Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District (ERICD)

Rain barrels are one of the simplest ways to make a real environmental impact at home — while saving water and money.

Register for these workshops today!
Bristol → www.eventbrite.com/e/1981527446...
Barrington → www.eventbrite.com/e/1981529280...
Middletown → www.eventbrite.com/e/1981530108...

Cardinal Flower is impossible to miss — vivid red blooms, late-summer color, and a favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies.

This native perennial brings serious impact and supports pollinators when they need it most.

Visit the ERICD Seedling Sale ericd-seedling-sale.myshopify.com

The 2026 ERICD Seedling Sale is a curated collection of native plants for RI, MA, and CT, chosen to support pollinators and strengthen local ecosystems.

Plant for pollinators. Strengthen what’s local.
Seedlings available now through April 23.

ericd-seedling-sale.myshopify.com

Seedling Spotlight 🌿 Broad-Leaved Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum

The pollinator magnet.
78 insect species on one plant.
Silvery summer blooms.
Fresh minty scent.
Blooms for 15+ weeks.
Tough, drought-tolerant, New England native.

Reserve yours today.

ericd-seedling-sale.myshopify.com

For friends or relatives in Barrington, Bristol, or Newport.

Skip the clutter. Give a gift that reduces household waste by up to 30% and actually makes life easier.

Perfect for the eco-curious, gardeners, minimalists, and anyone who already recycles.

blackearthcompost.com/newport

Soil isn’t scenery. It’s working infrastructure. Lose it and you lose stability—food security, clean water, carbon storage, habitat. Everything above ground depends on what’s happening beneath it.

Real climate action in Rhode Island is happening in classrooms and cafeterias. A new partnership is helping schools divert food scraps to Black Earth Compost—cutting methane and returning nutrients to local soil. Aquidneck Elementary joins 60+ schools already leading the way.

Join The Bristol, RI Compost Pilot The Bristol Curbside Compost Collection Pilot offers Free Bin Starter Kit and 66% Off Weekly Food Scrap Pick Up Service the first year, 33% Off the Second year.

Calling all Bristol apartment dwellers: Your food scraps are about to become environmental heroes!

Who says composting is just for homeowners? Your kitchen counter is all the space you need.

Sign up: blackearthcompost.com/bristol

Ready to protect the coast you love? Newport’s FREE curbside compost program is open — and filling fast.

What you get (100% free):

Compost bin starter kit ($36 value)
Weekly pickup for 2 years ($300 value)
Cleaner bays, beaches & peace of mind

👉 Claim your spot: blackearthcompost.com/newport

ERICD is Open for Business!

While the federal government shutdown affects our partners at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Eastern RI Conservation District remains fully operational and is here to help.

The best part of removing invasive species? Finding out who you've helped.

This is why we do the unglamorous work of pulling invasive plants.

Native plants = native pollinators. It's that simple.

Rhode Island farmers: You may be 1 of approximately 23,000 operators contacted by @USDA_NRCS for the 2025 Conservation Effects Assessment Project Survey.

Findings will be used to assess the outcomes of conservation on cultivated cropland.

Learn more: nrcs.usda.gov/ceap/croplands

📷: Tufted Tit-tyrant | Alan Peterson

📷: Prothonotary warbler | Randy Streufert

📷: Dipper with Stonefly | Tyler Moore

The birds eat the insects, but what do the insects eat? Native plants! 🌱

Celebrate the last day of #NativePlantMonth with the latest Wild Birds Unlimited podcast! Dig into native plant trends, the importance of keystone plants, and how to garden to benefit birds! 🐦

Listen now 📲: ow.ly/nCQc50VHehb

ONLY TWO MORE RAIN BARREL WORKSHOPS LEFT! 🌧🛢

Our rain barrels are selling out fast, make sure you get yours before they're all gone!

To purchase check out the linktree in our bio or head over to www.easternriconservation.org/earthmonth!

Join us to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Wicked Tulips Farm this Friday! We will have speakers from RI DEM and our board discussing the Wicked Tulips journey and where we go from here!

Please note, this celebration will be held at the Johnston farm.

See you there!

🎨 🌊 Nearly 300 pieces of artwork were submitted to this year’s Ocean View Art Competition! The creativity and talent of Rhode Island’s young artists are truly impressive.

