Tidal Page News of the Rhode Island Salt Ponds

Transcription

1 Salt Ponds Coalition In This Issue: The Tidal Page News of the Rhode Island Salt Ponds Official Watershed Council for the Salt Ponds Summer 2014 Image from the Rock Removal in the Charlestown Breachway which leads into Ninigret Pond. Photo: Elise Torello Rocks Removed from Charlestown Breachway Welcome to the New Executive Director URI Coastal Property Guide Governor Signs Climate Change Law Winnapaug Pond Dredging DOI Grant for Marsh Restoration in Ponds Tale of Two Ponds: Pt. Judith and Potter Pond The Passenger Pigeon: Cautionary Tale SPC Kids Corner Pfizer Grant for Ponds Safaris Rocks Removed from Charlestown Breachway During Hurricane Sandy, many rocks and small boulders tumbled into the Charlestown Breachway from the breakwater and into the channel; this became a navigational hazard for boaters. In addition, a sand bar formed outside the mouth of the channel. In early May, the boulders in Charlestown Breachway were removed and dredging of the area was completed. This has made passage in and out of Ninigret Pond safe for boaters. This project was completed with oversight from CRMC, but was funded by federal, state, and town money. The total project cost is estimated at approximately $300,000, with a 75/25 percent federal/ state match, and including $70,000 in rock removal funds from the town of Charles- town. The money from Charlestown came from a special account used to pay for routine dredging of the channel. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided post-sandy relief funds. CRMC had wanted to clean up the channel for a long time, and had been lining up funds for this project for about a year. Crews from Patriot Marine, LLC, and Ocean Marina and Specialty Diving Services, Inc., not only removed 212 cubic yards of boulders and dredged material; they also surveyed the channel to ensure correct depth and adequate rock removal. Many of the boulders were too large to be deposited back on the break water, or even lifted onto the barge. They were moved Continued on page 5. Welcome to the New Executive Director by Art Ganz I am pleased to announce the appointment of Alicia Eichinger, JD, MMA as our new Executive Director. She received her undergraduate degree from Villanova University, and completed the University of Rhode Island /Roger Williams University School of Law joint degree program focusing on Marine Law and Policy. She has worked at several organizations, including: CRMC, Save the Bay, RI- DEM, and most recently Mystic Aquarium. She will provide us with a variety of skills in communication, education, policy and advocacy. She began work on June 30th and totally jumped into the fire! Fortunately she has a fast learning curve because everything was thrown at her: final preparation for the pizza fundraiser, learning the office routine, touring the salt ponds and conducting seaside safaris all in the first two weeks! Alicia would like to expand our mission to young people and has some great ideas for youth memberships and expanded programs. We also want to take our message into the schools more this winter. Due to school budget issues we see fewer field trips, so this will be a way to get the word out. If you haven t met her before, please make yourself known. Elise and Alicia at a Salt Pond Safari

2 Message From Our President Dear Members, Wow! This summer flew by I guess time does fly when you re having fun! The past few months have been a whirlwind. I returned from a brief trip down south in mid-april to receive Elise s resignation effective May 30. From there it was balancing the office chores with recruitment, interviews, hiring and now training. I am so thankful to our Treasurer Marshall and to our Governance Committee for countless hours of commitment during transition. As we welcome our new Executive Director Alicia Eichinger, we say thanks and job well done to Elise Torello. Elise has been a treasure to Salt Ponds Coalition. Her dedication and talents are unsurpassed. Fortunately for all of us she is continuing to volunteer in several capacities. She has been a great mentor to Alicia. We have made great strides this year in all fronts. Our Board has been re-organized to be more efficient with expanding committee roles. We are encouraging our members to volunteer on a committee. Thanks to the support of the Town of Charlestown & CRMC the dangerous rocks and sand bar resulting from Hurricane Sandy have been removed from Charlestown Breachway. As you know by now CRMC and partners including SPC have received $3.2 million to conduct post-sandy resiliency projects in Charlestown and planning for maintenance in Weekapaug and Quonnie Breachways. Dick Sartor, Steve McCandless and Caitlin Chaffee put together a great proposal. Elise Torello and Ted Callender have written the Trends Analysis reporting on our many years of water quality monitoring, thanks