The Norman Bird Sanctuary has long been known to Rhode Islanders as one of our state's treasures -- with its open fields, quiet woodland trails, a spectacular view of the Newport coast from Hanging Rock, abundant wildlife, and fun programs that draw folks of all ages into the outdoors.

Today, the Sanctuary announced that it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The honor will hopefully boost the efforts now under way to restore an 18th century farmhouse on the property and use it as a nature retreat center, with environmental education programming for adults and families. This would be a great new assett for all Rhode Islanders.

Congrats to NBS! For more info, click on "More...." To visit the NBS Web site, click here. The Sanctuary's annual Harvest Fair is coming up soon, Oct. 4 and 5, and that's a great opportunity to explore the place if you are not familiar with it.

No telling what the weather will be up to this weekend -- probably a little of everything -- but whatever it does, there are plenty of choices for cool things to do.

Here are a few highlights, click on each for more details...

Green Jobs for the Future, discussion, Saturday 930 to 1130 a.m. in Warwick...

A talk with Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, in Warwick at 7 pm on Saturday....

East Bay Bikes & Birds, starts Sunday at 930 a.m. in Riverside...

A discussion about Buckeye Brook, next Thursday at 7 pm in Warwick.

Also, Saturday, from 830 to 3, you can catch a community yard sale at the Friends Meeting House at 99 Morris Ave in Prov. Proceeds go to local good causes, and you can help keep the recycling cycle going. They have a tent, so it's a go rain or shine.

CoastWeeks continues with lots of events all around the state, click here for the full calendar. And don't forget your farmers markets! Most of them go on even in the rain, so stop in and support your local farms. Farm Fresh has all the details.

For lots more events, check out our NNN Community Calendar! You'll find hikes, art exhibits, farm tours, markets, workshops and talks, and lots of events for kids and families, too. And coming up next Thursday, Oct. 2, Green Drinks Newport.

Rhode Island's own Tall Ship, the Oliver Hazard Perry, now has its own Web site, and for those of you who were wondering, they have also posted an illustration that shows more or less what the completed ship will look like (see below). Click here to visit the new Web site -- you'll find updates on the project, and info about how you can help. Once the ship is up and running, it will be able to support itself, so folks who donate now will see a lifetime of returns on their investment!

Click here for our earlier NNN story about the project.

This Saturday's “Green Jobs Now” event to kick off a national day of action promises to be a crucial moment in helping to create the local, green economy of the future. “As Rhode Islanders struggle to make ends meet amidst a declining job market, a turbulent economy, stagnant wages, and record high gas prices, our green economy presents an opportunity to dig ourselves out of the ditch,” says Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. He will be the keynote speaker at the event, billed as a "community discussion."

All are welcome. Be there, Saturday morning, 9:30 to 11:30, at the New England Institute of Technology in Warwick, on Post Road right near the airport. Click here for further details. Click here for a new report about the emerging green economy, released this week by the Worldwatch Institute. And click here for a commentary on this topic by Tom Sgorous, over at RI Policy Reporter. Tom talks a bit about the connections between jobs, the economy, a good society, and a healthy environment. He concludes: 

The idea is both to educate people who want to learn more about what might be possible in a world with more green jobs, and to pressure Congress to fund the Green Jobs act, and take the next step beyond that. Join us, please.

Buckeye Brook, one of Rhode Island's many freshwater streams,  originates deep in Warwick, flows across the airport property, through ragged woods and under busy roads, to empty into Narragansett Bay at Mill Cove.  Steve Insana, who grew up on the banks of the brook, says it represents a powerful force in the history of Rhode Island, and deserves special protection. The native Shawomet people used the brook for hunting, trapping, transportation, and a source of clean drinking water. Later, European settlers built one of the country's first tidal-powered mills at the mouth of the river. The annual spring herring runs attracted fishermen from miles around for generations.

For years, Insana and other neighbors of the brook have lobbied to protect it. In the 1970s, a landfill operated on its banks and leached toxic waste into the water. Runoff from the airport carries with it de-icing fluids, spilled fuel, grease, and oil from the tarmac. "Buckeye Brook was here before all of us and it's not replaceable," says Insana. "The entire Buckeye Brook system has become a wildlife refuge. The river otter has returned along with the turkey, white-tailed deer, and the fisher."

Insana is lobbying to have the brook designated a "Wild and Scenic River." This would help to give it extra protections under the law. "Given Buckeye Brook's history, the impact on native American and colonial culture, its importance as a wildlife refuge, and the fact that it is a free-flowing stream with no dams and a natural run of river herring, which is rare, it should be recognized," he says.

You can learn more about Buckeye Brook at a DEM public meeting, coming up next Thursday, October 2, at the Warwick Public Library, at 7 p.m. State officials will discuss the water quality issues and offer recommendations for restoring the brook and its tributaries.

For more details about the DEM meeting, click on "More..." For more info about local efforts to protect the brook, visit the Buckeye Brook Coalition Web site. For more background about the brook, click here for a Rhode Island Monthly story from a few years ago.

Trashing our environment is nothing new -- we've been at it for hundreds of years. And here in New England, our coastal ecosystems have been battered by landfills, toxic dumping, cutting and mowing, invasions of non-native plants and animals, and much more. But luckily, scores of smart people around the country are working on ways to restore these invaluable habitats.

The 4th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration, organized by Restore America’s Estuaries, will be held here in Providence October 11-15.  Pre-registration closes September 30! so get yourself signed up now. Visit www.estuaries.org/conference for more information or to register. This is a great opportunity not only for resource-management professionals, but for students, teachers, volunteers, and citizen scientists as well. Discounted rates and scholarships are available and easy to apply for.

Community Organizer, Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island...

Do good, get paid, and who knows, you could run for president some day! Click on "More..." for all the details.

On the last couple of weekends, teams of volunteers have worked across South County to label hundreds of storm drains on the URI campus and in Narragansett, to help deter the public from using the drains as dump sites. The labels ensure that everyone knows these drains empty directly in the Bay and have an impact on our local coasts and water quality.

The volunteers were organized thanks to efforts by URI, Save The Bay, The Audubon Society of RI, the Surfrider Foundation, and the Town of Narragansett.

 Click on "More..." for more photos. Thanks to Vanessa Venturini of URI for the pix!

There's a new movement afoot to help ensure that kids get outside as part of their education, and a leader in that movement is Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. He'll be in Warwick on Saturday evening, at the CCRI Campus, to give a talk on the subject, and you're invited -- but seating is limited, so get yourself registered asap.

A book signing will follow the speaking program. Books will be available at a 20% discount at the event.

Click here to register. Click here for CCRI directions, and more info. 

Global Marine Team Program Coordinator, The Nature Conservancy, Narragansett....

Click on "More..." for complete details.