Rhode Island Feeds

Saturday marks the day -- the St. Pats 5K in Providence. Newbie runners maria caporizzo and I have been posting about our training for the race for several weeks now. Although looking forward to the event, we're also looking back...

Journal Photo by Connie Grosch The Northeast Saltwater Fishing Show opens in the Rhode Island Convention Center tomorrow with non-stop fishing seminars that are...

Aspirin and ice are the runner's wonder drugs. Now, new advice from the University of California's Wellness Letter warns that some over-the-counter pain relievers may increase the risk of high blood pressure, gastrointestinal bleeding and other problems. "The risks posed...

The Narragansett Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club will lead a "conservation meander" Sunday, Mar. 28 at the Lloyd Center in South Dartmouth, Mass. The...

It’s official.  GARI members met this evening and officially voted to merge with the Providence Bicycle Coalition.  This was the last hurdle we needed to get over to pave the way to merge the two organizations.  In a short while, when all the legal paperwork is completeled, the Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition will be born.  Thanks to Sue Barker for all the work she put into this merger!

Stay tuned… the upcoming months will be filled with a new site look, new logo, and whatever else we can all dream up.

Over the course of the next two years, RIDOT is scheduled to completely repave Elmwood Avenue.  I will be meeting with some people this Thursday @ 11am to discuss potential bicycle and pedestrian improvements that might be done in conjunction with the repaving work.  If you frequent this area or just have a vested interest in this road, please let me know

1. If you really want to attend (we can accommodate a small number of extra participants)
2. If you have any feedback or suggestions you would like me to take to this meeting

I’d like to get all feedback by Wednesday @ 5pm, so I can compile it all for the meeting during the next day.

Meghan Rothschild, founder of SurvivingSkin.org, after she was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma when she was 20, will speak before a University of Rhode Island audience Wednesday, March 31 at 7 p.m. in URI's Memorial Union, 50 Lower College Road,...

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that night fishing permits for the 2010 season are available at the Sachuest Point National Wildlife...

The Narragansett Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club will lead a "conservation meander" Sunday, Mar. 28 at the Lloyd Center in South Dartmouth, Mass. The center conducts research and offers educational programs designed to promote a scientific and public understanding...

Capt. Frank Blount, owner of the Frances Fleet, reports that last week's stretch of warm weather produced some solid fishing until Friday when the nor'easter...

The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in Providence may boost the attendance of the 7th Annual New England Saltwater Fishing Show, said Steve Medeiros,...

Last weekend we had our first butterfly sighting posted on the Ocean State Butterflies Yahoo group…spring is really on the way! A number of Mourning Cloaks and Eastern Commas came out of hiding in the sunny warm weather.

We have confirmed the dates for the 2010 RI Butterfly Counts and orientation dates:

Butterfly Count Orientations
Environmental Education Center (Bristol): June 15, 6:30-8 p.m.
USFWS Kettle Pond Visitor Center: July 1, 7-8:30 p.m.
Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge: July 6, 6:30-8 p.m.
Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge: July 7, 7-8:30 p.m.

Butterfly Counts:
Bristol and Newport County Circles: Saturday, June 19

Providence, Kent and Washington County Circles: Saturday, July 10

The pricing structure is a little bit different this year. Audubon is charging $6 to participate in the count, but this includes both count dates! So if you count butterflies on June 19, you pay $6. If you count butterflies on June 19 and July 10, you still only pay $6. The orientation is included in this fee. If you just want to do the orientation/ID workshop and not the count, it is still $6. Simple, right? Hopefully!

Let me know if you would like more information or to be added to the email list for the Count: 401-949-5454 x3044 or jlewis@asri.org. We always love new participants!

I'm the middle child of three. I love the center of the double-stuff Oreo. I don't eat the crust of sandwiches. My favorite saying is "everything in moderation." In short, I'm a big supporter of the middle. That's why today,...

A waterproof camera is almost as essential as a solid rod when you're fishing or snorkling. In a recent issue of BoatU.S. Magazine, a panel...

According to to a report posted on the Target 12 website, the recently passed Move Over law, requiring motorists to change lanes or at least slow down when passing an emergency vehicle, simply isn’t working.  Target 12

wired up a state police cruiser and went undercover to put the law to the test. We also had Trooper Jacques “pull over” one of our undercover cars on a local highway.

One car passed dangerously close to Trooper Jacques as he got out of his cruiser. A tractor trailer passed so close to our car that it rocked the hidden camera. And the trend continued, car after truck, blatantly ignoring the law.

Why does this matter?  If motorists don’t bother to obey a law, even when this law directly involves how they should interact with police, what makes anyone think they will head a 3-foot law for bicyclists?  Representative Gemma, Newberry, Fox, and Schadone have introduced such legislation (H7243), which would introduce something similar to other state 3-foot laws into our motor vehicle codes.  We worked with Representative Gemma last year to try and amend this 3-foot legislation into something, which we felt would be more effective, and will be doing so again this year.

The current bill is scheduled for a house hearing on Wednesday March 24th in the House Judiciary Committee.  We will release our revised suggestions prior to this hearing and may be asking for cyclists to come out in support of the changes.  Stay tuned…