to them and all of our loyal Pond Watchers who have served over our twenty-nine years! This is a great piece of information which will be referred to by regulators, citizens, academics and researchers. It is available on line or in hard copy at the office. Ardith Schnieder has published The Salt Pond Sleuths with support from SPC and especially Elise Torello. This treasure will be a must read for grade schoolers. The book is available for sale at local bookstores and at our office. We plan to seek funding to distribute copies of this book to our South County schools next year. Our annual pizza fundraiser was a huge success, thanks to George & Cathy Hill, Sharon & her committee and all our supporters. As always thank you all for your support and volunteerism on behalf of our salt ponds and the Coalition. Lastly, I wish to send out best wishes to Rich Hosp, Ted Callender and Goody Lovvoll who have been battling health issues this year. They continue to be very important to our Salt Ponds Coalition family. Salt Ponds Coalition The Salt Ponds Coalition stands up for the health and sustainable use of the southern Rhode Island salt ponds. SPC is the only organization whose sole charter is to monitor and protect these unique resources. saltpondscoalition@gmail.com Mailing address P.O. Box 875 Charlestown, RI Board of Directors Art Ganz President Edward Callender VP., Chair Environmental Comm. Marshall Mugge Treasurer David Bailey Secretary Mark Bullinger John Crandall Barbara Engel Sharon Frost Martha Hosp William Lester Leo Mainelli Peter Moehrke Denise Mulcahy Chris Randall Dick Sartor Ted See Mary-Gail Smith Executive Director Alicia Eichinger Rhode Island Rivers Council and the Rhode Island Water Resources Board are sponsors of SPC s water quality monitoring program. Tidal Page Editing and Layout Alicia Eichinger The Tidal Page Summer 2014 Page 2

3 URI Coastal Resources Center Publishes Coastal Property Guide The University of Rhode Island s Coastal Resource Center partnered with the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) and Rhode Island Sea Grant to produce a guide for the state s homeowners and businesses who own coastal property. It provides owners with steps they can take to protect their property from storm flooding and shoreline erosion. Rhode Island Coastal Property Guide: What Coastal Property Owners, Renters, Builders and Buyers Should Know About Rhode Island s Shoreline is available online ( or can be ordered as a hardcopy booklet by ing beachsamp@ etal.uri.edu. The guide includes checklists and information to help readers determine their risks for flooding and erosion and to learn practical ways to protect their property. The 30-page guide contains information about the unique circumstances natural and regulatory that affect property in the coastal zone. The information is provided in 10 sections and covers a range of areas from setbacks to septic systems. The guide was produced as part of the Rhode Island Shoreline Change Special Area Management Plan (Beach SAMP), a state effort developing comprehensive and practical regulatory guidance for coastal adaptation to flooding, storm surge, erosion and sea Narragansett Environmental Awareness Day It was a bright and sunny day when Elise Torello and Alicia Eichinger went to Narragansett Town Beach on July 12 to take part in their 11th Annual Environmental Awareness Day. We were joined by other groups such as DEM, Save the Bay, U.S. EPA, R.I. Rivers Council, and the Narrow River Preservation Association. While there Thank You to Our Sponsors we had the opportunity to speak with many beach go-ers, spreading the word about what SPC does and the many opportunities we have to offer people who love the salt ponds. We could not have asked for a better day and we hope we have the opprunity to do it again next year! level rise. Please share this guide with friends and neighbors as it is a wonderful tool for anyone looking to utilize a shore side property. You can also find a link to it on SPC s website. Thank you to these generous individuals, groups, and local businesses that are sponsoring water quality monitoring sites. The businesses are featured below, but we would also like to thank: the Arnolda Improvement Corp., Carol and Joseph Cavanagh, Hugh Hoffman, Jeffrey Larson, Sharon Picket and Paul Mazzilli, Ninigret Cove Conservation Assn., Ann and Hollis Peterson, Quonochontaug East Beach Assn., Mr. and Mrs. Robert Seelert, Shady Harbor Fire District, Shelter Harbor Fire District, and our Winnapaug Neighbors. Water quality monitoring is the foundation of Salt Ponds Coalition s mission. Our long term, comprehensive database is not only valuable for our ongoing analyses, it is also used by scientists, policy-makers, and other non-profit organizations. Without the generous support of our station sponsors we could not continue this important program. Our sampling progam is partially supported by a generous grant from the R.I. Rivers Council. Our Salt Pond Safaris are supported by a grant from Pfizer Inc. and Groton Laboratories. Page 3 The Tidal Page Summer 2014

