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ERF 2007 Conference Field Trips Getting to Know Southern New England Saturday | Sunday | Self-Guided Welcome to Southern New England and especially to Rhode Island!! As you know, many lasting impressions of ERF conferences happen on the field trips! ERF 2007 is offering both guided and self-guided field trips and tours, ranging from a half day to a full day. Come and explore! We know that you will have fun!! Note: All organized field trips and tours will depart from and return to the Providence Westin lobby. 19 October Deadline to sign up for trips. Also, some trips have had to be cancelled, and some have filled. We encourage you to sign up for the Buzzards Bay and Narragansett Bay trips below. Guided Tours (All transportation is included. When noted, lunch is provided) Saturday (Nov 3) and Sunday (Nov 4) Afternoons Providence Walking Tour with the Rhode Island Historical
Society The Rhode Island Historical Society (www.rihs.org) will lead an informative tour of historic downtown Providence. You’ll learn about the history and development of downtown Providence. Tours typically last an hour and a half, good walking shoes are recommended.
The bus will transport you the downtown Newport Vistior's Center to jumpstart a morning of siteseeing on your own at the numerous cultural attractions including the famous mansions, museums and many historical sites. The web site lists many tours including self-guided and walking tours. Newport is also well known for its boutique shops and unique stores. After lunch on your own at one of the many excellent restaurants in Newport, the bus will bring you back to Providence. Or, you can get to Newport by car, bus or Amtrak anytime (only 34 miles)!
This full-day field trip includes a tour of the new ‘green’ facility housing Save The Bay (www.savebay.org) in Providence, a boat trip on the Alletta Morris, Save The Bay’s education vessel, Prudence Island, the location of the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (www.nbnerr.org). The tour of the Reserve will highlight the ongoing stewardship projects conducted by the Reserve, Save The Bay, and their partners. These projects include eelgrass transplanting, mapping, and monitoring, salt marsh restoration, and the removal of invasive coastal upland plant species and subsequent restoration of native species and habitats. These two Rhode Island organizations work independently and synergistically to promote and practice sound stewardship of coastal and estuarine natural resources in Narragansett Bay and the surrounding watershed. Both groups use active research and education programs to collect, interpret, and disseminate scientific data and information to ensure that best management practices are followed. Buzzards Bay Estuary This one-day trip will provide plenty of sightseeing and adventure in the Buzzards Bay area, all within about an hour drive of Providence. The trip will include an historical overview of Buzzards Bay, particularly New Bedford Harbor from its heydays as a renowned whaling port, then textile mill center, and more recently, an important ground fishing port and now infamous Superfund site. The trip will include multiple stops and short walks up to one mile, so you will get a good flavor for the southern New England coast. On this exciting tour, you will have the opportunity to visit: (1) New Bedford Whaling Museum (www.whalingmuseum.org) and the downtown historic district, (2) Lloyd Environmental Center (www.thelloydcenter.org), (3) marsh restoration projects associated with the New Bedford Harbor Superfund (http://www.darrp.noaa.gov/northeast/new_bedford/index.html); (4) impact site of 2003 Buzzards Bay oil spill (http://www.darrp.noaa.gov/northeast/buzzard/index.html); and (5) rocky beaches and other scenic coastal habitats. Bring warm clothes, walking footwear, binoculars, and camera for your enjoyment. Woods Hole and Waquoit Bay Research Reserve The small historic fishing village of Woods Hole, Massachusetts is home to a renowned scientific community including the Marine Biological Laboratory, Sea Education Association, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (www.mbl.edu, www.whoi.edu). You will experience guided tours of both the Marine Biological Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. After the tours, enjoy lunch on your own at one of the many excellent restaurants full of New England’s best seafood and explore quaint shops in town. After lunch you will travel to the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (www.waquoitbayreserve.org) for a guided tour. The Waquoit Bay Reserve provides long-term protection to the habitat and resources of this representative estuarine ecosystem, which serves as a natural laboratory for research by the Reserve and others that advances our understanding of natural estuarine and watershed-linked processes and human influences on them. Round-the-Bay: Habitat Restoration in Narragansett
Bay This is your chance to see more of Rhode Island by circumnavigating Narragansett Bay. Along the way you’ll explore restored salt marshes and fish runs, quaint villages, and state of the art laboratories. This Round-the-Bay trip will highlight completed salt marsh and fish run restoration projects around the state (http://www.edc.uri.edu/restoration/), plus, visit the Roger Williams University aquaculture facility (http://fcas.rwu.edu/biology/wetlab.htm), EPA’s Atlantic Ecology Division laboratory (www.epa.gov/aed), and URI’s Bay Campus facility (www.gso.uri.edu) in scenic Narragansett, RI.
Historic Mystic, Connecticut is this tour's destination. The morning will be spent enjoying a unique experience at the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration (www.mysticaquarium.org). After a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium, you will have time to enjoy the facility on your own. After your aquarium visit, you will explore Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea (www.mysticseaport.org). The nation’s leading maritime museum allows you to explore American maritime history firsthand by climbing aboard historic tall ships, strolling through a re-created 19th century coastal village or watching a working preservation shipyard in action. Half-Day Option
Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration (www.mysticaquarium.org) provides a unique experience in living marine creatures and the latest discoveries of the underwater world. In addition to a beautiful aquarium setting supported by a team of highly dedicated marine animal research experts, Mystic Aquarium has assembled some of the finest talent in oceanographic and deep-sea archeological research. This half-day field trip includes a guided tour of the facility, then offers you the opportunity to explore the aquarium and exploration center. After touring the Aquarium, wander over to Olde Mystick Village to enjoy the holiday decorations and lunch on your own. Information can also be obtained at the Visitors Center located on the street-level floor of the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the bustling seaport capitol of Massachusetts. It is full of many points of interest, like the historic Freedom Trail (www.thefreedomtrail.org/), good shopping and dining at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/), the Boston Museum of Science (www.mos.org), and of course exploration of the underwater world at the New England Aquarium located on Boston's Waterfront (www.neaq.org). All locations can easily be reached via the T, Boston's subway system. Boston can be easily reached from Providence by bus for about $15 roundtrip and hourly departures. For bus ticket information go to: http://www.peterpanbus.com/tickets/fares.php. Choose Providence Kennedy Plaza, Rhode Island as the departure point; choose Boston South Station, Massachusetts as the destination. Other information available at the Boston website addresses listed above includes maps, tours, restaurants and plenty more. Get much more info at Boston's Visitor's Bureau website, www.bostonusa.com. Providence, Rhode Island Information on downtown Providence, available at the website above, includes historic sites, Brown University, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum (www.risd.edu/museum.cfm) plus, great places to shop and eat. The Visitor's Center can also help you plan a tour of the surrounding areas. |
