park

Smartphone-Enhanced Outdoor Classroom

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Multigenerational scout outing to identify plants and botanize on the causeway

Now that the new playground and causeway repair are nearly completed, FoSG will focus on conservation of Salter Grove by increasing its educational value.

After hundreds of hours of fieldwork and data analysis, we are well along with the identification of birds (116 species) and flowering plants (114 species), and know when and where they appear in the park. We have also mapped out several nature trails to showcase the variety of habitats at Salter Grove.

People who visit the park regularly are excited about the labeled plants resulting from the fieldwork and are amazed when shown how to use their smartphones on site to get images and songs of breeding birds. Continue reading →

Repaired Causeway Provides Easier and Safer Access to Breakwater

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IMG_4550A newly-resurfaced, rock lined gravel path now provides secure and even footing from the mainland to the breakwater.

Two large culverts have replaced the damaged and displaced footbridge near the breakwater.

During very hight tides, as occurred in late morning on September 2nd, most of
the causeway is inundated with 12 or more inches of water covering the low-lying area over the culvert nearest the mainland.

FoSG blog post (9-2-19) 4Therefore, caution must still be exercised, especially when crossing with small
children. Check the tide chart and plan accordingly.

Causeway Repair Begins

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Narragansett Dock Works staged equipment and materials for repair and surfacing of the causeway at Salter Grove that leads out to the breakwater on Wednesday, August 14th. Vehicles should not enter this section of the roadway.

Continue reading →

Join the FoSG Preservation Network!

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Friends of Salter Grove, in affiliation with Save the Bay, has created a Preservation Network to maintain Salter Grove as a clean and inviting family park for recreational use.

Members of the Network will meet at least twice a month as a group to do a thorough cleanup of the Park. With five current members we are looking for an additional ten. Anyone can apply, no matter your age or physical condition.

We are asking for a one-year commitment to the Network if you are accepted as a member. You will not need to participate in all scheduled cleanups but we do hope that most members will join scheduled cleanups.

Network cleanups will be scheduled according to members’ availability, during the week or on weekends. We will also schedule around low tide times so we can venture out onto the causeway and breakwater for cleanup there.

All members of the Network will sign release forms from Save the Bay and will receive Save the Bay training. If you are under 18, your parent or guardian will also need to sign Save the Bay’s release form.

To apply for membership, respond to https://volunteer.savebay.org/need/detail/?need_id=376202 or send an email directly to Network coordinator Trent Batson at trentbatson@mac.com.

The first in-person meeting of this Network will occur at 10:00 a.m. at Salter Grove on Sunday, October 21.

Rhode Island Foundation Awards $10K Community Grant

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The Rhode Island Foundation has awarded a generous Community Grant of $10,000 to help replace and improve the playground at Salter Grove in a very competitive selection process.

The funds will be paid to FoSG’s fiscal sponsor, The New England Grassroots Environment Fund, which will then pass the funds to FoSG.

This grant will complement the $100,000 community recreation grant, also for the playground, awarded by RIDEM to the City of Warwick at FoSG’s instigation.

It is expected that the Foundation’s grant will help to purchase attractive, custom designed benches and waste containers.

Read the story about this in the Warwick Beacon here.

Contractor Selected to Repair Causeway

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On May 21st, the Warwick City Council approved the contractor selected to repair the causeway at Salter Grove with a $200,000 budget; namely, Narragansett Dock Works (NDW) in partnership with GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.

NDW plans to install a prefabricated concrete box culverts at the sites of the displaced footbridge near the breakwater and the existing plastic culverts. The new culverts may be sized approximately 5 feet wide and 4 feet deep to maintain water flow between the north and south sides of the causeway, and to act as bridges.

Depending on the available funding, the elevation of the causeway path may be raised to prevent overtopping during higher tides, and thus provide safer passage for pedestrians.

Permits will be required from the Coastal Resources Management Council, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the US Army Corps of Engineers before construction can start, hopefully in late summer.