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A Last Great Place — Block Island
By Producer, Kelly Meinhart
 ocated
just 12 miles out to sea from the Rhode Island coast lies a trip back
in time, where life depends upon the pace of your footsteps or the
pedals of your bicycle, along with the schedule of the mainland ferry.
Originally named "Manisses" or "Isle of the Little God" by the Indians
who originally inhabited this island, the inhabitants of today's "Block
Island" have managed to maintain much of its diverse natural beauties.
had the opportunity to tour the island this past spring with a few
other folks, and what I found amazing about the island was that it's
rich with both natural wonders, and with natural history. Stories
of pirates, buried treasure, and shipwrecks are just some of the lore
and legend of this unique culture. Our group decided to walk the island,
which is a delight, as there are 25 miles of walking trails on the
island, which are free and open to the public. The Nature Conservancy
has printed a map of these trails, which is available at the visitor's
center.
[photo
gallery 1]
 eeking religious freedom, settlers first arrived at the island in
1661. Today, a commemorative rock, called Settler's Rock, marks the
landing point of these adventurous pioneers. Traveling with a group
of women, we were all curious to read that of the 17 names listed
on this plaque - not a one was a woman. Surely there must have been
women on the trip? we thought. Indeed there were. All in all, the
entire original landing group totaled 75 individuals. But times were
different in the 1600's, as were the rights of women, and so the plaque
only remembers the male settlers. The original colonies were farming
and fishing communities, and today, the island continues to host a
thriving farming community. Fishing however has dwindled as a viable
occupation on the island, due to over fishing.
 ormed
by glaciers nearly 10,000 years ago, Block Island is made up of an
array of geographical features and habitats such as beaches, sand
dunes, coastal bluffs, morainal grasslands, maritime scrubland, salt
ponds, kettle hole ponds, and other freshwater wetland ecosystems.
These habitats support a unique assortment of wildlife, including
over 40 species classified as rare or endangered. Thousands of migratory
shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors and songbirds depend on the island
as a stopover point along the Atlantic flyway.
[photo
gallery 2]
t
also hosts 365 fresh water ponds - one for each day of the year, as
our guide explained. All of this is made even more unique when you
consider the size of the island, which is only 7 miles long by 3 miles
wide (less than 11 square miles). At the highest point on the island,
one can literally see from end-to-end, as well as four states. These
11 square miles are so unique that the Nature Conservancy has named
Block Island as one of its "Last Great Places" of the Western Hemisphere.
To that, the community of Block Island has taken the initiative to
preserve these delicate ecosystems. By working together, they have
preserved 30% of the island from future development.
 nfortunately,
the Atlantic surf is taking a toll on the coast of the island, and
as you can see in the accompanying photos of the Mohegan Bluffs, located
at the southern tip of the island, the surf is eroding the island
away - little by little. As a matter of fact, the island loses 3 to
6 feet of coast each year. One pond lies perilously close to the shoreline
and within a few years will be lost, mixing both fresh and salt water
together to form a new shore. This process simply highlights even
more the need for preservation on the island, and it is good to know
that there are several organizations doing just that.
To learn more about this unique environmental niche, check out
these valuable resources:
Block Island Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy - Block Island Office
401-466-2129
Block Island Chamber of Commerce
401-466-2982
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See past topics of Between Cattails here!
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