SACHUEST POINT NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
by Anita Rafael
Raise your hand if you know anything about common mummichogs. Does Fundulus heteroclitus ring a bell? Probably not, but if you head out for walk along the trails past the salt marshes at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, they’ll be happy to have your company.
The common mummichog, it turns out, is the common minnow – a 5- or 7-inch fish that loves tidal creeks and brackish water. Thanks to the salt marsh restoration project at and near Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge last year, it is going to be mummichog heaven out on Middletown’s southernmost tip from now on. The refuge is a 242-acre wildlife sanctuary encompassing not only mummichog habitats, but also rocky and sandy beaches, dunes, grasslands, shrublands, woodlands and freshwater ponds. The entire site is looped by a 1.2 mile hiking trail, which the mummichogs, having no feet, don’t use much. Thankfully, you can.
Here’s the best news: you can go to Sachuest for free. This extraordinarily scenic wind-pruned point is only a tiny fraction (0.00026%) of the territory that is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The first federal refuge was created by President Teddy Roosevelt to protect Pelican Island, Florida, placing it under the eye of the Bureau of Biological Survey in 1903. That agency and the Bureau of Fisheries were combined in 1940 to create the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Two years later, Pelican Island (now a 5,413-acre sanctuary) and other early federal reservations were re-designated as "national wildlife refuges.” Sachuest was named to the list in 1973. Today more than 7,500 employees, and countless volunteers, oversee almost 100 million protected acres nationwide throughout more than 520 refuge areas and smaller sites.
Sachuest’s schools of mummichogs, along with an uncountable number of other fish, birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects, plus a handful of seasonal staff and about 25 volunteers, along with some 160,000 visitors annually, are all under the watchful eye of assistant National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) manager, Sharon Ware. With that many living things to watch out for, she has a huge responsibility, “Thankfully,” Ware remarked, “the people who appreciate the refuge and wildlife far outnumber the people who don’t, so knowing that makes what I do a little easier on a tough day.”
On The Ocean View Trail
Plan to start your first visit to the Sachuest Refuge by spending a few minutes in the Visitors Center, which was enlarged and totally rehabbed in 2003. Look for the interpretive exhibits and artwork, especially the giant mural by Portsmouth artist Amy Bartlett Wright. Take a peek to see what’s new in the teeny-tiny Bayberry Boutique that is run by volunteers and a membership organization called Friends of Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuges. You can study the latest list of bird and wildlife sightings on the bulletin boards, get a weather update, check the tide tables, scope out the fishing reports, sign-up if there are any (free) guided walking tours being offered, chat with the volunteers and other wanderers, and, most importantly, pick up a copy of the trail map. Another added bonus: The Visitors Center’s restrooms are super-clean and universally accessible.
Once you have your updates, your bearings, and your map, leave from the front of the Visitor Center building, and turn towards the left, or south if you have your pocket GPS fired up. Pick up the Ocean View trail in front of the building. Keep in mind that the refuge is not really a speed-walkers’ milieu. You’ll want to slow down to enjoy it thoroughly, and walk only on the marked trails that are designated as open for visitors during the time you are there. The paths at Sachuest are rated as easy terrain and are trimmed wide, mowed often, and for the most part, all level. Geologically speaking, Sachuest is a drumlin, a small hill composed of glacial drift. A glance at the map, however, tells you that you are on a little peninsula with Sachuest Bay on one side, and Sakonnet River, actually an estuary, on the other. (Sachuest and Sakonnet are words from the native Narragansett language that translate as “little hill at the outlet” and “rocky outlet.”)
Westward, you will see Second Beach, and directly across, you will be able to make out the big crack in the ledge at Purgatory Chasm, and on a distant point beyond that, you may be able to see chimney tops of the mansions along the southernmost end of Newport’s Cliff Walk. Knowing how popular Aquidneck Island became as a summer resort among the high-society set of the Gilded Age, you’d expect to find mansions on this picturesque point, too. However, no grand villas ever stood here. On Sachuest’s landscape today hardly any manmade evidence is visible that would convince you that from the 1600s through the 1800s, the whole area was cleared farmland and inhabited mainly by grazing sheep.
At Sachuest Point
In about 10 minutes, you will reach the rocky point of Sachuest Point and an interpretive wayside sign. You can reach the rocks easily and safely at the designated access points. This is a good place to take stop and enjoy the panoramic ocean views. The beauty of this particular spot on Aquidneck Island is all-but indescribable. Author Herman Melville had an expression for places that take your mind and spirit into another realm – he called them a “Tahiti of The Soul.” The best part: hallelujah, no automobiles.
On days when big rolling waves are crashing onto the shore, the surf can be dramatic. Deadly, even, if you get too close. It might be best to sit on the bench and not climb down the bluffs. There is usually lots of activity along the shoreline – you may see lobster boats, sport fisherman, plein air artists, nature photographers, bird watchers, diving birds (cormorants are fun to spy on), any number of different gulls, winter’s handsome harlequin ducks and, on occasions only at low tide in winter also, blubbery harbor seals.
It seems so idyllic at Sachuest that it is nearly impossible to believe this was once a booming place – literally. The Coast Artillery temporarily installed two 4.72-inch guns pointing out to sea during World War I. During World War II, for the strategic defense of Narragansett Bay, the U.S. Army re-armed the location with really big guns (reassuringly capable of hitting Martha’s Vineyard, in fact). It was called Fort Church, in honor of a Rhode Island colonial era citizen-soldier. The Navy also built small-arms ranges on about 150 acres at Sachuest. Concurrent with the military’s massive pullout from its Rhode Island installations, ambitious plans to reclaim the land as open space and wildlife habitat began with a 70-acre gift from the state’s chapter of the Audubon Society in 1970.
