Save The Bay Launches Right-of-Way Monitoring Program
Volunteers will visit, assess and document Rights-of-Way for accessibility.
For Immediate Release
Media Inquiries To:
Juan Espinoza
401-272-3540 x136 (O); 401-203-3184 (C)
jespinoza@savebay.org
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – May 1, 2026 – Rhode Island’s Constitution guarantees privileges of the shore: fishing from the shore, gathering seaweed, leaving the shore to swim in the sea and passage along the shore, a right that has shaped the Ocean State’s culture. The Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) has designated 236 Rights-of-Ways to support the public exercising this right. Despite being designated for public use, many Rights-of-Way are inaccessible due to a lack of public parking and signage, overgrown vegetation, and illegal obstructions. To address these barriers to access, Save The Bay is launching a biannual Right-of-Way Monitoring Program. From May 2 to May 11, volunteers will visit all CRMC-designated Rights-of-Way to protect and improve public access.
“The Monitoring Program will be the most comprehensive assessment of Rights-of-Way Save The Bay has conducted to date,” said Topher Hamblett, Executive Director for Save The Bay. “Protecting the public’s ability to access the shore is essential in our pursuit of a Narragansett Bay that is accessible to all.”
Volunteers with Save The Bay’s new Right-of-Way Monitoring Program will visit Rights-of-Way across the state during the 10-day monitoring period. They will fill out an observation form–documenting signage, vegetation, obstructions and parking–helping keep Rhode Island’s shoreline open, safe and accessible to all. The data collected will help inform Save The Bay’s advocacy with coastal municipalities and CRMC staff to increase public access, guiding how sites are maintained, protected, and improved.
“Many access points are vulnerable to falling into disrepair, to the detriment of the public’s ability to get to the shore,” said Kate McCarthy, Community Organizer for Save The Bay. “By engaging community members on the current state of public access, we aim to increase awareness of Rights-of-Way, and improve accessibility of these important access points. We’ve had a resounding response, with volunteers signed up for every Right-of-Way.”
“CRMC is honored to lend its support and assistance for Save The Bay’s new ROW Monitoring Program, and we congratulate STB on this new effort,” said CRMC Executive Director Jeffrey Willis. “As the state agency tasked with the discovery and designation of rights-of-way to the shore, the CRMC encourages citizen advocacy towards the CRMC’s goal of designating more ROWs to the shore.”
The Right-of-Way Monitoring Program will be held twice a year, in May and October, to gather up-to-date information on the conditions of Rights-of-Way across the state. Those interested in learning more can visit https://volunteer.savebay.org/rights-of-way/.
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About Save The Bay
Founded in 1970, the Rhode Island-based nonprofit Save The Bay seeks to protect and improve Narragansett Bay and its 1,705-square-mile watershed. The organization works to achieve its vision of a fully swimmable, fishable Narragansett Bay, accessible to all, through its advocacy, education, and habitat restoration and adaptation work. Learn more about Save The Bay at www.savebay.org.