Fish and Wildlife Director Highlights Importance of Rhode Island’s Coastal Refuges

The state’s coastal ponds and wildlife refuges don’t get top billing,
but they are fundamentally important to the health of the local ecosystem

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams visited the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge in South Kingstown.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams visited the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge in South Kingstown.
Alex Nunes/The Public’s Radio
Share
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams visited the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge in South Kingstown.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams visited the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge in South Kingstown.
Alex Nunes/The Public’s Radio
Fish and Wildlife Director Highlights Importance of Rhode Island’s Coastal Refuges
Copy

Martha Williams, the head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was in Rhode Island in mid-October to mark the annual National Wildlife Refuge Week.

Williams met up with The Public’s Radio reporter for a morning of birding at the Trustom Pond refuge in South Kingstown, and to talk about the importance of Rhode Island’s coastal ponds and efforts to protect them.

The Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge is more than 780 acres of protected land, nearly half of that donated in the mid-1970s. Williams was there to highlight the agency’s work on salt marsh restoration.

This interview was conducted by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

After a fire shuttered the beloved Matunuck Oyster Bar, state lawmakers are backing a bill to let the restaurant reopen with a temporary outdoor setup—aiming to preserve jobs and extend pandemic-era dining flexibility through 2027
For the first time in nearly 35 years, the Rhode Island General Assembly is considering a 50-cent landing fee increase at both Galilee and Block Island ports — potentially raising round-trip costs by $1 per passenger
Newsmagazine ‘Rhode Island PBS Weekly’ and Arts & Culture series ‘ART inc.’ honored for local storytelling
Office of Child Advocate report highlights need for better care coordination across state agencies
Los Angeles Mayor calls city a “tinderbox” amid tear gas, arrests and federal troop presence; Newsom warns Trump’s move is a dangerous breach of state authority