The Public’s Radio — Advocates ‘geared up,’ anticipating legislation on shoreline access

Shoreline access advocate Conrad Ferla, right, at a beach protest in South Kingstown on June 26, 2021. ALEX NUNES - THE PUBLIC'S RADIO

Mar 4, 2022

By Alex Nunes — A bill is expected to be introduced in the Rhode Island House this month that clarifies where people can be along the shore without creating other restrictions.

The legislation is expected to come out of a special house commission that was formed last year to address disputes between beachgoers and coastal homeowners that regularly come up in the summer months.

A majority of members agreed at a meeting Thursday that legislation should allow access 10 feet landward from the wrack line, the point where seashells, seaweed and other debris wash up. 

The commission does not plan to push for language that could limit protections specifically to passage along the shore, a proposal seen as favoring property owners that was previously advocated by one commission member. 

The Rhode Island Constitution guarantees so-called “shore privileges” to the public, including collecting seaweed, fishing, and leaving the shore to swim. However, it does not specifically outline where those rights apply. For decades, the state has used a standard set in a 1982 Rhode Island Supreme Court ruling that set the cut off at the 18.6-year mean high tide line, which experts and activists say is confusing and insufficient because of sea level rise.

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