Press & News
Boston Globe — Shoreline regulator and partners to canvass R.I. communities about what they need and want on shore access
By Brian Amaral — Powered by a federal grant, the effort will lay the groundwork for long-term goals including a 5-year shore access management plan, and one right-of-way for every mile of Rhode Island’s coastline.
PBN — Middletown zoning board approves special permit for beachside hotel
By Christopher Allen — The Middletown Zoning Board of Review on Tuesday unanimously approved a special use permit for Atlantic Beach Suites II LLC to construct a 23-unit four-story hotel on Wave Avenue, located on the border between Newport and Middletown, paving the way for a project first proposed in 2018.
Wash Post — Norfolk moves ahead on sea wall project to protect against storms
By Jim Morrison — Without the $1.8 billion initiative, the Army Corps of Engineers says much of the city would be at risk for flooding by 2075. But questions persist about its effectiveness and impact.
ecoRI News — Walking Tour Illustrates the Difficulty in Accessing the Ocean State’s Public Shoreline
By Cynthia Drummond — … An issue that has elicited some of the strongest public engagement in Rhode Island in recent years, access to the shoreline in coastal towns, including Westerly, has been the subject of in-depth coverage by ecoRI News.
Politico — Ian will 'financially ruin' homeowners and insurers
By Thomas Frank — The storm inundated the homes of thousands of Floridians who don't have flood insurance, exposing weaknesses in the nation's effort to address the rising costs of extreme weather.
AP — Ian shows the risks and costs of living on barrier islands
By BEN FINLEY and STEVE HELBER — When Hurricane Ian struck Florida’s Gulf Coast, it washed out the bottom level of David Muench’s home on the barrier island of Sanibel along with several cars, a Harley-Davidson and a boat
Block Island Times — Rhode Island CRMC issues violations notice to Ballard’s
By Renee Meyer — Following on the heels of the incidents that fell on Victory Day in August, with the throngs of concertgoers packed onto Ballard’s Beach and the ensuing fights at Ballard’s and on the Block Island Ferry in the evening, residents and officials on Block Island started asking questions about just how Ballard’s Resort came to grow under the radar over the past few years.
Boston Globe — Matunuck seawall project, years in the making, nears completion
By Brian Amaral — When it’s done, the wall’s steel, concrete and stone will protect Matunuck Beach Road and the waterline it carries, shoring up access to the 250-property neighborhood there. But for how long?
Projo — 'It just really blew up': Why shoreline access is emerging as a campaign issue in RI
By Antonia Noori Farzan — … A few years ago, that would have been unimaginable: Shoreline access was barely on the radar of politicians seeking state-level office. But that's changing, and candidates are realizing the issue has broad popular support among voters who otherwise don't see eye to eye.
ecoRI News — Shellfish Farming Industry in R.I. has ‘Enormous’ Opportunity for Growth
By Colleen Cronin — The sound of thousands of mussels moving on conveyor belts and clanking through sorting machines almost drowned out Greg Silkes as he tried to explain how the shellfish get from the ocean, through the processing plant, to plates around North America.
WGBH — Historic racism still raises barriers to beach access
By Chris Burrell — …Lynn residents are not the only people of color struggling to access Massachusetts' beaches. In some of the most racially diverse and low-income urban communities along the coast, including Lynn, pollution caused by inferior wastewater infrastructure can force local beaches to close to swimmers. And beaches in many other areas simply aren't open to the public, which critics link to lingering effects of overtly racist housing practices in coastal communities.
ecoRI News — On Guard: Public Access to Westerly Beaches Tightens
By Frank Carini — … “They have a guard posted to be sure no one walks across the walkway to the beach,” he wrote. “Next to their beach entrance is a public right of way that is blocked by a fence. … It is on town property designated as a road on older town plats.”
EastBayRI — CRMC orders public access to Nayatt seawall
By Josh Bickford — … a few months ago the owners of 85 Nayatt Road hired a security guard, installed alarms, and made it abundantly clear that their yard and the seawall were off-limits.
That decision has irritated neighbors, angered fishermen, and recently spurred an official cease and desist order from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC). That order requires the property owners to allow public access along the riprap retaining wall.
The Public’s Radio — 'We're gonna rectify that': In Narragansett, town officials are taking a closer look at encroachment on public paths to the shore
By Alex Nunes — In Narragansett, coastal property owners along several popular rights of way to the shore are encroaching on designated public roads, effectively limiting parking and public access to the waterfront.
The New York Times Op Ed — We Will All End Up Paying for Someone Else’s Beach House
By Francis Wilkinson — A video of a North Carolina beach house being dismembered by a voracious ocean was a viral hit this spring. But it won’t be long before the novelty wears off.
Boston Globe — Reed, Whitehouse don waders to recognize $1.6M aquaculture earmark
By Brian Amaral — The money will help make growing oysters and other shellfish more effective and accessible to would-be farmers.
Daily Mail — Queens man, 33, is ARRESTED and hauled across the sand in handcuffs for daring to swim at Rockaway Beach while lifeguards were off duty: 'It was baffling and traumatizing'
By Alex Nunes — A New York man was arrested on Friday afternoon for defying a city rule that prohibits people from swimming at Rockaway Beach while lifeguards are off duty, before later accusing police of brutally handcuffing and dragging him through the sand.
Newport Daily News — New England's high tides are getting higher. How 'sunny day' flooding could impact you.
By Hadley Barndollar — New Englanders often associate flooding with storms, and rightfully so. But imagine sunny days with impassable roads, bubbling storm drains and basements-turned-swimming pools?
Projo — Fishing Report: NOAA Fisheries needs input from anglers
By Dave Monti — NOAA is asking the recreational fishing community for its guidance as it prepares to revise the 2015 National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy for the period of Aug. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022.