4 Governor Chafee Signs Rhode Island Climate Change Law Alicia and Elise headed to the seaside village of Wickford to watch Governor Chafee sign the R.I. climate change bill into law on August 1. Among the speakers at the event were some of the state lawmakers that sponsored the legistation including Senators Susan Sosnowski and William Conley, as well as Representative Arthur Handy. Also U.S. Sentor Sheldon Whitehouse, a known champion for climate change, attended and addressed the audience. The Resilient Rhode Island Act is the state s first comprehensive climate change bill and it was passed overwhelmingly by the General Assembly in June. Rhode Island joins about a dozen other states, including our neighbors Massachusetts and Connecticut, which have enacted similar laws. The law creates the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council to oversee efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The council will be supported by a 13 member advisory board which will be appointed by the governor and General Assembly, as well as a nine member science and technical advisory board. The Department of Administration s statewide planning office is charged with leading community efforts to adapt to a changing climate, such as protection of natural buffers in flood-prone areas, encouraging lowimpact development and green infrastructure, and updating building codes. RI Department of Environmental Management has the task of regulating air quality in the state and will be tasked with meeting targets for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. The reductions targets are as follows: 10 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, 45 percent by 2035, and 80 percent by The law requires that a report on how the state can meet these targets be submitted by the climate council by Some environmental rules have the goal of immediate and visible effects, but this one is different. Its goal is to have the state and community officials work together to make climate change a top priority in all their planning. Winnapaug Pond Dredging Project Moves Ahead In May, it was announced that nearly $1 million had been allocated to complete a dredging project in Winnapaug Pond. This U.S. Department of Agriculture s Natural Resources Conservation Service project will help remove approximately 70,600 cubic yards of sediment that was deposited in the pond by Superstorm Sandy. The removal of this sediment will help to restore habitats in the pond and the sand that is removed will be used to help nourish town beaches in Westerly. The bulk of the money is from the federal government, which included over $700,000 in Emergency Watershed Protection funding; the state contributed about $280,000, and the town of Westerly also contributed some money to the project. Many officials have credited Senator Jack Reed for obtaining these funds. The start time of the dredging is still unclear. If permits and engineering work can be done before October 15 then dredging will begin this year, but the more likely scenario is that it will begin in October of next year. The work will be managed by CRMC but will actually be performed by private contractors. It is proposed that this project will be completed by hydraulic dredging which is cleaner, safer, and creates less erosion than typical drain and drag methods. The sand that is removed in the dredging process will by sifted and Photo: Senator Jack Reed s Website left in piles in the state beach parking lot, and during the next spring it will be used to nourish the town beaches. This project will both help to restore the fragile pond ecosystem, but also help to re the beaches which are a major economic driving force in the area. The Tidal Page Summer 2014 Page 4

5 Rocks Removed from Charlestown Breachway, continued just off the beach on the west side of the breakwater in approximately eight feet of water, creating additional fish habitat. These boulders are now out of the way of boat traffic. Those small enough for the excavator to lift with its five-foot by five-foot bucket were put back on the breakwater. Prior to this project, areas of the channel were at some points four feet deep or less, with some of the boulders presenting three to five feet of exposed rock in a six to eight foot deep channel. This left little depth for passing vessels. The dredging and boulder removal will bring the channel to a much safer depth of six to seven feet. Left: Excavator pulling a rock out of the water. Right: Aerial view of the rocks in the breachway before they were removed. Below: Boulders on the excavator s deck Photo: CRMC Photo: Town of Charlestown Website Photo: CRMC Annual Pizza Party Fundraiser is Once Again a Success We