Mallards on York Pond. Photo: Leslie Bostrom
Fall Birding in Providence Along the Seekonk River
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In September, October, and November, birds move south at a leisurely pace. Breeding is over, and they are flying to areas where food is abundant. Some birds will pass through Rhode Island on the way to points south, and some will arrive here to spend [...]

16
Oct
Photo credit: Alexandra Ionescu
Floating Wetland Repurposes Invasive Japanese Knotweed for Ecological Healing
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Roger Williams Park’s Polo Lake is in poor shape: excess phosphorus and nitrogen cause toxic blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms which rob the water of oxygen and make it inhospitable to aquatic life. People (and pets) are warned not to ingest or even touch the water. [...]

14
Aug
Learning to fish at Roger Williams Park Photo courtesy of Providence Urban Wildlife Conservation Partnership
Rewilding Roger Williams: How Did Fish Get into the Park’s Ponds?
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On any nice day at Roger Williams Park, among the strollers, bird watchers, and zoo visitors, there’s often a cohort of folks fishing.  In fact, today, June 26th, would-be anglers of all sorts will be there for the Annual Freshwater Fishing Event. Bass, stripers, and [...]

26
Jun
Green Future Episode 2
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Play podcast:   Our names are Eliza, Emma, and Eddie, and we are 8th graders who attend the Wheeler Cityside program in Providence. We are really interested in sustainability and climate activism. As young people, it sometimes can be difficult for us to help make [...]

25
Jun
Green Future Episode 1
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Play podcast:   Our names are Eliza, Emma, and Eddie, and we are 8th graders who attend the Wheeler Cityside program in Providence. We are really interested in sustainability and climate activism. As young people, it sometimes can be difficult for us to help make [...]

25
Jun
Truck and car traffic and construction equipment along Route 10 next to a residential neighborhood
How Clean is Providence’s Air?
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Everybody breathes, so clean air is critical to everyone’s health. Poor air quality is especially dangerous to people who are active outside, particularly outdoor workers, and to sensitive individuals, including older adults, children, and people with cardiac and respiratory conditions. How is air quality classified? [...]

05
Jun
Rejected load of recyclables photo courtesy of the City of East Providence
Garbage In; Garbage Out. Providence is Missing the Mark on Recycling–By a Long Shot
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Trash in Providence is disposed of in one of three ways: it is recycled, it is diverted, or it goes to the Johnston landfill.  Providence recycles only 7.8% of its garbage, the worst recycling rate of all municipalities in Rhode Island.  (Second to last is [...]

29
May
Providence Station Park designed and maintained by volunteers photo: Ilya Iskhakov
The Public Maintaining Public Gardens
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With the rise of industrialization and the growth of cities in the nineteenth century, the natural outdoors was increasingly seen as healthy, even curative. Without great expanses of nature, cities developed public gardens- beautiful green spaces, for the public’s benefit, some of the most famous [...]

29
May
Your basic birder photo: Leslie Bostrom
Birders Flock to Swan Point Cemetery During Spring Migration
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  Every May my friend, Miriam Locke, visits from California, and one of the places we go birding is in Swan Point Cemetery on Providence’s East Side.. A few years ago, we were standing in bright warm sunshine with our binoculars focused on a blue-headed [...]

10
Apr
Still giving out plastic bags at checkout. Photo: Carla Doughty
Providence’s Lack of Plastic Bag Ban Enforcement
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On January 1, 2024, The Plastic Waste Reduction Act went into effect, making Rhode Island the twelfth state in the U.S. to ban single-use plastic bags. This may not seem like news, as 18 of Rhode Island’s 39 jurisdictions, including Providence, already had existing bag [...]

13
Mar