Ninigret NationalWildlife Refuge

Trails Through Time:A Self-Guided Journey

What might first appear to be justnative grasses and shrublands holds a richdiversity of forests, wetlands, kettle ponds,and a spectacular salt pond.

Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge’sdiverse habitats harbor millions of plants andanimals––some of which are endangered.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service managesthese habitats for the benefit of wildlife andvisitors like you.

This brochure highlights the natural andcultural history of this refuge.

u See where native tribes lived. u Hike on what was once a dairy farm

that exported world-famous South County Cheese.

u Stand where World War II pilots practiced landing fighter planes at night.

Inside, a map shows you where to findgraphic panels with additional information.

A Brief History of Ninigret

GlaciersIf you were walking here 17,000 years

ago it would not be an easy hike. That’sbecause an enormous ice sheet (a glacier)was slowly bulldozing, scraping, and goug-ing this landscape.

The glacier formed the 100-foot-highCharlestown Moraine, a ridge located severalmiles inland from the sea. The moraineformed as the melting glacier’s leadingedge acted as a conveyor belt, dumpingglacial debris (rocks, gravel, and sand)called till.

Streams from the melting glacier fannedout toward the sea. They deposited sandand gravel in an outwash plain.

Once, this flat plain was an ideal placefor farmlands and runways. Today it is thesetting for this parcel of land––the NinigretNational Wildlife Refuge––and its wildlife.

FOR KIDS Northern Harrier’s Word Finder

I am a harrier, a bird of prey.Over these fields I glide and

hover.Within the field of letters below,

Which living things can you discover?

The words are: HARRIER, GOLDENROD, CLAM, QUAHOG, SHREW, BAYBERRY, DRAGONFLY, FLY-CATCHER, SWITCHGRASS, TURTLE, CRAB. All can be found at the Ninigret National Wildlife Refugeat various times of the year. Words are spelled forward,backward, up, down, and diagonally.

D C R A G O H A U QF R H A R Z B Q U SL B A Y B E R R Y WY M R G G B S X B IC P R F O E L R U TA S I L L N P Y S CT J E L D W F E W HC S R A E P M L I GH C L R N J P T Y RE Z H C R A B R M AR S X D O P E U Z SX O Y M D S Z T P SM A L C L A T O M N

Melting glacier recedes inland,

leaving theCharlestown Moraine behind.

This way to the sea

Outwash plain

Tribal ArrivalAbout 9,000 years ago native people first

arrived on the shores of the Ninigret SaltPond. Here they gathered fish and shellfish.They grew corn, pumpkins, and other cropsin the fertile soil.

About 3,000 years ago, in warm seasons,Narragansett Indians lived along the SaltPond. In winter they moved inland into theforest. There they built wood and bark“longhouses,” which protected them fromicy winds and coastal storms

FarmingIn the 1600s colonists first settled in

Rhode Island on land used by native peo-ple. The colonists used it in various ways.The King of England granted a parcel ofland “one mile wide, from Watchaug Pondto the ocean” to colonist Jeffrey Champlin.There, farmers planted corn, hunted forgame, and fished in the ponds.

In the 1700s this parcel (now part of theNinigret National Wildlife Refuge) becameone of the largest and most successful plan-tations in Narragansett County.

Here, 200 slaves tended to more than 600sheep, 50 dairy cows, and hundreds of pigs.Farmers replaced native grasses with hay.Exported ham, wool, and cheese providedmost of the farmers’ income. South CountyCheese became famous around the world.

In 1787 the Rhode Island GeneralAssembly outlawed slavery in the state.With the decline of plantation life, small-scalefarming continued here until the early 1940s.

War Heroes In the early 1940s the U.S. Navy bought

the land around Ninigret Salt Pond, includ-ing Hunter’s Harbor––a summer residentialcolony. They transformed the land into thetop-secret Charlestown Naval Auxiliary AirStation.

At the air station, pilots trained forWorld War II night-flying missions in theSouth Pacific. In bad weather and fog, train-ing could be as risky as combat. Here, morethan 60 brave pilots died in plane crashes.

Back to NatureIn 1979 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service acquired the air station and createdthe Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge. TheService replaced runways with native grass-es, which in turn promoted the growth ofnative shrubs. This restored habitat pro-vides cover for wildlife all year long.

Today the Service continues to restore therefuge to its natural state. To maintain nativegrasses and shrublands, it conducts controlledburns, which help to minimize the growth ofnon-native invasive plant species.

Historical aerial view of the Air Station.

Woodland Period longhouse

The Service removed and recycled asphaltfrom 70 acres of old runways.

Controlled burning promotes the regrowthof warm-season native grasses.

Northern Harrier (R.I. state-Endangered species)Circus cyaneusLook for this raptor as itglides low over Ninigret’sfields, hunting for rabbitsand voles. Owl-like facialfeatures direct sounds ofscurrying prey to its ears.

Because of environmental toxins and the loss ofmeadows and marshlands, populations of thisspecies have declined.

Hard-shelled clam (Quahog,or Cohog)Mercenaria mercenariaPeople gather this tasty molluskfrom Ninigret Salt Pond. Long ago,tribal people used beads

(wampum) as currency for trading withEuropeans. Today New England tribes still fashionquahog shells into jewelry.

Masked ShrewSorex cinereusThis tiny forest insecti-vore feeds voraciouslyon insects, worms, andsalamanders. With ahigh metabolism (upto 800 heartbeats perminute), it can eat theequivalent of twice itsweight, or more, daily.

Snapping TurtleChelydra serpentinaWith a shell as longas 18 inches, thisreptile is RhodeIsland’s largestfreshwater turtle. Itdefends itself with its long neck and strong jaws.In water, where it tends to avoid people, it huntsfish and frogs. In spring, female snappers emergeto lay eggs on dry land around freshwater pondsand rivers.

SwitchgrassPanicum virgatumThis tall perennial grass provides woodcocks and bob-whites with cover and tastyinsects the grass harbors. Whensnow mats down other grasses,switchgrass stands tall and con-tinues to shelter birds and mam-mals. The U.S. Fish and WildlifeService spends time and money restoring switch-grass and other native warm-season grasses.

Northern Bayberry Myrica pensylvanica A fragrant coat of wax pro-tects bayberries from dryingwinds and salt spray. Thewax, which colonists used tomake candles, serves as high-calorie fuel for migrating yellow-rumped warblers.

Rough-stemmed GoldenrodSolidago rugosaThis yellow-flowered member of thedaisy family (Compositae) grows toa height of 7 feet. Its deeply toothedleaves tend to appear wrinkled and“hairy.”

Green DarnerAnax juniusIf you spot one of thesedragonflies, say “thankyou.” This “mosquitohawk” catches and eatsmosquitoes and other biting insects.

Horseshoe Crab Limulus polyphemusNot a true crab, this relative ofspiders has remained largelyunchanged for more than ahundred million years. Lookfor them in the shallows of theSalt Pond in warm seasons.

Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax trailliiThis species nests in the shrubsand wetlands of this refuge. Itsnumbers have declined as peoplehave developed wild habitats.Flycatchers feed on flying insects,seeds, and berries.

Meet some of our wild residents.

Trails Through Time Map

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Grassy Point

Foster Cove

Ninigret Pond

West Entrance

East Entrance

Charlietown Runway Trail

Grassy Point Historical TrailFoster Cove Loop Trail

Fishing Access

Cross Refuge Trail

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