News

All Warwick Parks Closed, Including Salter Grove

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Public parks, beaches, and recreational facilities in Warwick—including Salter Grove—will be closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Barricades have been installed at the entrance to prevent vehicular entry. Mayor Solomon said Warwick police will continue to monitor parks and beaches for compliance.

“If people are blatantly ignoring the new rules – if they choose to congregate in groups at parks and beaches, or if they are not complying with physical distancing rules – they may be cited if actions and behavior are not corrected,” Mayor Solomon said.

Please see here for more details.

Playground Closed as Coronavirus Precaution

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FoSG blog post (3-25-20)

The playground has been closed until further notice.

Warwick’s Director of Parks & Recreation, James Scott, said that “We are trying to keep kids off of playgrounds as the virus can live on surfaces for prolonged periods of time.”

Thank you for your patience while we attempt to keep our neighbors safe and healthy during this challenging time.

Special Thanks For Weekly Cleanup

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FoSG blog post (2-13-20)Mary Newton (right) goes to Salter Grove at least once a week to rake and sweep butts from around the parking lot either with her granddaughter Ava or most recently with her sister Katy Eppley (with bag). A little boy caught them in the act and was moved to call out “Good job!” Indeed!

Litter such as styrofoam food and drink containers has gone down at Salter Grove probably because of the cold weather. On the other hand, smokers enjoying the park from within their cars continue to throw cigarette butts out the window. Not cool.

New Bird Species Recorded for the Park

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Photo courtesy of Kathy Schnabel

In January, two new bird species were observed at opposite ends of the park. An American Kestrel was first seen on Jan. 2, 2020 and then photographed the next day by Kathy Schnabel in the area of the parking lot.

Adopting a sit-and-wait approach, Art Jacques bird-watched from the bench on Audubon field on Jan. 23 and counted 15 species within 30 minutes and added the Field Sparrow to the list of birds observed at Salter Grove.

Salter Grove is a great place to sit and watch the wildlife!

In case you didn’t know, Salter Grove is considered a birding hotspot by eBird, a website where members submit their birdwatching results. Based on checklists on eBird since 2006 and field notes from other observers, the Salter Grove bird list now stands at 124 species—not too shabby for a 12-acre park!

Grant from Palmieri Trust for Nature Trails

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Currently trees and plants at Salter Grove have temporary labels; thanks to the Vivian J. Palmieri Charitable Trust grant, permanent labels will be placed along the upcoming nature trail.

A generous grant of $25,000 from the Vivian J. Palmieri Charitable Trust is expected to fund the entire cost of the nature trail project at Salter Grove. This will include permanent labels for plants and trails and a dedicated website. Any residual funds will go toward additional landscaping.

Vivian Jerry Palmieri was an avid gardener and nature lover. Following his death in 2014, the Vivian J. Palmieri Charitable Trust was established to promote rose plantings around Jamestown. Subsequently, the geographical and charitable scope of the Trust has broadened.

Beach rose was planted at the new playground in tribute to Jerry Palmieri’s special love of roses. FoSG is very grateful to the Palmieri Trust for enabling the nature trail project to proceed expeditiously.

How Our Playground Money Came and Went

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Grand Opening 10-26-19-26

Most of the new playground equipment was purchased with a $100,000 RIDEM Recreation grant awarded to the City of Warwick. The City applied for this grant at FoSG’s instigation and with our background support, and it provided a 25% in-kind match. FoSG also raised considerable funds as follows:

Donations and grants are less any administrative fees charged by our fiscal sponsor, the New England Grassroots Environment Fund. These funds covered the following playground expenses:

  • $ 3,940 Play equipment (T-swings)
  • $22,900 Amenities (benches, picnic tables, bike rack, waste receptacles,
    dedication plaque)
  • $ 4,201 Grass hydro-seeding and plantings
  • $31,040 Total

The $1,705 residual will be applied to future expenses, such as additional plantings and nature trail development.