Block Island

Free nature programs

TNC and the Block Island Conservancy co-sponsor guided walks and nature programs on Block Island throughout the year. All of the events are family-friendly, free, and open to the public. For a complete schedule, visit our calendar. 

Year-round programs:

• James Stover Exploration Series: Guided monthly walks for families (with kids of all ages) and individuals to explore trails and species special to Block Island. These walks are funded by friends of James Stover (1996-2003), in memory of a boy who loved exploring Block Island. 
• Crazy-as-a-Coot Bird Walk: A twice-monthly bird walk, for birders & walkers of all abilities. Block Island locations vary based on prevailing wind, weather conditions, and hot bird tips. If not on Block Island, bird enthusiasts can take their own Where-on-Earth Bird Walk at any time that fits their schedule and share a list with Kim Gaffett. 
• Film and Soup: Join us in the Island Free Library throughout the winter for an environmental film series. Bring a bowl or mug and a spoon for your soup! Past films include "Nenets vs. Gas," "Blue Carbon," "The Lorax," and "Sea Change."

Summer programs:

• Bird Banding Demonstration: Learn about birds in your backyard, why scientists band birds, and everything you ever wanted to know about birds. Come see birds up close, and maybe even hold one in your hands! All ages welcome.
• Marsh Mucking and Seining: Come learn about fish and crabs that call Block Island home. Wednesdays at Andy's Way and Fridays in Old Harbor. Kids must wear water shoes, and parents must attend.
• Community Science:  Join the fun, with a different subject and location each week, and help collect important data about Block Island’s special critters and habitats. Examples include horseshoe crabs, moths and bees.

In the summer, also look for TNC’s outreach assistants at popular trailheads like Rodman’s Hollow and Clay Head. Together, we offer many different ways to connect to the fields, marshes and beaches that make the island so exceptional.

Bird banding

The Block Island bird banding station at Clay Head has been collecting information on migrating and resident songbirds every spring and fall since 1967. Established by Elise Lapham, it is one of the longest continuously running banding stations in the United States.

Through tens of thousands of observations over the decades, the station has demonstrated Block Island’s importance as a stopover site for migratory birds, especially for young birds making their first fall migration south. Hatching-year birds tend to get pushed over the ocean. Thankfully, Block Island is there to “catch” them.

For a quarter century, TNC has supported studies on migratory songbirds and their diet through Dr. Scott McWilliams’s ornithology lab at University of Rhode Island. On Block Island, scientists first documented birds’ dietary switch from insects to berries in preparation for long-distance migration. This discovery fundamentally changed habitat management practices to favor berry-producing shrubs.

Raptor research station

In 2012, researchers at the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), based in Maine, determined that Block Island hosts one of the largest concentrations of falcons on the Atlantic Flyway. With support from TNC and other partners, BRI established the Block Island Raptor Research Station, the first in southern New England.

BRI researchers have captured and released 2,000 peregrine falcons, merlins, sharp-shinned hawks and northern harriers on the island. The study has produced the most extensive dataset ever collected on peregrine migration on the Atlantic Flyway, confirming that they winter extensively in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Surprisingly, however, we learned they use little of the flyway on their return north, instead flying across North America to destinations as far west as Saskatchewan.

As the technology advanced and the transmitters got smaller, the Block Island station pioneered the use of satellite trackers on merlins, which are less than half the size of peregrines. The study revealed previously unknown migration routes as the birds flew from Block Island to wintering areas like Cuba and Puerto Rico, and back to breeding territories in Quebec and Newfoundland.

Data from Block Island has also played an important role in analyzing how raptors interact with offshore wind energy facilities along the Atlantic Coast. More recently, blood samples collected by BRI have been incorporated into national investigations of raptors' exposure to mercury, avian influenza (bird flu) and PFAS chemicals (forever chemicals).

Great Salt Pond science

The Great Salt Pond is the ecological heart of Block Island, home to a staggering diversity of life, from finfish to shellfish and wading birds to waterfowl. It’s also a dynamic hub for boating and other forms of outdoor recreation.

In partnership with the Rhode Island Division of Marine Fisheries, TNC is leading a long-term study of the Great Salt Pond, seeking to better understand its role as a critical nursery habitat and offshore refuge for a wide array of fish species at all stages of life. In years to come, this information will enable TNC to confidently advise and support conservation efforts to help keep the pond a sustainable resource.

From May to October, TNC scientists monitor ten sites around the pond, using a long beach seine net to haul in small fish and crabs. Each animal is identified, counted and measured before being safely released. Since 2014, the Block Island seine survey has documented nearly 100 different finfish species living in the Great Salt Pond. The team also measures temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen.

In the fall, TNC also conducts an annual bay scallop survey in the Great Salt Pond. Scientists collect live scallops using SCUBA and snorkeling techniques at twelve fixed sites to assess the population before the harvest season opens in November. Recent data suggest that the pond’s bay scallop numbers remain stable. Started in 2007 by a team of Rhode Island shellfish scientists, this research project is the longest-running survey in the TNC’s Block Island marine program. 

Adapting to climate change

As an island community, Block Island is uniquely vulnerable to more frequent and intense storms, high winds, coastal storm surge and sea level rise. These hazards pose a growing threat to roads and bridges, coastal wetlands, historic and cultural resources and other assets. In 2021, TNC partnered with the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank to lead a community-led process to assess current hazards and climate change impacts, and prioritize projects and policies that will improve resilience.

TNC is working closely with the Town of New Shoreham’s Coastal Resilience Committee on community engagement, partnership development and practical planning to address climate risks. Key efforts include creating a public-facing climate resilience Story Map and resource library and supporting the development of the Block Island resiliency map. In addition, TNC staff teach a climate-focused lesson to Block Island sixth-grade students every other week.

In partnership with the Coastal Resilience Committee and Brown University, TNC coordinated the installation of real-time water level sensors to document chronic flooding and inform local decision-making. We are also planning for additional community engagement and discussion events and distributing a practical guidebook on mitigating flooding and erosion impacts on private property.