just want to say a big thank you to everyone who donated to the Salt Ponds Coalition s annual pizza party event. We really couldn t complete our mission to protect our ponds without your continued support. Also a huge thank you once again to George and Cathy Hill for hosting the event at their beautiful home. Also we can t thank enough our board members who helped to plan the event and make sure that it went off without a hitch. Delicious pizza and time spent with great company, what a fun summer tradition! Hope to see you all again next year! News from the Annual Meeting Our annual meeting was held on Monday, August 18 at the Kettle Pond Visitors Center. We had a great turn out this year, and are grateful to those who came out to join us. We had four new board members voted onto the board, and we are excited to have them: Peter Moehrke, Denise Mulcahy, Mary- Gail Smith, and former Executive Director Mark Bullinger. Sadly, Sarah Dodd decided to step down from the Board this year. We also voted to accept changes to our by-laws. You can find the most recent by-laws posted on our website. We want to thank Ted See and Martha Hosp for taking the time to make these revisions to our by-laws. Lastly, Pam Rubinoff from URI s Coastal Resources Center spoke to us about the implications of sea level rise on our wetlands in both a natural environment and an area that has been developed. She used case studies from our own salt ponds region to demonstrate what will happen in the future. It was a very interesting presentation, and we are so glad she was able to come. To the right are some photos taken at the meeting. Hope to see you there next year! Page 5 The Tidal Page Summer 2014

6 Post-Hurricane Sandy Department of Interior Grants Awarded to RI land Department of Environmental Management, and Save the Bay. Our own Art Ganz, Elise Torello, and Dick Sartor had active roles in this application process. NFWF received 375 proposals, but awarded only 54 grants. Seven of these grants were awarded for projects in Rhode Island. On June 16, Senator Jack Reed, who had been instrumental in securing these grants, announced that Rhode Island would receive an additional $7.5 million in aid. See the list at above for an overview of all the projects funded in Rhode Island. The largest Rhode Island grant was the $3.25 million dediby Alicia Eichinger and Stephen McCandless The Grants Awarded in Rhode Island Courtesy of DOI.gov As we well know, Hurricane Sandy left its mark on Rhode Island. Places like the shore area in New Jersey were undoubtedly harder hit than we were, but there is no denying the extensive damage that Sandy did. One only has to remember the recently repaired Charlestown Breachway, which just a few months ago was virtually impassable thanks to Sandy. That is just one of many examples: homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed along the south coast, and many beaches were left almost unrecognizable due to erosion. Hurricane Sandy left a wake of destruction in October 2012 across the Mid-Atlantic and New England States. The U.S. Interior Department aided in storm recovery on federal and tribal lands in the impacted areas and supported the Federal Emergency Management Agency in its efforts to assist state and local governments. The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, allocated $829.2 million ($786.7 million post-sequester) for the Department of the Interior (DOI) to rebuild and repair its assets and make strategic investments in future coastal resilience. On May 7, 2013, in accordance with its approved strategic spending plan, DOI released $ million of this funding to 234 projects that aimed to repair and rebuild parks, refuges, and other DOI assets damaged by the storm. The funding also provided for investments in scientific data gathering and studies to support recovery in the region, as well as historic preservation efforts. Funding was to be allocated competitively for mitigation projects that increase coastal resiliency and capacity to withstand future storm damage; some was also allocated to the DOI to support innovative resilience work. The rest of the funding was used to fund an open competition. On August 12, 2013, the Interior Department selected the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to administer around a $100 million Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program. Their goal would be to fund non-federal projects that promote resilient natural systems while enhancing green spaces and wildlife habitat in areas along the Sandy-impacted landscape. This would enable coastal communities and key habitats to better withstand the impacts of future storms. Rhode Island was eligible to apply for this funding, and that is where our more local story begins. In January, a grant application was submitted for the restoration of degraded habitat within the barrier marsh complexes associated with Ninigret Pond, Quonochontaug Pond, and Winnapaug Pond. This submission was a joint effort involving the towns of Charlestown and Westerly, the Salt Ponds Coalition, the Coastal Resources Management Council, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Rhode Is- The Tidal Page Summer 2014 Page 6

