URI Coastal Institute proposes Block Island as climate demonstration site; committee to coordinate outreach and letters of support

Representatives from the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Institute on Tuesday proposed designating Block Island as a new climate response demonstration site and asked the New Shoreham Coastal Resilience Committee to help shape research priorities and provide letters of support.

Nate Venatero, science director at the Coastal Institute at the University of Rhode Island, and colleagues presented the institute’s demonstration-site program, described existing sites in Rhode Island and said Block Island’s combination of bluff dynamics, shoreline change and marsh systems make it a candidate for focused, place-based research and public engagement. “We envision partnering with the Coastal Resilience Committee, possibly others,” Venatero said, noting the Institute would not move forward without local partnership.

Why it matters: Demonstration sites are intended to concentrate interdisciplinary research and community outreach in locations that can attract follow-on funding and coordinated monitoring. The institute said previous demonstration sites helped secure large National Science Foundation grants and municipal resilience funding; similar outcomes could expand data and planning capacity on Block Island.

Key details and proposed work

- Scope and priorities: Presenters identified bluff stabilization and sediment supply to beaches, shoreline-change mapping (including historical maps back to the 19th century), coastal infrastructure vulnerability, ferry-dependence logistics, water availability, and nature-based adaptation measures as candidate research areas. Brian Oakley, a senior fellow with the Coastal Institute and professor at Eastern Connecticut State University, described a proposal to update shoreline-change maps from 1886 through recent aerial imagery, add bluff-crest mapping and run drone-based lidar at targeted sites to quantify changes and sediment volumes.

- Data products and public access: Oakley said an expected product would be an online portal and ArcGIS hub with beach-profile data, shoreline-change datasets and bluff-crest maps for public use. Venatero and Oakley said a graduate student has prepared a draft ArcGIS story map for Block Island that could serve as a public-facing clearinghouse for maps, profiles and project descriptions.

- Funding and timing: Oakley said the team submitted a Sea Grant proposal and expects a decision in August; the project, if funded, would run roughly spring 2026 through January 2028. He said two recent NSF awards in Rhode Island leveraged demonstration-site investments, and that the Coastal Institute has used a combination of internal leverage funds, private donations and external grants to support site activities. Venatero said the Institute can begin designating Block Island as a demonstration site and pursue funding without waiting for a specific large grant.

- Community engagement and education: Committee members and presenters emphasized outreach and novel communication strategies to reach residents who are not already engaged with sea-level-rise science. Venatero and Jackie Widdersheen (marine research specialist, Coastal Institute) said student projects, story maps and public installations have been used elsewhere to communicate projections and local impacts. Valerie (audience member) requested early access to communication strategies and materials.

Partners and roles

Presenters listed potential partners and stakeholders including the Coastal Resilience Committee (CRC), The Nature Conservancy, Block Island Maritime Institute (BIMI), Committee for the Great Salt Pond, town departments (public works), and URI senior fellows and students. Venatero said the Coastal Institute typically funds activities at demonstration sites and leverages those investments to attract additional grants and academic partners.

Committee response and next steps

CRC members said they support moving forward with a coordinated research and outreach effort. Anne Salinas (CRC member) described prior CRC work identifying geographic priority areas, community engagement, ordinance review and grant support as committee priorities. Committee members asked the Coastal Institute to: (1) post the Block Island story map and demonstration-site description on the Institute’s website; (2) work with the CRC to refine specific research questions and community engagement plans; and (3) request letters of support from the CRC and other local partners when needed. Oakley and Venatero indicated they would seek letters of support and make the draft story map available to the committee.

Quotes

“We envision partnering with the Coastal Resilience Committee, possibly others. … I don’t think we would embark on something like this without the support of the Coastal Resilience Committee,” Nate Venatero said.

“We submitted that Wednesday to Sea Grant. We will hear back in August,” Brian Oakley said of the Sea Grant proposal to update shoreline maps, adding, if funded, the project would likely run spring 2026 through January 2028.

Outcomes and formal actions

No formal motion or vote was recorded in the transcript. The substantive, documented outcomes were: the Coastal Institute will list Block Island as a demonstration site on its website and continue outreach to the CRC and senior-fellow network; the Institute will seek letters of support from the committee and local partners; and committee members will work with the Institute to refine research priorities and communication plans. Those steps were described as next actions rather than formal decisions.

Background

The Coastal Institute’s climate response demonstration-site initiative supports targeted, place-based research and community engagement across Rhode Island. Presenters described three existing demonstration sites (Napatree Point, Port of Providence / urban watersheds at Roger Williams Park, and a mixed-use Bristol County site) and said the program has helped attract research funding and municipal resilience investments.

A follow-up CRC meeting was announced for June 3; presenters said they would return to coordinate scope and community engagement after summer field-season activities.

Ending

Presenters thanked the committee and attendees and said they would keep the CRC informed about proposal outcomes, story-map publication and opportunities for student involvement and community outreach.