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www.keeprhodeislandbeautiful.com Contact: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Team of hikers to hike the entire 78-mile North-South Trail in Rhode Island over three days to raise awareness to the power plant proposed for the woods of Northern Rhode Island and to support Keep Rhode Island Beautiful. Former Gov. Chafee to join the team on the first day.
June 1, 2017 – A team of hikers plan to hike the entire 78-mile North-South trail over a three day period while camping along the way. Their journey will begin in Charlestown, RI on Sunday June 4th and end in the Douglas State Forest in Douglas, MA on June 6th. In the northern part of Rhode Island the North-South trail cuts through some of the very forests that would be impacted by the proposed Clear River Energy Center power plant and they plan to stop at one point to observe exactly where the plant would be located.
Former Gov. Lincoln Chafee will also join the hike for a portion of the first day to show his support.
The hike will kick off with a ceremony open to the public on Sunday June 4th at 8 AM at Blue Shutters Beach 469 East Beach Rd. in Charlestown RI. The ceremony will be attended by some key leaders that oppose the siting of the plant in the woods of Burrillville including Rhode Island’s former Gov. Lincoln Chafee and State Rep. Cale Keable. Burrillville Town Councilor Ray Trinque will also join as a representative from the Town of Burrillville and stated, “The Burrillville Town Council fully supports this effort and appreciates the increased exposure this hike will bring to our open space, parks, and recreation areas the town is built around.”
The location of the kick-off is purposeful as hikers that traverse the entire trail look to go “end to end” from the border of Rhode Island to the coast with the idea of hiking the entire state and often end with putting their feet in the Atlantic Ocean at Blue Shutters Beach. This time the team will start at the ocean and finish their sojourn in the very forests that are threatened by the proposed plant. There will be a welcome reception for the hikers on Tuesday June 6th at Noon to celebrate the return of the hikers to their native lands at the Wallum Lake Beach pavilion in the Douglas State Forest, 107 Wallum Lake Rd. Douglas, MA.
The proposed power plant that the team is hiking to raise awareness to is opposed by the Town of Burrillville. The controversial project has also received widespread opposition from many areas including formal opposition from 32 cities and towns in Rhode Island, the surrounding towns of Douglas, MA, Webster MA, and Thompson CT, and every major environmental group in the state of Rhode Island including; Audubon Society of Rhode Island, The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island, Save The Bay, and a host of state leaders and other organizations. The full opposition list can be found at: www.keeprhodeislandbeautiful.com/facts
Three hikers, all from Burrillville, will complete the full 78-mile journey and will be joined by others on various segments. The idea for the hike came from hike leader Sean Trinque who currently resides in Kentucky. Sean said, "I wanted to do this hike to create awareness state wide about an issue that is dear to my heart. Growing up in Burrillville I spent years recreating in the forest around the proposed power plant. From biking/hiking on the trails to camping at the George Washington campground I learned how special this area of Rhode Island is, and how any loss of its natural habitats and beauty is a price the state can't afford.”
www.keeprhodeislandbeautiful.com Contact: [email protected]
Hiker Mike Lamoureux, also from Burrillville, was instrumental in organizing the hike with assistance from the OAC (Outdoor Adventure Corps). Mike stated, “This hike is all about our continued effort to raise awareness. It is one thing to see the proposed location on a map. It is another thing to see the location in person. Throughout our hike we will be providing status updates and live video feeds along the way allowing everyone to get a better view of the entire area threatened by this project. Once people see this they will understand why RIDEM rejected this same site almost 30 years ago when Ocean State Power proposed it.”
The location of the plant has been noted as being one of nine resource protection areas in the state of Rhode Island by the EPA-New England and both The Nature Conversancy in Rhode Island and Audubon Society of Rhode Island have commented (as part of their statements at the ECRI, Environmental Council of Rhode Island) as to the significance of this area to local wildlife and wildlife migrations. Jason Olkowski from Keep Rhode Island Beautiful further commented on the importance of this location stating, “With so many experts telling us this location is just awful for something like this and the location being so close to so many state recreation and conservation areas the question before us is, will Rhode Island stand up to protect this forested area or will we sell out this area and sell out the community that is strongly opposed to the project and that would be most impacted by it.”
The theme of protecting this important area continues with comments from the third hiker Paul Ernest who said, I'm currently a student at CCRI with an interest in chemistry. I've joined many
events and meetings regarding the opposition to the proposed power plant in Burrillville, and this hike is another way for me to get involved. The power plant would be just 3/4 of a mile from my house where I live with my wife and two kids. The proximity of the power plant concerns me, but based on all I have learned I would oppose a fossil-fuel power plant being placed anywhere. I have been wanting to get involved with the green energy movement for a while, and this power plant proposal has motivated me.”
The team hiking the trail will be posting live updates through Twitter @KeepRIBeautiful and Facebook @ facebook/KeepRhodeIslandBeautiful. People can show their support by using #KRIBHIKE. Hikers will also be live streaming segments through Facebook. More information about the hike and the North-South trail is also available on the Keep Rhode Island Beautiful website at: www.keeprhodeislandbeautiful.com/hike
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Keep Rhode Island Beautiful is a grass roots community of citizens that advocate for the protection of our health and our important natural resources. We believe that the proposed Clear River Energy Center power plant is the wrong project in the wrong location and is bad for Burrillville and bad for Rhode Island.