7 cated to the resiliency of the ponds and marshes. Overall, a 30-acre marsh will be restored at Ninigret Pond within the pond s barrier and the coastal lagoon. Dredged material will be placed on the marsh surface to increase elevations, and vegetation will be planted to improve stability. Work is expected to begin in the fall of 2015 as town officials have already secured a ten year permit for dredging in the breachway. Planning will begin on two similar restoration projects at Quonochontaug and Winnapaug ponds thus making both ponds shovel ready when funds become availiable to dredge. In the Ninigret restoration project, dredged sediment will be used to raise sections of the salt marsh that are sinking in a process known as subsidence. Not only will this make the marsh healthier, the elevated marsh will be better able to withstand storm surge and will have the capacity to hold more water from coastal flooding. The engineering and design of the Ninigret Pond project will cost $260,000, and dredging and construction will cost $2.5 million. Approximately $30,000 has been budgeted for replanting the marsh, and $40,000 will be used to monitor the results after work is completed. There are three planned dredge sites for Ninigret Pond. The first is the settlement basin that was established during the original eel grass restoration project in the pond; this sedimentation basin has subsequently filled and been redredged. An estimated 60,000 cubic yards of material will be removed from this area. Another area of the pond that they will be dredging is the relief channel, and an estimated 7,000 cubic yards of material will be extracted from this area. In addition, a secondary sedimentation basin will be dredged in the relief channel removing an additional 40,000 cubic yards of material. The three dredge sites are marked on the map below. The map also depicts the potential marsh restoration site and potential beach restoration site. Both of these sites are subject to change as the project moves forward. The map currently shows the entire west marsh as the potential restoration site, but a great deal of work still needs to be done to determine what part of the marsh will be worked on. The town of Charlestown will be working with the University of Rhode Island, R.I. Department of Environmental Management, Coastal Resources Management Council, NOAA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife to determine the best areas to restore. Quonochontaug and Winnapaug ponds projects will receive $300,000 for technical studies, environmental assessments and permitting. The funds need to be utilized within two years of acceptance of the grant; this gives the towns only enough time to complete planning and permitting for these projects. This is a great opportunity for the state of Rhode Island to restore one of its most valuable natural resources. The breachways will get dredged and the marshes restored, allowing them to become healthier and more resilient in the face of future storms. This map shows the proposed plans for the Ninigret Pond Restoration Project. The three areas that are to be dredged on depicted on this map, as well as the propsed sites for the marsh restoration. Map courtesy of Stephen McCandless. Page 7 The Tidal Page Summer 2014

8 A Tale of Two Ponds: Pt. Judith and Potter Pond by Elise Torello In our ongoing Tale of Two Ponds series, we keep you up to date on our water quality monitoring results. We present a bite-sized, easily digestible dose of analyses in each Tidal Page issue, focusing on two of the six ponds we monitor. Now that we have uploaded and analyzed the data from 2013, we will start over from east to west and look at Point Judith and Potter Ponds. As described in previous Tidal Pages, water quality results are presented as Aquatic Health Indices (AHI). The AHI scores water quality results on a scale of 0 to 100, like a school report card. For AHIs, a score of less than 35 is poor and a score of greater than 65 is good. AHIs are calculated and summarized at three levels: 1) for each testing parameter (dissolved oxygen (DO), chlorophyll-a, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), total Figure 1 organic nitrogen (TON), and Secchi depth (a measure of water clarity)); 2) for each site; and 3) for each pond (Figure 1). We produce a one-page report for each pond showing a table of AHI values and a map with symbols for each AHI score (Figure 2). These reports are available on our web site: Figure 2 There you will also find more detailed data reports for each sampling site and parameter. Figure 3 is a plot of average