Press & News
Projo — 24 to Watch in 2024 — Conrad Ferla helps protect shoreline access in Ocean State, but his fight isn't over
By Savan Dunning — Conrad Ferla’s love of surfing led him down the path to becoming a shoreline-access advocate.
The Public’s Radio — Weekapaug Fire District takes new legal action against Westerly and Rhode Island
By Alex Nunes — The increasingly litigious shoreline fire district wants to end a state review that could result in a new beach right-of-way being designated in Westerly.
The Public’s Radio — ‘It does not look good’: Westerly solicitor in the hot seat over shoreline access representation
By Alex Nunes — Advocates for coastal access point to the town’s tepid pursuit of beach rights-of-way, questionable changes to boat mooring policies, and highly restrictive parking rules in exclusive shoreline areas. Now access advocates say the general public faces a newer threat: Westerly’s own town solicitor. They say his past actions in shoreline access matters continue to raise doubts about whose interests he’s serving in critical ongoing legal cases.
The Public’s Radio — Stern warning from R.I. ACLU prompts changes to Weekapaug Fire District website
By Alex Nunes — The Westerly-based fire district, a taxing entity with government authorities but no fire department, had blocked information on its website from public view.
Projo — East Bay Bike Path bridges are finally getting replaced, but will fishermen lose out?
By Antonia Noori Farzan — RIDOT initially said that "fishing accommodations will not be provided" on the new East Bay Bike Path bridges, but now says that it doesn't intend to prohibit fishing.
ecoRI News — Whose Beach Is It?
PODCAST By Colleen Cronin, Joanna Detz, and Rob Smith — Beach season may have ended, but conflicts over shoreline access have not. ecoRI News reporters Colleen Cronin and Rob Smith break down pending and settled lawsuits, and explain recent legislation that determines where the public beach begins and where private property ends.
Newport Daily News — Middletown Council to Address Inaccessible Shore Rights-of-Way
By James Merolla — When is a public right-of-way to the shore not a right-of-way? When, over time, it has been impeded, overgrown, sits on or near private property, or becomes unsafe.
The Public’s Radio — Watch Hill group says it ‘cannot legally’ guarantee public shoreline access under lighthouse property transfer
By Alex Nunes — The disclosure contradicts characterizations of an agreement made public in July by Rhode Island U.S. Senator Jack Reed.
The Public’s Radio — Westerly Town Council president resigns amid turmoil in town government
By Alex Nunes — Council President Edward Morrone had been under scrutiny for his ties to private interests in the Watch Hill community as disputes over shoreline access became a focal point for the Westerly Town Council.
The Public’s Radio — Weekapaug Fire District seeks court ruling over popular Westerly shoreline sand trail
By Alex Nunes — The Weekapaug Fire District has filed a motion in Rhode Island Superior Court, asking a judge to find the town of Westerly in contempt of a decades-old agreement that covers use of a road known as the Sand Trail that runs down the middle of the Quonochontaug Barrier Beach.
Projo — Citing concerns about public access, Westerly seeks to acquire Watch Hill Lighthouse
By Antonia Noori Farzan — The Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association, which has maintained the property since the 1980s, says it will continue to provide public access once it takes over. But some in Westerly have doubts.
Boston Globe — Ballard’s faces $50,000 in fines over tiki bars, fences
By Brian Amaral — The legendary Block Island bar had a tumultuous season last year, culminating in a chaotic music festival last August.
Rhode Island Current — Neronha wants shoreline access lawsuit thrown out
By Nancy Lavin — The group of coastal taxpayers seeking to stop state agencies from enforcing the new shoreline access law has no grounds to sue.
The Public’s Radio — Town of Westerly will request ownership of Watch Hill Lighthouse property
By Alex Nunes — The move comes three weeks after U.S. Sen. Jack Reed announced the property was slated to be transferred to a private non-profit in Watch Hill.
Newport Daily News — Middletown shoreline access confrontation turns into viral video – and it raises questions
By Savana Dunning — A viral video confrontation between a Middletown property owner and a Newport resident trying to access a public right of way has generated over 6 million views on TikTok, sparking social media interest and conversation about public access to the shoreline.
RI Sea Grant — Understanding Rhode Island’s New Shoreline Access Law
By Rhode Island Sea Grant — …Below is a breakdown of what this law means, as well as tips for advocates and the webinar sponsored by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) and Rhode Island Sea Grant.
Boston Globe — Property owners’ suit seeks to block new R.I. shore access law
By Brian Amaral — a lawsuit filed Friday by the Rhode Island Association of coastal taxpayers opens a new chapter in Rhode Island long-running fight over shore access
The Public’s Radio — Private property owners file lawsuit against Rhode Island’s new shoreline access law
By Alex Nunes — A group of coastal landowners is asking a federal District Court judge to block enforcement of a new state law intended to clarify where beachgoers can be along the state’s shoreline.
Projo — 'Get off my sand?': Coastal homeowners sue over shoreline law, but state is prepared to fight
By Antonia Noori Farzan — Coastal property owners have filed a federal lawsuit to overturn Rhode Island's new shoreline-access law. The suit claims that the new legislation, which allows the public to use the shoreline up to 10 feet inland of the seaweed line, amounts to an unconstitutional taking under the Fifth Amendment.
Block Island Times — CRMC issues cease and desist to Ballard’s
By Renee Meyer — The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council has issued a cease and desist order to Ballard’s Inn Realty, LLC.