Press & News

Cate Brown 6/14/21 Cate Brown 6/14/21

Boston Globe — In the Ocean State, a legal dispute centers on voting rights and beach cabanas

By Edward Fitzpatrick — The ACLU blasts Bonnet Shores Fire District for limiting voting rights to those who own more than $400 worth of property

Cate Brown 6/9/21 Cate Brown 6/9/21

Uprise RI — You must own property to vote in this Rhode Island fire district’s elections

By Steve Ahlquist — “Until every one of our local governments are elected by the people they serve, our work is not done” said ACLU of RI cooperating attorney James Rhodes. “Participation in free and fair elections, whether it be for president, state legislature or local fire district, is the cornerstone of our democracy.”

Cate Brown 6/9/21 Cate Brown 6/9/21

The Public’s Radio — ‘They want us out of here’: How private interests blocked the public from one R.I. barrier beach

By Alex Nunes — The story of shoreline access in many parts of Rhode Island is one of haves and have nots…

Cate Brown 5/24/21 Cate Brown 5/24/21

ecoRI News — Climate Change, Private Interests Erode Public Access to Shore

By Frank Carini — The seed that became a nonprofit ocean advocacy group was planted on a cold January day in 2006, when Dave McLaughlin…

Cate Brown 5/17/21 Cate Brown 5/17/21

ecoRI News — No Trespassing: Coastal Land Taken from Indigenous People Walled Off with Signs, Fences and Chains

By Frank Carini — These testaments to historic theft — not by the current owners but by centuries of violence against this land’s Indigenous people — don’t escape the notice of Narragansett Indian Tribe members…

Cate Brown 5/17/21 Cate Brown 5/17/21

Positively New Jersey — VIDEO (New Jersey coverage of Narragansett)

By Brian Donohue — VIDEO coverage of New Jersey Mayor in Narragansett

Cate Brown 5/5/21 Cate Brown 5/5/21

Boston Globe — A New Jersey mayor makes waves over beach access in Rhode Island

By Brian Amaral — The mayor of Jersey City owns a house in Narragansett, and has waded into the battle over how the public — including local surfers — use the beach

Cate Brown 4/29/21 Cate Brown 4/29/21

SO Rhode Island — Saving South County Shores, One Community Cleanup at a Time

By Megan Monte — A Narragansett surfer runs local nonprofit’s beach cleanups to build community and keep shorelines healthy…

Cate Brown 4/16/21 Cate Brown 4/16/21

What’s Up Newport — Rep Ruggiero legislation would explore the possibility of reorganizing CRMC

By Ryan Belmore — Ruggiero files bill to study CRMC reorganization. Following two high-profile development decisions that landed in court and have been criticized by the attorney general…

Cate Brown 4/8/21 Cate Brown 4/8/21

The Independent — Officials see no easy fix as erosion hammers SK beaches

By Bill Seymour — Erosion is a fight, and this town’s beach seems to be losing it. This year, again, chunks of sand have disappeared.

Cate Brown 4/8/21 Cate Brown 4/8/21

WNCT News — Judge sides with OBX surfer in battle over public vs. private beach access

By Kayla Gaskins — Duck, NC — A surfer had a big win for public beach access in Duck, North Carolina, after a judge made a ruling recently.

Cate Brown 3/31/21 Cate Brown 3/31/21

The Public’s Radio — In coastal South County, fire districts fight shoreline access instead of fires

By Alex Nunes — Rhode Island boasts of its nearly 400 miles of shoreline, yet the state’s eight public saltwater beaches border less than seven miles of that waterfront…

Cate Brown 3/22/21 Cate Brown 3/22/21

Newport Life — Rights-of-way offer easy coastline access

By Bob Curley — Often overlooked, rights-of-way offer easy access to Aquidneck’s captivating coastline…

Cate Brown 3/21/21 Cate Brown 3/21/21

NPR — California Has A New Idea For Homes At Risk From Rising Seas: Buy, Rent, Retreat

By Nathan Rott — At a normal tide on a normal day on the Southern California coast, ankle-high waves glide over a narrow strip of gold sand…

Cate Brown 3/18/21 Cate Brown 3/18/21

Narragansett Times — Narragansett ranks among top coastal towns in nation

By Philip Cozzolino — Narragansett was recently named among the top three coastal towns in the country by travel website Big 7 Travel…

Cate Brown 2/21/21 Cate Brown 2/21/21

ecoRI News — Expired Terms and Illegal Appointments Cast Doubt Over Rhode Island's Powerful Coastal Council

By Frank Carini — All seven appointed members to the currently shorthanded Coastal Resources Management Council board have expired terms…

Cate Brown 1/12/21 Cate Brown 1/12/21

Narragansett Times — Council largely expands coastal access parking in Point Judith

By Philip Cozzolino — In a victory for surfers, water enthusiasts and coastal access advocates, the Narragansett Town Council Monday night amended its parking ordinance to allow on-street parking…

Cate Brown 1/6/21 Cate Brown 1/6/21

ecoRI News — Ocean Access Activists and Surfers Ride Wave to Victory

By Grace Kelly — Narragansett, RI — After a year of ebb and flow, an effort to allow and expand parking for surfers in Point Judith has been approved.

Cate Brown 1/5/21 Cate Brown 1/5/21

The Public’s Radio — Advocates for shoreline access in RI score victory in Narragansett

By Alex Nunes — Officials in Narragansett are taking several steps towards improving shoreline access in the Point Judith section of town.

Cate Brown 12/31/20 Cate Brown 12/31/20

ProPublica — Officials Let Hawaii’s Waterfront Homeowners Damage Public Beaches Again and Again

By Sophie Cocke — Everybody knows that seawalls cause beach loss, and Hawaii law forbids building them. But Honolulu County officials have granted exemptions to 46 homeowners over the past two decades even as a quarter of Oahu’s beaches have disappeared.