Department of Environmental Management

Peregrine Falcon Pair Returns to their Pawtucket Home

John Bender — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:56:04 +0000

Two young falcons will be released back into the wild in Pawtucket this Saturday. The two got away from their nest which sits atop Pawtucket City Hall.

The Department of Environmental Management picked up two juvenile peregrine falcons that were found on the ground in Pawtucket last week.

The birds, one male and one female, are siblings, and about seven to eight weeks old.

Wildlife experts say juvenile falcons can often get away from their nests when learning to fly.

Bacterial Disease Found in Flock of Birds in Pawtucket

John Bender — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

The Department of Environmental Management has confirmed the presence of a bacterial disease known as psittacosis in a flock of birds owned in Pawtucket.

Psittacosis is a bacterial infection that most commonly affects psittacine birds such as parrots, parakeets, and cockatiels.

A flock of those birds in Pawtucket has been confirmed as being infected with this disease.

Though the birds are privately owned, the Rhode Island D.E.M. is concerned that other birds might have been exposed at the pet shops where they were bought in South County.

Public Called Upon to Track Wild Turkey's Population

Bradley Campbell — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:50:15 +0000

The Department of Environmental Management is asking Rhode Islanders to keep their eyes out for wild turkeys. The call is intended to track the health of the state’s turkey population.

DEM: Raccoon Brought Inside Home Exposed 11 People to Rabies

Flo Jonic — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:34:30 +0000

The state Department of Environmental Management says a baby raccoon found in Coventry has tested positive for rabies. The animal was found May 29^th in a rural area.

A family brought it into their home where it had contact with several adults and one child. Nine Rhode Islanders and two individuals from Connecticut who had known contact with the animal are now being treated for rabies exposure.

Rhode Island D.E.M. Supplies Larvacide to Fight Mosquito Population

Flo Jonic — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:12:10 +0000

The state Department of Environmental Management will distribute mosquito larvicide to Rhode Island communities starting Tuesday. Cities and towns use the product to kill mosquitos in catch basins, where they most commonly breed.

The state has been supplying cities and towns with mosquito larvicide ever since West Nile virus emerged 14 years ago. They use an environmentally-friendly product that comes in a briquette, about the size of two ice cubes. Town officials put one in each storm water catch basin and it kills larvae for six months.

Closed East Providence Recycling Facility to be Removed

Bradley Campbell — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:21:57 +0000

A contentious recycling facility in East Providence will close. The Department of Environmental Management will use bond money to pay the property owner to remove all construction and demolition debris from the site.

Fishermen Look Ahead to Changing Climate

Bradley Campbell — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:36:03 +0000

Recreational fishing is a multi-million dollar industry in southern New England. But fishermen are keeping an eye on how climate change will alter their industry.

Groundwater at Davis Superfund Site will take decades to repair

Bradley Campbell — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:28:44 +0000

The Department of Environmental management has reached a settlement in a case over pollution at the Davis Liquid Waste Superfund Site in Smithfield. The settlement was a long time coming, and the clean-up will take even longer.

Maple Syrup Production up in RI

John Bender — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:12:50 +0000

Maple Syrup production in RI is in full swing says Pete Susi, Deputy Chief of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Agriculture.

With some tapping their trees as early as January, producers now face a fickle spring as good maple syrup flow requires below freezing nights and warm days.

Despite weather fluctuations production is already up two to three times from last year says says Gibby Fountain a producer, of Sugar Hill Sugarhouse, a farm in Richmond.

DEM Looking into Narragansett Bay Pollution

Bradley Campbell — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:04:55 +0000

Shell fishermen are banned from fishing in the Upper Narragansett Bay. The Department of Environmental Management has found high levels of bacteria in the water.

DEM’s Chief of Surface Water Protection, Angelo Liberti, says it’s due to a portion of the Bucklin Point Wastewater Treatment plant in East Providence being taken offline. "And with the last rain event, they had some trouble balancing their treatment flow through their system which resulted in the release of partially treated wastewater.”