Digging RI

The mountain laurel is in bloom now in Rhode Island, and that’s always a good thing. I took this photo during a recent hike.

The flowers are pretty, but mountain laurel’s impact is best enjoyed from a slight distance, so you can appreciate the masses of blooms.

Here’s one doing its thing in a local park. Wow.

As this beautiful cycle unfolds, another ugly one is also occurring: the gypsy moth infestation.

Here’s a gypsy moth caterpillar eating leaf right down to the rib. The caterpillars are particularly bad in RI this year, and while their destructive eating phase will be over in a couple of weeks, they have denuded large swaths of forest. Can’t wait for them to be gone.

I spoke with a forester and another expert who advised homeowners with defoliated trees to give them a little extra TLC this summer by watering them when it’s hot and dry. Water, but don’t fertilize.  The trees will grow new leaves, but it’s stressful for them and they could use the extra help this year.

We live in Rhode Island, but we also love spending the day on Cape Cod. An interesting development on the Cape over the past few years is the presence of Atlantic White sharks, aka Great White sharks,   apex predators of the sea.

The story goes like this: Gray seals, once numerous in the waters off Monomoy Point in Chatham, were hunted almost to extinction. Then the feds passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act, people stopped hunting them, and the population rebounded.

Now, the burgeoning seal population is being somewhat regulated –  not by humans, (who almost always mess up whatever wildlife situation they try to “manage,”) but by White sharks.

But of course, folks are still complaining. Fishermen say the seals are eating too many fish, and some people are demanding that humans cull the seal herd, so fewer sharks will be attracted to the Cape. Either way, it sucks to be a gray seal these days.

In the meantime, the Town of Chatham has wisely capitalized on people’s fascination with White sharks. The non profit group, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, has an excellent facility in Chatham where people can learn more about White sharks and their role in the ecosystem, see some amazing aerial photos taken by shark spotter Wayne Davis, buy some cool T-shirts to take home – and stick their heads in a shark’s mouth, just to see how it might feel…..

Also in town, in addition to the shark-themed merch available in many stores, the Chatham Merchants’ Association organizes an annual art installation called “Sharks in the Park” featuring decorated and painted sharks which are auctioned off online.

So I guess my point is, the sharks are making it dangerous to swim in some places, but the entire area has benefitted in other ways from their presence, and they’re eating some of those seals that everyone is complaining about. It’s interesting to watch this unfold and see how people adapt to and even profit from the sharks.

Here’s the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy website: http://www.atlanticwhiteshark.org/#welcome

Editor’s note: A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Jay Recinto of Warm Winds Surf Shop in Narragansett RI, asking if he could submit a guest post on environmental-friendly surfing. I support any initiative that will help the environment, and especially the ocean, so I said ‘sure.’ And no, I was not paid to run this post.

BTW,  the cool building in the shot below is known as “the Towers,” a famous Narragansett landmark. 

Here’s Jay’s post:

There are two potentially damaging misconceptions in the surfing industry as far as the environment is concerned. The first misconception is that the sport of surfing is not damaging the world’s oceans. While it’s technically true since the act of surfing a wave doesn’t really damage the ocean, surfing as an industry is damaging the ocean and the environment in a lot of ways.

The second misconception is that making the switch to sustainable surfing is hard and expensive. In fact, a lot of surfers think that it’s so hard that it will take the fun out of the sport.

This article on sustainable surfing will dispel both misconceptions. As a surfer with no regard for sustainability, you’re damaging the environment in ways you never imagined. As a surfer who cares for the environment, you can easily make the chance to sustainable surfing.

Start by Respecting the Ocean

As a surfer, you know how good the ocean has been to surfers and the surfing industry in general. It’s actually easy to start with sustainable surfing. Start by following the general rule – respect the ocean.

It’s the least we can do. With the countless of imperfect and perfect waves that it has provided us, the least we can do is to give the ocean the respect she rightfully deserves.

Unfortunately, it’s not getting 100% respect. Surfers and people in general do things that damage it like throw trash or use products that are not environment-friendly. This is something that needs to be changed.