Thank you and congratulations to all who participated!

➡️ See the artwork and explore Ocean View: buff.ly/CnNuPkE

Due to inclement weather, we have decided to go ahead with moving our Middletown Rain Barrel Workshop and Flogland Plog event to the pre-scheduled rain date of THIS SUNDAY APRIL 27TH.

You can learn more on our website!

Researchers identify season’s 11th North Atlantic right whale mother and calf (April 21, 2025) Aerial observers from the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown on Friday spotted a previously undetected North Atlantic right whale mother and calf in Cape Cod Bay.

Happy Right Whale Day to all, but especially to this adorable new baby whale showing up fashionably late to calving season! 💙

It's Stormwater Wednesdays! 🌧 Today we are looking at how rain barrels can help reduce stormwater runoff!

Want to know more about the process? 🌧🏡 ERICD's Stormwater Info Session is on April 28th, 6:30-7:30Ppm at the Quinta Gamelin Community Center. Email rbrancato.ericd@gmail.com to RSVP!

Happy Earth Day from NRICD! As a reminder, we also have our monthly board meeting tonight. Join us in person or online via Youtube! See you there!

#earthday #environment #conservation #rhodeisland

Happy Earth Day! Take a moment today to disconnect from screens and step outside. Feel the sun on your face, listen to birds and breathe in the fresh air. Reconnect and remember what we’re working for. nature.ly/44zSTGk

HAPPY EARTH DAY!🌎

At ERICD, we strive to celebrate earth day every day through our programs, events, and education. Here are some highlights from our year; from farm tours to farm stands, we have done it all!✨

Looking to get more involved this earth month? Check out our upcoming events!

Earth Day graphic with a sea lion and text Protecting Our Blue Planet

While ocean temperatures are hitting record highs and devastating marine life, millions of tons of plastics are entering our ocean each year.

But this Earth Day, we can turn the tide. Join us and DOUBLE your impact today! 🌎 bit.ly/42UOUD5 🌎

#OurPowerOurPlanet #EarthDay

A doodled graphic of the Earth with the text “Every day is Earth Day” on it. The Earth is surrounded by drawings of nature including a desert, tropics, tundra, marine and deep sea environments, mountains, forests, rivers, and hills. Credit: Kaleigh Ballantine/NOAA.

A NOAA small boat returns to ship under a rainbow after collecting water samples and deploying scientific instruments in the Pacific’s Kure Atoll. Credit: James Morioka/NOAA.

Today is the big day! Happy #EarthDay from NOAA!

Check out noaa.gov/Earthday, & visit noaa.gov any time for the latest Earth science news, scientific research discoveries & ways you can get involved to help our home planet.

Looking for an easy way to help out your garden?🌱 Try a rain barrel!🌧️🛢️ Rain barrels help provide essential nutrients to your garden while cutting down on run-off pollution.

Our next rain barrel event is THIS SATURDAY in Middletown! We have limited stock, and sales end soon so purchase today!

Put Drinking Water First – It's Common Sense! The Trump administration plans to further weaken protections under the Clean Water Act. We must safeguard streams and wetlands to protect clean drinking water. Streams and wetlands are nature's filters that: Safeguard public health - Wetlands and streams filter out pollutants, such as excess nutrients, harmful chemicals, and other contaminants that can pose serious health risks. Improve water quality - Wetlands and streams reduce flooding and filter out harmful pollutants, helping to keep our drinking water clean. Lower costs for water systems & their customers - By reducing he amount of pollution entering drinking water sources, wetlands and streams lower the need for costly treatment downstream. Take Action! Speak up for Clean Water Act protections.

💧Putting Drinking Water First - Protecting ALL Water is Protecting ALL of Us💧

Hot off the press! 📢 Clean Water Action just released a powerful new white paper explaining why protecting all our water resources—including streams and wetlands—is essential to safeguarding our drinking water.

Happy Monday! Our seedlings have arrived at the farm and are ready to be sorted for their new homes! We're selling out fast, but online ordering closes on 4/24. So grab your favorites while they're still here! Please reach out with any questions!
#seedlingsale #fundraiser #conservation #earthmonth