AHI values for Point Judith Pond, where SPC is currently monitoring five sites: Ram Point, Champlin s Cove, Gardner Island, Beef Island, and East Pond. Overall, the AHI score for Point Judith Pond is 49.5, or Fair- (almost Fair+). The AHI score at three sites went up compared to 2012: Champlin s Cove, Gardner Island, and East Pond. Champlin s Cove went from a score of 22 (Poor) to a score of 36 (Fair -, barely), as scores for DO, DIN, and TON all improved from their 2012 scores. Gardner Island went from AHI=31 (Poor) to AHI=45 (Fair -), as scores for DO, DIN, TON, and Secchi depth all improved from East Pond increased slightly from AHI=64 (Fair +) to AHI=67 (Good) scores for DO and DIN improved, TON stayed the same at 100 (the highest possible score), and chlorophyll-a decreased slightly. Beef Island remained about the same, with a 2 point decline from 79 to 77, both solidly within the Good category. The DO score at Beef Island decreased, but the increase in DIN offset this in the overall score for the site. Ram Point declined slightly from AHI=27 to AHI=23, unfortunately both in the Poor category. Linear regressions of the AHI scores at each site revealed only two apparent trends: a decline of about 3 AHI points per year at Ram Point (r 2 =0.7); and a decline of about 4 AHI points per year at East Pond (r 2 =0.7). The regression lines for these two sites are shown on the plot. The AHI scores at the other three sites were too variable to determine a trend, but the Beef Island site has been in the Good category every year it has been sampled. The East Pond site was in the Good category every year except 2012, when it dipped one point into the Fair + category. Water quality at the Champlin s Cove site has been highly variable. Figure 4 shows the average AHI values for the two sampling sites in Potter Pond. Overall, the AHI score for the pond was 62.5, or Fair+. At the Mid-Pond site the average AHI score improved significantly, from 49 (Fair-) to 69 (Good). The AHI score also increased significantly at the northern pond site, from 33 (Poor) to 56 (Fair +). At the northern site, bottom waters had much worse water quality than surface waters, with Poor AHI scores for DO and TON. The northern end of Potter Pond is deep enough to allow stratification of the water; that is, limited mixing of shallow water with deeper water. Neither site showed a clear upward or downward trend in water quality. Both Potter and Point Judith Ponds had dramatic drops in their chlorophyll-a AHI scores from 2011 to At both Potter Pond sites and two Point Judith Pond sites (Champlin s Cove and Ram Point), chl-a AHI scores dropped to 0, indicating high concentrations of microalgae in the water. The Tidal Page Summer 2014 Page 8

9 A Tale of Two Ponds: Pt. Judith and Potter Pond, continued. The chl-a AHI score at Gardner Island stayed bottomed-out at 0. AHI scores at Beef Island and East Pond were maxed out at 100 in 2011 and dropped 22 and 31 points in 2012, respectively. Chlorophyll-a data has been collected at the Potter Mid-Pond site for 14 years from 1985 to 2013 (unfortunately there is a data gap from ), and from 1987 on chl-a was in the Good category. In 2012 the AHI score at this site plummeted from 100 to 0. Chl-a AHI scores in Ninigret Pond showed a similar pattern, with every site dropping by between 18 and 52 points from 2011 to The chl-a AHI scores at both Potter Pond sites, all Ninigret Pond sites, and at Point Judith-Gardner Island rebounded in 2013 by between 8 and 52 points. The rest of the Point Judith Pond sites remained about the same. In natural systems as complex as the salt ponds, it can be difficult to determine a specific cause for these types of observations. We will see if the rebounding of chl-a AHI scores continues this summer. Our Tale of Two Ponds articles paint a big-picture view of water quality in the ponds. Please see our Status and Trends report and individual one-page reports for each site and parameter, all available on our website, for a more detailed picture of pond health. The Passenger Pigeon: A Cautionary Tale Why, you may ask, is there an article about pigeons in an SPC newsletter? Every once in a while we need a reminder that the survival of any animal on earth, no matter its current abundance, can be tenuous at best. There are so many animals, both local and global, that are facing the possibility of extinction in the coming years, for example: monarch butterfly, honeybees, Polar bears, and South African penguins. One shocking example of an animal that went from a population in the billions to none in a short amount of time is the passenger pigeon. The last passenger pigeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo in December 1914, nearly 100 years ago. Forty years prior to this their estimated population was five billion. Photo: aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org So the big question is, how