Natural News Network -- Get Out

Get Out

Rhode Island is packed full of Nature -- get out and explore it!
May 2006

	Welcome! Welcome to our first issue of Natural News. Each month, we'll bring you to a new local place to explore, with ideas and information that will enrich your experience. To help you get started, we are bringing you a portal to the information that already exists online. Get out and enjoy!
	Hiking Rhode Island's scenic hiking trails take you through deep woods and open fields, past stone walls and serene ponds. You can choose challenging climbs and high vistas, or relaxing strolls with waterfalls and picnics. Try whatever suits your mood, then try it again, summer, winter, spring, fall -- it will be a different adventure every time. The state's Tourism Office offers a sampling of hikes. All state parks and Audubon refuges have trails. Some Audubon sites charge a small fee, state parks are free. Audubon's Web site has printable trail maps. Rhode Island Monthly describes ten choice hikes in this archived article from June 2004. Ken Weber's well-loved "Walks of Rhode Island" series is now in its fourth edition. You can't read it online, but you can buy it online, and take it with you. The North-South Trail runs 75 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Massachusetts border. If you'd like to mix a little natural history in with your exercise, the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society schedules frequent naturalist-led hikes. The Rhode Island Sierra Club also schedules frequent guided hikes in scenic areas of the state. In Southern Rhode Island, the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association schedules frequent guided hikes, kayak trips, and more. A schedule is posted online.
	Camping For the full nature experience, take yourself and some friends and/or family and hang out by a campfire. This Rhode Island Monthly article, archived from June 2004, describes nine places to stay, each with its own unique personality. If all that fun makes you hungry, try some of these campfire recipes.
	Stargazing It's a big universe out there, so turn off all the electric lights and check out some stars. Brown's Ladd Observatory, on Hope Street in Providence, is open to the public most Tuesday nights, year-round. Check the Web site for hours and events. You can also sign up for their email-list so you'll always know what's going on. Frosty Drew Observatory in Charlestown is open most Friday nights when the sky is clear.

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