Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge is one of five refuges of the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. This refuge, the former Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Landing Facility is located in Charlestown, Rhode Island. The glacial ice sheet and former uses have shaped this refuge's diverse landscape. It is known for its migratory bird species, and its rich history.

Latest Information for Beach Passes, Visitor Center Hours, Hunting Opportunities and Free Public Programs

Hunting Information

Hunting information and brochures for the 2023-2024 season are available on our Hunting Activities page.

Sandy Point Island Beach Passes Now Available:

Please visit https://rhodeislandpermits.recaccess.com

Kettle Pond Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is open daily, Mondays through Sundays, 10 am to 4 pm.  Thank you to an amazing cadre of passionate and fun volunteers who staff the Visitor Center. 

Free Public Programs:

Wild about Reading, Wednesdays 10:00 am-11:00 am More info found on our events page.

Learn; about the habitats at RI National Wildlife Refuge by exploring the inside exhibits at the visitor center.

 

 

Location and Contact Information

      Our Organization

      Providence youth learning how to identify a song bird that was being banded

      Providence Parks Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership

      Using the network of over 100 existing and accessible parks in Providence, partners in Rhode Island are coming together to bring a conservation and wildlife message to the city. One of the most ethnically diverse cities in the U.S., Providence anchors a population of 1.6 million people and many families do not have the resources to travel to rural national wildlife refuges. In an effort to connect school children and families with nature where they live and work, partners will work with school groups, using the Providence parks, to restore and maintain wildlife habitats, build nature trails and interpretive signs, and provide environmental education programs. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the collaborative effort as the Providence Parks Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership on May 5, 2014.

      The Service is serving as a catalyst, collaboratingwithotherconservation organizationstoleverageresources, staff and funds to broadly and comprehensively reach this urban community.Thepartnershipbuilds on existing projects in the city, as Providence is unique in the number Partners, such as The Nature Conservancy, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Audubon Society of Rhode Island,theRhodeIslandDepartment of Environmental Management, the Woonasquatcket River Watershed Council,Parks’ConservancyGroups, Tomaquag Museum andothershavebegunassessinghabitat and wildlife capabilities of different parks, developing interpretive nature trails and supporting volunteers and youth hires to perform restoration projects and deliver education programs.

       Addressing Access

      The work of the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program in Providence, RI addresses multiple barriers regarding access to nature for residents and students. These include transportation and safety barriers and lack of on-site nature access at schools by using public city parks as areas to play, learn, relax, and explore, language barriers by providing bilingual programming facilitated by native Spanish speakers from the communities we serve, providing programming in tandem with Summer Meal Sites and/or providing meals at family-friendly events and programs to address food insecurity barriers, and ensuring all programs are free and open to the public to remove cost barriers with high poverty rates in the city. 

      These are the "stepping stones of engagements", with monthly fieldtrips to the local parks, so the students have a sense of wonder, not a sense of fear, when they have their  funded school field trip to Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge.  

      To quote Robert Michael Pyle "What is the extinction of a condor to a child who has never seen a wren?"  We want to introduce children to the wrens, squirrels, hawks, fish and insects living within their parks!

      Our Species

      Grey, white and black bird on sand in the foreground

      Size: 18 cm (7.25 in) in length. Color: Breeding season: Pale brown above, lighter below; black band across forehead; bill orange with black tip; legs orange; white rump. Male: Complete or incomplete black band encircles the body at the breast. Female: Paler head band; incomplete breast band....

      FWS Focus
      Brown and gray rabbit hides in the grass

      The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is a medium-large sized cottontail rabbit that may reach 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds) in weight. Sometimes called the gray rabbit, brush rabbit, wood hare or cooney, it can usually be distinguished from the sympatric eastern cottontail and...

      FWS Focus