ocean State, but his fight isn't over
By Savan Dunning — Conrad Ferla’s love of surfing led him down the path to becoming a shoreline-access advocate.
The Public’s Radio — Weekapaug Fire District takes new legal action against Westerly and Rhode Island
By Alex Nunes — The increasingly litigious shoreline fire district wants to end a state review that could result in a new beach right-of-way being designated in Westerly.
The Public’s Radio — ‘It does not look good’: Westerly solicitor in the hot seat over shoreline access representation
By Alex Nunes — Advocates for coastal access point to the town’s tepid pursuit of beach rights-of-way, questionable changes to boat mooring policies, and highly restrictive parking rules in exclusive shoreline areas. Now access advocates say the general public faces a newer threat: Westerly’s own town solicitor. They say his past actions in shoreline access matters continue to raise doubts about whose interests he’s serving in critical ongoing legal cases.
The Public’s Radio — Stern warning from R.I. ACLU prompts changes to Weekapaug Fire District website
By Alex Nunes — The Westerly-based fire district, a taxing entity with government authorities but no fire department, had blocked information on its website from public view.
NJ.com — Ocean Grove could be fined $25K a day if it keeps blocking beach on Sundays, state says
By Rob Jennings — State officials have notified a Jersey Shore landowners’ association that it could be fined up to $25,000 a day if it resumes blocking beach access on Sunday mornings next summer.
Projo — East Bay Bike Path bridges are finally getting replaced, but will fishermen lose out?
By Antonia Noori Farzan — RIDOT initially said that "fishing accommodations will not be provided" on the new East Bay Bike Path bridges, but now says that it doesn't intend to prohibit fishing.
The Public’s Radio — Watch Hill Lighthouse transfer on hold now amid questions over shoreline access
By Alex Nunes — The U.S. General Services Administration now says the deal to transfer the lighthouse to the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association won’t be finalized until Westerly investigates concerns about public access to the land.
ecoRI News — Whose Beach Is It?
PODCAST By Colleen Cronin, Joanna Detz, and Rob Smith — Beach season may have ended, but conflicts over shoreline access have not. ecoRI News reporters Colleen Cronin and Rob Smith break down pending and settled lawsuits, and explain recent legislation that determines where the public beach begins and where private property ends.
Boston Globe — RI’s The Public’s Radio to leave its studio in Westerly after tensions over shore access coverage
By Brittany Bowker — “Our physical location in the theater is more harmful to the Theatre than it is beneficial,” said Torey Malatia, chief executive of The Public’s Radio.
Newport Daily News — Middletown Council to Address Inaccessible Shore Rights-of-Way
By James Merolla — When is a public right-of-way to the shore not a right-of-way? When, over time, it has been impeded, overgrown, sits on or near private property, or becomes unsafe.
The Public’s Radio — Watch Hill group says it ‘cannot legally’ guarantee public shoreline access under lighthouse property transfer
By Alex Nunes — The disclosure contradicts characterizations of an agreement made public in July by Rhode Island U.S. Senator Jack Reed.
The Public’s Radio — Westerly Town Council president resigns amid turmoil in town government
By Alex Nunes — Council President Edward Morrone had been under scrutiny for his ties to private interests in the Watch Hill community as disputes over shoreline access became a focal point for the Westerly Town Council.