Rhode Island Sea Grant

What to do about noise in Newport Harbor?

Is Newport Harbor too noisy? Kristen Bonjour, a third-year law student at Roger Williams University School of Law, was selected as a Rhode Island Sea Grant Law fellow in 2011 to work on a project for the Newport Waterfront Commission sparked by noise complaints. Her task was to research possible noise ordinances for Newport Harbor using other harbor communities as examples, and to report on the feasibility and practicality of each option.

With hundreds of moorings in the harbor, catering mostly to transient visitors, the most common noise complaints in Newport Harbor are boat generators, boat exhaust systems, music, and yelling. While the music and associated noises of a social setting are often easy to resolve with a warning from a neighbor or the harbormaster, the other complaints present more of a permanent problem. Captain Tim Mills, Newport's harbormaster, says that during the summer there it can get very noisy "with generators on the boats running all night long" to maintain air conditioners and onboard amenities on visiting vessels.

Bonjour looked at other areas as possible models for reducing noise issues. Annapolis, Md., for example, has a town ordinance limiting the intensity of noise in harbors from boat motors and generators. In Newport Beach, Calif., those who wish to live onboard their boats must obtain a permit. One requirement for such a permit is that the residents be living on the boat at least eight months of the year. Nantucket, Mass., implemented another approach that designated quiet hours from 11 p.m. until 8 a.m. in public waterways. The small but crowded Newport, R.I., harbor, however, "is so unique that nothing done anywhere else will necessarily directly apply," said Bonjour.

Hank Kniskern, chairman of the Newport Waterfront Commission, commented that the research Bonjour conducted was very informative and educational for everyone involved. The project also put the commission in touch with people who could aid the city of Newport in creating noise regulations should they be required. There is also a draft ordinance undergoing review that would enforce the obligations of boat dwellers to keep the noise down. "This didn't seem like it was going to be a big deal or make a huge difference," said Kniskern, "but it's those quiet little things that you don't think will matter that actually do."

The Rhode Island Sea Grant Law Fellows Program offers select second- and third-year law students opportunities to work for a client researching and writing on coastal and marine law questions. Fellows in this program perform legal research and analysis on marine law issues for numerous outside professional organizations including government agencies, nonprofit groups, and private corporations. For more information on the program or to learn about obtaining a law fellow for your organization, visit seagrant.gso.uri.edu/law or contact Julia Wyman, Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program staff attorney, at jwyman@rwu.edu.

The Beauty in Blue-Green Algae

The microorganisms that cause waterborne diseases may not seem like a promising subject for a fiber sculpture, but for New York artist Mary Giehl, these bacteria are inspirational.

Giehl, formerly a nurse for 22 years, says that "microbiology always fascinated me in nursing school." In 2005, she developed a installation on the theme of contaminated water, which, she says, kills 4,000 children every day. The project that evolved looked at Giardia, Salmonella & other organisms, Giehl represented the images by silk screening them on 150 yards of silk fabric.

As a recipient of the 2011 Visual Arts Sea Grant of Rhode Island awards, Giehl, who received her MFA in sculpture from Syracuse University, continued her focus on bacteria. Her work for that grant, titled "A Functioning System," replicates species of blue-green algae using crochet, needle felt, and wet felt techniques.

These blue-green algae are a subject of scientific study for Giehl's husband, director of the Great Lakes Research Consortium, and she is acutely aware of the impacts these organisms have had, including beach closures, drinking water issues, and even the deaths of animals drinking contaminated water from Lake Champlain.

Still, the 12-foot by 14-foot work—which will be installed this June through September at DCCA, a museum in Wilmington, Del.—is beautiful.

"I watched as it was growing in front of me—it looks like a hanging garden," Giehl says. She considers this the "yin/yang" of her work, and says that even though the piece does not "hit people in the face with something disturbing, it gets people thinking."

To learn more about the Visual Arts Sea Grant award, visit http://www.uri.edu/artsci/art/visual_arts_sea_grant.html

To see more of Giehl's work, visit www.marygiehl.com. Photo by Ben
Premeaux.

Sharing Spaces: Room for Birds & Wind Turbines?

With massive blades spinning at over 100 mph and standing several stories high, it's no wonder wind turbines have raised concerns about birds flying near them. Wind turbines can interfere with migration routes and injure or kill birds that collide with turbine blades.

While the number of birds killed by wind turbines is actually low, scientists are concerned about important bird populations in offshore regions being considered for wind farms.

Over 125 bird species are found in Rhode Island's offshore environment, where they forage on abundant food resources. The common loon is one species of interest to Peter Paton, professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Rhode Island.

"About 2,600 common loons winter in Rhode Island, which is a substantial percentage of this species since a total of 3,000 breed in New England," Paton said.

Paton was one of the lead researchers looking at how bird populations used the area being considered for offshore wind development and how they might be affected by turbines. The Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) region includes portions of Block Island Sound, Rhode Island Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean. This region was the focus of researchers in a two-year state effort to better understand the environment and how the area is being used in order to guide decisions on wind turbine placement.

"Wind turbines can potentially displace species by limiting the use of forage habitats," he said explaining the goal of his efforts is to place turbines in areas that will have the least disruption to the environment.

"With correct planning that reduces impacts to the environment, offshore wind farms can be a valuable energy resource," he said.