This of course extends to the beaches. Respect the beaches as well. They’re basically the welcome mat to the amazing experience that the ocean provides.

Speaking of welcome mats, the ocean is part of Mother Nature’s home and we’re just visiting. You wouldn’t disrespect another man’s house as a guest, right?

Read and understand how the ocean works. Know what’s okay and what’s not. For starters, it’s common sense that it’s not a good idea to throw your trash, no matter how small, on the beach or in the ocean.

Take nothing. Damage nothing. Leave nothing.

Respect everything.

Travel Light

Surfers usually have a bucket list of sorts. This bucket list has all the surf spots that they want to try before they die. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but you may want to “travel light” in such a way that you minimize your travel as much as you can.

You have to understand that traveling leaves a lot of footprints that can damage the environment. This is especially true with air travel. No one’s stopping you from flying to an exotic surf location to conquer its waves, but every now and then, make the choice to travel light.

For example, instead of flying to Indonesia to surf, why not just make the drive to Narragansett Town Beach? You get the idea.

Volunteer

There are a lot of opportunities for you to volunteer in. Ask your favorite surf shop if there’s an upcoming clean-up drive that you can volunteer for. Better yet, start your own clean-up drive. With social media widely-accessible, you can easily find volunteers that can help you out.

There are also organizations that encourage sustainable surfing. You can check them out, see their goals, and volunteer. Start with the Surfrider Foundation and Sustainable Surf.

Buy Used Surfboards

The manufacturing process of surfboards leaves a lot to be desired as far as sustainability is concerned. While there’s a conscious attempt to make the switch among environment-conscious companies, the best you can do right now as a surfer is to prolong the life of surfboards by buying used surfboards.

Check out surf shops in your area. The best ones have impressive stocks of used surfboards – some of which are as good as new. As a bonus, you can save a lot of money this way.

Think Multiplicity

You can accomplish a lot of things on your own. Can you imagine the effects if you can get more people to join you in your efforts?

The important thing is to start now. Get in touch with your favorite surf shop. They can help you to start.

About the Writer

Jay Recinto is the Media Content Manager for Warm Winds Surf Shop in Narragansett Rhode Island. In addition to being a trusted surf shop, Warm Winds is also known in and around Narragansett for giving back to the community and the environment.

Check out the Warm Winds website for a Narragansett surf report for your next surfing visit!

My absolute favorite time in the spring is when the crocuses, and then the narcissus, are blooming. A close second is right now, when the trees are in flower, even if all that pollen makes my eyes itchy.  One of the prettiest early spring bloomers is Florida dogwood, or cornus florida. There’s something about those spreading branches, which I find very elegant. And the colors of the blossoms are always pretty without screaming at you like some of the azaleas.

Here’s a white dogwood. What’s not to love? I have been told that Korean dogwood, cornus kousa, is more disease-resistant. I like them both, but I think I love cornus florida a little bit more.

This is another of my favorites: creeping phlox, or phlox subulata. It’s peaking right now in RI, and I am seeing lush mounds of it everywhere, from rock gardens to slopes (where it prevents erosion) to flower beds. I’ve always found this plant easy to grow. It’s a good idea to shear it back after it flowers to keep the foliage dense and bushy.

This Facebook image shows just two of the 13 sperm whales that washed up near the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It was determined that they died of starvation because their stomachs were filled with plastic debris.

Here’s a link to the story if you want to read more:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160331-car-parts-plastics-dead-whales-germany-animals/

Most of us are already aware that there’s a huge problem with plastic trash in the our oceans. But some people don’t make the connection between ocean trash and their own actions here at home.

One of the most destructive things we can do, especially here on the Rhode Island coast is release helium balloons into the sky. You might think you are making a grand spiritual gesture, but you are actually dumping plastic into the sea for turtles, fish, sea birds and marine mammals to eat – which is not even remotely spiritual. It amazes me that state like RI would even permit these. They are illegal in Connecticut and several other states.

With wedding season approaching, I do hope people will reconsider any balloon releases they might be planning. And COME ON Rhode Island. Get with it for goodness sake. We need to ban this practice here.

