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.

Life Science Hub CEO Mark Turco discusses job creation, competition and whether the state entered the biotech race too late
The stay marks the fourth time a federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s effort to halt offshore wind construction
State Rep. Megan Cotter has introduced legislation to incentivize school districts to build regional partnerships
A Senate study commission backs a new public medical school as part of a long-term plan to expand primary care
Removing GLP-1s from Rhode Island’s Medicaid formulary for weight loss would save $6.3 million in general revenue, according to McKee’s proposed budget
The South County native, known for his novels and political activism, has produced a book featuring six short stories