did this happen? The short answer is humans. When a flock of millions passed over an area they could create what felt like a gale force wind, and the sky could go dark for days. With a food source so readily available, and seemingly endless, passenger pigeons were hunted for many years at subsistence levels by individuals looking to feed their families; this seemingly did little to reduce their population. When the telegraph was invented in the late 1800 s, this changed. The telegraph was used to notify professional hunters of the location of nesting grounds of the passenger pigeon. When combined with the lack of regulations to limit how many were hunted, the development of refrigerated cars on railroads, and the expansion of the railroad itself: the passenger pigeons never stood a chance. Nesting birds were hunted in massive numbers, and they were shipped to cities to be sold to consumers. As early as 1857, there was concern for the survival Average AHI Average AHI Figure 3: Point Judith Pond Average AHI Figure 4: Potter Pond Average AHI Champlin s Cove Ram Point Beef Island East Pond Gardner Island Good AHI: >65 Fair AHI: Poor AHI: <35 Linear (Ram Point) Linear (East Pond) Mid Pond North Good AHI: >65 Fair AHI: Poor AHI: <35 of the passenger pigeon. However, it was met with skepticism. For example, one Ohio state document said, The passenger pigeon needs no protection. Wonderfully prolific it is here today, and elsewhere tomorrow. No ordinary destruction can lessen them. By the beginning of the 20th century, it was clear that the population was pushed beyond the brink. Not only were nesting pairs being hunted, but baby pigeons known as squab were being taken as well. This was devastating to an animal that produces one egg per year. By 1914, they were gone. The decline of any animal species is never simple. It can be due to many factors, some even beyond our control. We need to know more about the biology and ecology of a species to truly understand what is going on because the most obvious explanations can be wrong. And most importantly, even the most common species that we can sometimes take for granted, can find itself in a perilous situation if we don t do something to protect it. Page 9 The Tidal Page Summer 2014

10 SPC Kids Corner This is a new section that will highlight some of the amazing aspects of our ponds in a way that will be fun and easy to read by kids! Please share this section with your child, grandchild, niece or nephew, etc. Children really are the future stewards of the environment, so we want to start looking for ways to get them engaged now! Creature Spotlight: Jellies of the Salt Ponds With no brains, no heart, and no blood, it is amazing that jellies have survived for 650 million years. Only about five percent of the body of a jelly is solid matter, the rest is water! Jellies can be found in every ocean, and from the surface to the deep sea. A few jellies even inhabit freshwater. Large and often colorful, they are found in coastal zones world wide -- including our salt ponds! Here are a few species that you would typically find here: - Lions Mane Jellies: Generally found in cooler waters, this jelly is considered a member of the giant jelly fish because they can grow very large in size. Ones found in the Arctic can grow up to three meters in diameter (that s over nine feet)! They can also reach a length over 100 feet! The body has an orange bell with 8 lobes and each lobe has 150 tentacles. They have a mild to strong sting depending on size. They primarily eat zooplankton (tiny animals that float freely in a body of water), copepods (small shrimp-like animals that swim), small fish, and other jellies. - Moon Jellies: They are found globally. Instead of long tentacles, they have a short fine fringe around thier bell called cilia. The cilia are used to sweep in food, and it is carried in a pouch until they begin to digest it! This jelly is easily identified by four leaf clover marking that can be seen through its bell. Moon jellies feed on zooplankton, and fish and sea turtles feed on them. - Comb Jellies: They are local to our shores, but are considered an invasive species in other parts of the world. Unlike other jellies, comb jellies don t have stinging cells. They do have tiny rows of comb-like plates running down thier sides that bend light to produce a shimmering, rainbow effect. They only grow 3-5 inches long, and 1 inch in diameter. They are often called sea walnuts. They have a special mouth that allows them to bite of chuncks of prey larger than they are, some can even expand thier stomachs to hold prey that is half thier size! CONSERVATION TIP: Many creatures depend on the jelly population for food and survival. Plastic bags and particles that are discarded in the ocean resemble jellies and drift in the same currents. As a result, thousands of sea turtles and birds die each year from mistakenly eating these plastic items. You can help by recycling these plastics, picking up your trash before you leave the beach or by avoiding plastic bags altogether. Crossword Puzzle: Jellies Edition The Tidal Page Summer 2014 Page 10

