Not having a spouse or granny who has lived in Little Compton forever, I found this community in the usual way — by running the cursor on Google Earth along the 400 miles of Rhode Island coastline, carefully noting meters-above-sea level, searching for property that isn’t likely to be underwater in the coming years. I had good reason for doing so.

 I grew into adulthood watching as the stunning coastline and healthy dunes of Fire Island, backed by stately Victorian homes, were washed away by  increasingly powerful storms. We mostly blamed it on general erosion — but not on why it was now happening so quickly. When homes started falling into the ocean the response was to move them back behind what little was left of the dunes and dump dredged sand from Great South Bay into the ocean. It didn’t help.

Finding Little Compton in my late 60s has been a delight — a lovely year-round town with a Commons, a great feeling of community, organic farms — and a well-run, well-staffed public beach. I also found a fixer-upper, nine meters above sea level and, hopefully, atop a lot of serious granite. I installed solar panels, a solar-back up battery, mini-splits and a sun shower, as have many neighbors. I walk our beach several times a week. I am emotionally and financially invested in my community.

I have attended several meetings of the Little Compton Beach Committee to better understand how our town is dealing with this crucial issue. The leadership, research, climate science and action required will be expensive and daunting and urgent. 

Yet, we drag our wet sandy feet at our own peril. 

Jennifer McDowell

Little Compton