Tour participants Ellen Loew (left) and Ruth Boivin (middle) chat with Maureen Delvine, education coordinator for Narragansett Bay Research Reserve, as they walk along the T-Wharf on Prudence Island last week. U.S. Navy ships once tied up at the pier, which is now used by the reserve for research.
“No island is big enough for me,” joked the Attleboro, Mass. resident.
While she refuses to stay for any extended period of time on Prudence, she was happy to take a one-day trip last week to see what the folks at the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NBRR) were up to. Held in partnership with the Audubon Society of R.I., the tour was one of several NBRR hosts throughout the year on the 5.6-acre island, which is part of Portsmouth.
In 1980, the NBRR was established to manage 4,400 acres on Prudence, Patience, Hope and Dyer islands as part of a national network of reserves around the country from Puerto Rico to Alaska that protects more than 1.3 million acres of submerged and coastal land.
“A large portion of the island will never be developed,” said Maureen Delvine, NBRR’s education coordinator, adding that much of the property is used for research on climate control, invasive species, water quality and other topics.
Although the NBRR receives federal funds through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it’s really a state-run program managed by the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, according to reserve manager Bob Stankelis. There are only six full-time staff members, so NBRR relies on interns and volunteers to fill in the gap.
And they have plenty of work to do, cleaning up a mess that the military left behind four decades ago. During World War II, the U.S. Navy established an ammunition depot on the south end of the island, where the NBRR headquarters are now located. But in 1972, just three years after the Newport Bridge opened, the Navy turned the base over to the state because the island was no longer considered a strategic military location.
In doing so, the Navy left behind over 30 ammunition bunkers, a large deep-water pier and basically changed the topography of the area. “We’re trying to get it back to what it was,” said Mr. Stankelis.
Although every public tour includes a van ride around the island to explore points of interest — “sort of a crash course on Prudence Island,” as Ms. Delvine described it — there’s also a specific topic covered during each program. An upcoming program focuses on island history (see related story), while the popular seal tours will start up when the weather gets colder.
Controlled burns
Last week’s topic was invasive species, with NBRR stewardship coordinator Robin Weber explaining how the reserve is fighting enemies such as European larch, bittersweet and Japanese barberry, which are choking some of Prudence Island’s native plants and trees.
The tour group walks through one of the island’s many firebreaks, which are used as a barrier to stop the progress of a controlled burn.
“We have an alternative spring break program where I hand students a hand saw,” said Ms. Weber, who recently mowed 25 acres herself using a Bobcat tractor.
Perhaps her No. 1 enemy is the European larch; when tour participant Angie Bermudez of Riverside remarked that she liked the look of the larch, Ms. Weber didn’t hold her tongue.
“That’s unfortunate, because I intend to kill them all,” she said with a laugh.
Restoring the pine barrens on Prudence is a major focus of her work for two reasons: A number of species are dependent on them and they’re rare compared to hardwoods like oak, she said.
“My challenge is to keep it persisting into the future, not because I prefer pine over hardwood, but because we have so little of it,” said Ms. Weber, adding that cutting, mowing and controlled burns “keep the pine barrens happy.”
Controlled burns, with the assistance of the island’s volunteer fire department, are weather-dependent and require a two-day window; finding the right time and getting enough people on the ground is a challenge, she said. During the burns, there’s only a “10 percent mortality rate” for trees, she said, although many of the surviving trees may suffer a bit o charring.
NBRR is preparing for its next burn sometime this fall, which includes the maintenance of the existing firebreaks — gaps in vegetation that act as barriers to stop the progress of brush fires. “We’re creating these paths for the safety of the firefighters,” she said.
There’s also a big effort underway to restore grasslands and salt marshes on Prudence. She showed visitors “five acres of an 18-acre start” on the northern end of the island. “Grassland is one of the habitats most in need of restoration,” she said before pointing out a nearby salt marsh that was restored in 2003.
Pier used for water quality tests
Maureen Delvine, education coordinator for Narragansett Bay Research Reserve, discusses points of interest while taking tour participants for a ride in the reserve’s van.
Other sites included the one-room schoolhouse, built in 1896, which has six or seven students this year of all ages. The tour also passed by Farnham Farm, dating back to 1805. The property includes a community garden as well as the Hope Brown Center, which serves as the island’s community center and hosts potluck dinners and movie nights.
Evidence of a Revolutionary War skirmish at the historical cemetery on Prudence: Two lined-up headstones with a semi-circle cut out of the top of each. Legend has it that the two stones — marking the final resting spots of Caleb Allin and Caleb Hill — were damaged by a cannonball fired from the British brig Juno in September 1777.
Back at the general store at the ferry landing, tour participants all said they enjoyed their day on Prudence. Angie Bermudez of Riverside was happy to get some exercise while learning about NBRR’s work on the island, and collected plenty of photos on her Nikon. For Ellen Loew, who came from Attleboro along with Ms. Boivin, it was a chance to relive some childhood memories of Prudence. She used to visit the island in the ’50s and has fond memories of its residents — real or imagined.
“There was a witch who lived out there and we used to go through the woods looking for her,” she said.
Ms. Boivin had a grand time as well, but it didn’t change her opinion about living on Prudence.
“No way!” she said on the 4 p.m. ferry back to Bristol.
Prudence history on Oct. 17
If you’d like to see for yourself what the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is doing on Prudence Island, the next public tour is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 17.
Participants in the “Hiking & History on Prudence Island” program, being run in partnership with the Audubon Society, will catch the 10 a.m. ferry from the Bristol landing on Thames Street. You’ll be met on Prudence by a staff member from the Reserve, who will take you by van to several spots on the island, which is rich in natural beauty and history dating back to the 1600s.
Visit historic sights including a cemetery, the one-room schoolhouse, old farm foundations, stonewalls and a mansion. The walking trails are relatively simple and you’ll go at an easy pace, but will cover about four to five miles over the course of the day.
About six or seven students of all ages attend the one-room Prudence Island Schoolhouse, built in 1896.
There’s a free municipal parking lot across from the ferry landing, or you can choose to park in the Bristol ferry parking lot for $10 for the day. Free and non-permit parking is also available along upper Church Street and along High Street in Bristol.
Bring binoculars, camera, packed lunch, at least one water bottle, insect and tick repellent, sun block, comfortable foot wear and be sure to dress for the weather. Ticks are an issue on Prudence Island so wear long-sleeved, light-colored shirt and pants, and shoes with tall socks so you can tuck pants into socks as needed.
Registration is required; call 401/949-5454 or visit www.asri.org.
To learn more about the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, visit www.nbnerr.org.
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