More information on the destructiveness and stupidity of balloon releases can be found here.

This is  magical time in the Rhode Island woods. The trees haven’t leafed out, but there’s a greenness to everything – the skunk cabbage, the mosses, the leaf buds. Without the leaves, the sunlight is sharp and intense, but this woodland spring doesn’t last long. Soon the leaves will be shading the forest floor and the light will settle into a more mellow, summer vibe.

I have just finished reading “The Signature of All Things,” about a woman who studied mosses. I can see how you could be drawn into that tiny green universe.  This was a huge patch, spreading across a very large rock.

It’s never to early in the season for a dip in a pond. This is Hidden Lake, on the Yawgoog Scout Reservation,  one of my favorite spots in the entire state.

This stream flows out of Hidden Lake.

A final look at the forest floor before the understory plants leaf out. Won’t be long now.

I was in the check out line at a Shaw’s supermarket recently, and this is what I saw in the magazine rack – low down. At children’s eye level.

I politely told the woman working at the cash that I found this cover offensive, particularly since it was so visible to kids. She responded by asking me whether I wanted my chicken wrapped in plastic before she put it in my shopping bag.

There are so many things I find offensive about this Sports Illustrated cover that I can’t even list them all. The most obvious is, if this had been Playboy, it would never have been in the rack in the first place. But somehow this is acceptable because the word “sports” is in the magazine title. And someone at my supermarket thought it was just fine to put it there.

(And doesn’t the woman appear deformed, like a doll with a giant bobbing head?)

I tweeted the photo and a follower commented that if a woman in the check- out line had exposed her breast while feeding her baby, there would have been outrage, but this soft core porn is somehow okay. And porn is what it is. And little kids can see it, right there, next to the candy.

In my previous post, I wrote about a hike I had taken the day after a snowfall. What I did not mention was the number of coyote tracks, which were all over the snow in the area where this photo was taken.

My dog does not go far from me, but she is still small, and therefore, vulnerable to coyotes. A few days after our hike, I spoke with a man who had watched as his dog was killed and taken away by a coyote. He decided to design body armor for dogs; a Kevlar coat, with spikes on the sides and around the neck. He calls it the Coyote Vest. I tried and tried to insert a photo of the vest here, but for some reason, (why?why?why?) I could not, so here’s a link to the page:http://www.coyotevest.com/collections/coyotevest-starter-pack/products/coyotevest-starter-pack

After speaking with the Coyote Vest designer, I contacted Dr. Numi Mitchell, a biologist who has been studying coyotes in RI for many years and leads the Narragansett Bay Coyote Study. Mitchell had heard of the vest, but she wasn’t convinced it would be enough of a deterrent, especially at this time of year, when every member of the pack is hunting throughout the day and evening to feed  young. She also wondered whether a coyote could get a grip on the Kevlar fabric if it were lose enough to form a fold.

Her advice for people with pets is :

“Dogs smaller than 40 pounds are often regarded by coyotes as prey. They should never be left outside unattended, especially after dark. Larger dogs may also be attacked if they intrude on a pack’s territory and are seen as a threat or competitor. All dogs should be walked on a leash, which increases the owner’s control, but never tied up alone in the yard, which increases their vulnerability.

Special tips for cat owners: A safe cat is an indoor cat. Period.

I will have to be more careful in the woods.

While most people were complaining about a recent April snowfall, I went out early in the morning to make the most of it. This is the Francis C. Carter Memorial Preserve in Charlestown, RI. I hike here often because it’s an easy drive from where we live.

There had been some freezing rain, coating the branches just enough so they sparkled in the sun.

Here’s a closer view of those branches.

The sky was still clearing, and the clouds were worth a good, long look.

We followed the trail that leads to an open field. Ours were the only tracks in the snow.

My dog found some mouse tracks and had a good roll in them. This photo leads me to concur with other corgi owners when they say their dogs resemble loaves of bread. It’s true.

An unpredictable month.

When we can go from magnolias…..

To a blustery snowstorm.

That’s all I have to say. Have  a great week, everybody.