A casual inquiry to the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council has led the Block Island Land Trust and other conservancy organizations to rethink the approach to phragmite management at Mosquito Beach.
The invasive phragmites have obscured the view of the Great Salt Pond and two months ago the Land Trust was asked about the possibility of mowing down the tall reeds along a stretch of Corn Neck Road. The request came from Scenic Block Island, an organization that town Highways Supervisor Mike Shea has recently joined.
One month ago, Shea came to the Land Trust’s meeting to discuss the idea further. The simplest plan seemed to simply mow a narrow stretch along the road. As the area slopes down towards the pond that would open up the view. All seemed in favor of the idea and it was decided that the best approach might be to make a preliminary call to the CRMC about the idea.
At the Land Trust’s meeting on Friday, Dec. 13, Harold “Turtle” Hatfield informed his fellow trustees and representatives from The Nature Conservancy and the Block Island Conservancy that the CRMC’s answer was “no.”
