Project Summary

1. Project Identification

Name	Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge
Region	North East
State	RI
Location
Date of this update	March 4, 1999

2. Problem(s) addressed (check one or more)

Habitat Restoration/Protection
Wetlands
River systems
Beaches/Dunes
Offshore areas
Mangroves
Assisting Species at Risk
Pollution Mitigation
Non-Point Source Pollution
Other (describe)
Habitat Degradation due to remaining runways and debris left over from the Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Landing Field, reducing the amount of available habitat to wildlife and continue to affect the scenic and wildlife value of the Refuge.

3. Project Description (100 words or less. Please include qualitative information, e.g. acres of habitat restored, miles of steam reopened to migration, and legislative authorization, e.g. WRDA, ISTEA, CWA/NEP, CZMA, etc.)

The project will restore 70 acres of upland by removing 70 acres of asphalt runways and reseeding the area with native grasses. The wetland restoration component will restore 40 acres of wetlands through phragmites control, and restoring natural hydrologic patterns. The project will also redirect the current trail system and create a 3 mile barrier-free interpretive trail.

4. Goals/Benefits (quantify where possible using measures of success list)

---

Was a cost-benefit study conducted for this project? yes/no If yes, provide a summary of findings.

5. Partners (include each participant's responsibilities - funding, permitting, etc.)

• Federal

  Currently no partners have been designated yet but potential partners include the Naval Construction Battalion, and the Rhode Island National Guard

• Non-Federal

  The Narragansett Indian tribe will provide information for interpretive displays dealing with native American life in the area. Rhode Island Aviation Heritage Foundation will provide information on the significance of the site to WWII.

6. Funding/Contributions (organization and amount)

• Cash

  Federal
  Non Federal	State government
  	Local government
  	Private industry
  	Public interest groups
  Total

• In-Kind Services (hours, equipment, or other forms of assistance and estimated dollar value)

  ---

• Volunteers (number of people and hours, and estimated dollar value)

  ---

7. Project Benifits

Project will restore 70 acres of regionally significant grassland habitat which will provide habitat for declining grassland birds. The project will work in concert with grassland restoration efforts on areas adjacent to the runways creating a total area of 150-200 acres of grassland habitat. Grassland habitat is significant on both a local and regional scale since there are very few remaining grasslands of any size in the area and grassland species of plants and animals have been in decline and many species are on state and federal endangered species lists. If the project is successful is might create habitat which will provide suitable sites for introduction of endangered plants such as sandplain gerardia or bushy rockrose. Forty acres of salt marsh and freshwater wetlands will also be restored which will provide habitat for migratory waterbirds and other wetland dependent species. Both the upland and wetland aspects of the project will benefit drainage into Ninigret Pond, improving water quality of the pond. The project will also be of great benefit to the public by creating a barrier free interpretive trail which will become the only wildlife refuge in the state of Rhode Island which is accessible to the mobility impaired.

8. Value of Partnership Approach

• A. Would the project have been undertaken by a single agency? (yes or no)

Ideally no, because of the size and scope of the project, it is too large for the Refuge to accomplish on its own.

• B. IF YES: How was the project different as a Coastal America Partnership Project than it would have been as a single agency project? (e.g. size and scope, funding, time frame, etc.)

9. Project Status

Initiation date
Completion date
Current stage

10. Contacts

• Project Manager

  Laurie Richardson
  NERIT Representative
  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
  300 Westgate Center Dr
  Hadley, MA, 01035
  413-253-8614;
  FAX: 8482
  e-mail: Laurie_Z_Richardson@mail.fws.gov

• Refuge Contact

  Ron Flores
  Wildlife Biologist
  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Ninigret NWR
  PO Box 307
  Charlestown, RI, 02813
  401-364-9124;
  FAX: 0170
  e-mail: R5RW_NINWR@mail.fws.gov

• Participating Agency/Organization Contacts: (e.g. volunteer groups, conservation groups, state agencies, and other federal agency contacts)

11. Any additional information/comments

The project is currently in the planning phase and much research has gone into asphalt removal methods, costs. A public scoping meeting has been conducted and a draft Environmental Assessment has been written. Coordination and establishment of partnerships still needs to be done. Additionally, funding either in the form of grants or congressional appropriations will need to be secured. Estimated project costs are dependant on removal methods but should be between $200-500K.

See attached draft Environmental Assessment

This page was last updated on Saturday, 24-Jun-2000 11:48:48 EDT
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