11 SPC Awarded Pfizer Grant for Salt Pond Safaris Thanks to the hard work of Elise Torello, SPC was awarded a $1,000 grant from Pfizer in May. This grant will allow us to buy new equipment for our Salt Pond Safaris that we hold on select Saturday mornings in the summer at Ninigret Pond. The safaris are targeted at elementary-aged children, though we have had some much younger join us as well. We will buy a new 30 Seine Net, which is our primary tool on the safaris. We teach some of the older children how to use the net, and they help us to catch different creatures including spider crabs, silversides, sheepshead minnows, northern pipefish, hermit crabs, and more. We will be purchasing smaller items as well, including clear containers that we use to hold the animals while we talk about them and have the children touch them. The Salt Pond Safaris really are an integral part of our mission; we are helping children to get to know the ponds at an early age and begin to develop an appreciation for them. Overall, this grant money will allow us to continue to offer these fun and educational programs to Great Items for the Upcoming School Year We have copies of our children s book Salt Pond Sleuths available for $10 or $12.50 if mailed. It is a great story set on our own salt ponds filled with science facts and a conservation message. We also have 2.5 x 4 map banners for sale for $20 each. Please contact us at (401) or saltpondscoalition@gmail.com if you would like to purchase either. Both items can be picked up at the Kettle Pond Visitor Center. the public free of charge, and even allowed us to offer more safaris this summer. Photo: Marshall Mugge Photo: Talia Pettini-Gynther Beautiful Wine Glasses with SPC Logo for Sale! I can think of no better way to enjoy a relaxing evening then opening up a slightly chilled bottle of wine and looking out over the water. Now you can do that and support SPC at the same time with our SPC logo wine glasses. They made their debut at our annual pizza fundraiser, and we still have more to sell! You can purchase them at our office at the Kettle Pond Visitor Center during the week. The glasses cost $10 each, six glasses for $50 or a dozen for $100. You can saltpondscoalition@gmail.com if you would like to have glasses reserved. SPC Logo Wine Glasses We need YOU--to renew your SPC membership (if you have already renewed, THANK YOU!!!) It s the time of year to renew your membership in SPC. If you haven t yet renewed, let me first sincerely thank you for your previous support, and ask you to please consider renewing again. The vast majority of our income is from membership donations--you truly are the lifeblood of our organization. Thanks to your support, we can continue advocating for our ponds on the state and local levels, add more years of valuable water quality monitoring data to our 28-year database, take dozens of children on fun and educational Salt Pond Safaris, lead kayak trips, and reach out to the public to educate everyone on how to be a good pond neighbor. Remember that with your renewal of $250 or more, you can choose a SPC hat: khaki (regular or long-bill), red (regular or long-bill), green, coral, pink, or white. Thank you! Page 11 The Tidal Page Summer 2014

12 Salt Ponds Coalition PO Box 875 Charlestown, RI Thank you for your ongoing support of our work on behalf of the ponds!!! Salt Ponds Coalition is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Gifts to SPC are tax-deductible. Please Help Us to Help the Ponds Please use this form or the card we sent to you in January to renew... and please ask your friends and neighbors to become members, too. Please make checks payable to Salt Ponds Coalition. SPC memberships are for the current calendar year. $ Benefactor $500 - $999 Steward $250 - $499 Advocate $150 - $249 Sustaining $75 - $149 Supporting $40 - $74 Contributing $ Donation to the Aukerman Scholarship Fund Name: Permanent Address Town State Zip Summer Address Town State Zip Phone Check if you would like a hat with your $250+ membership, and circle the color you d like: khaki khaki long-bill red red long-bill green pink coral white Our sampling stations cost $600 per season in lab fees alone. Please consider sponsoring a station or banding with a group of neighbors to sponsor a station. Abby Aukerman Scholarship Fund Salt Ponds Coalition P.O. Box 875 Charlestown, RI We appreciate your continued generous support! Please help us fund this worthwhile scholarship, which helps support a deserving undergraduate student in marine studies at URI. If you would like to make a contribution to the scholarship fund, please use the form above and fill in the amount of your gift at left.