Nearly all the defensive structures at Sachuest have been removed, but if you know where to look and what you are looking for, scraps of the military’s presence remain. Some of us at NLM remember happily driving all over the point and stopping to picnic in the shade beside the concrete ruins of graffiti-covered barricades, batteries, barracks and a radar tower, all of which were supposedly built to resemble the barns, cottages and silo on “a working farm.” They didn’t fool us for one second and we have a hard time believing they would have duped our enemies either. “The Visitors Center,” NWR manager Ware explained, “was a Naval radio receiver communication center.”
Birds are everywhere at Sachuest, and hushed hikers will always hear more than they see. It is estimated that more than 200 species have a seasonal presence at the refuge, representing 15 orders and 32 families. In descending sequence, the major groups seen are: waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds and passerines. Ten species of small mammals inhabit this small parcel, too, including coyotes that must enjoy having a steady diet of plump Eastern cottontails. A nature note: Coyotes sleep all day hidden in old woodchuck burrows and are people-shy. You’ll spot plenty of bunny tails on the bunny trails, but no coyotes.
Along Flint Point Trail and Island Rocks
Next, the route rounds the tip and continues coastwise, for less than one mile. The Ocean View trail eventually joins the Flint Point trail. There is an observation platform directly in front of the rocks an offshore outcropping known as Island Rocks, and another interpretive wayside sign. (Look for seals on the rocks at low-tide in winter.) You may see cross-routes that circle through the interior, too, but stick to the main outermost trail. Eastward, you can see the gently sloping fields and farmlands of Little Compton and the light at Sakonnet Point.
All along the way, you will see each season’s most familiar wildflowers – wild roses, asters, goldenrod – blooming high and low among the branches and towering brambles. Here and there, is a sparse tree or two, and an open field now and then. Be aware that some of the most vigorous vines are poison ivy, an aggressive plant the USFWS refers to as an “undesirable species,” not to mention that, if you touch it, the itch is maddening. A larger portion of the tangle, however, is Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), which, although its leaves and berries make a brilliant autumn showing, is “invasive” (meaning it is taking over everything and choking out important plants which provide better food sources or habitats for birds and animals). Currently, over 70% of the vegetation on the refuge is considered invasive, and controlling the spread of both non-native and invasive flora is a priority for refuge manager Ware and the NWR staff. In a long-term effort to restore 82 acres to native grasses and shrubs, the bittersweet is being hydro-axed, mowed and finally “stressed” out of existence with EPA-approved herbicides.
On the topic of invasive species, you should keep in mind that the USFWS, while it welcomes your enthusiasm for the great outdoors, considers you to be more or less of an invader, too. Ware defends this position, and said “By Federal mandate, the wildlife and habitats always come first.” In some publications, recommendations for site conservation urge severe reduction or elimination altogether of soil-compacting, ground-flora trampling recreation. How thwarting to think that even the most mild-mannered, binoculared bobolink watchers, just by stepping into open fields, are habitat-wreckers. Zealot environmentalists have said worse things about people who, intentionally or not, upset the delicate balance of the natural world, but before you become offended, remember that our species is not at risk of extinction – at least not yet. NWR manager Ware names a few of the endangered birds she monitors: “From the Rhode Island list, at Sachuest we see nesting piping plovers, peregrine falcons, short-eared owls and harrier hawks.”
Back To Visitors Center
The final leg of the Flint Point trail makes a turn away from the shore. Facing in the direction of the Norman Bird Sanctuary’s famous Hanging Rock, you are overlooking Third Beach, Gardiner Pond and the salt marsh restoration project that began in 1998. After being abused for decades as a trash dump, this “impacted wetland” is making a speedy recovery now that the tidal flow has been re-established. “Marsh flora and fauna both responded strongly to the restoration,” the experts wrote in an official report about this site, “by becoming more like the biological communities present in unimpacted marshes.” In plain talk, what they meant was, as wetlands go, it seems to be working, and you can hardly tell the difference from the real thing. What good news. It is a quick 10-minute walk along this inland path to the large informational kiosk at the corner of the parking area and the Visitors Center.
Seven years ago, when President Bill Clinton signed the country’s first comprehensive refuge improvement act into law, he said, "The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's greatest system of lands dedicated to the conservation of fish and wildlife.” On behalf of the mummichogs, we agree, it is great. By the way, you’re probably not going to actually see any mummichogs while you’re on the trails at Sachuest, but be comforted by the fact that thousands of them are swimming nearby, merrily munching away at the all-you-can-eat mosquito larvae buffet. That adds up to about a trillion fewer itchy bites for you.
What To Know Before You Go
Sachuest is open sunrise to sunset, and after-dark sport fisherman require a $15 permit for access. There are a limited number of parking spaces. During tick season, take every recommended precaution to avoid Lyme disease. For all the details, call 401-847-5511 or 401-364-9124, which is the Charlestown USFWS Rhode Island office.
· Things to bring: good walking shoes, water, a hat, sun screen lotion, binoculars, camera, extra film, and a favorite nature field guide.
· Things to leave in your car: kites, radio-control planes, bikes, roller blades, motorized vehicles, paintball guns, fireworks, boom-boxes, alcoholic beverages and trash.
Because it is a protected wildlife area, Sachuest has the usual rules and regulations, all of which make perfect sense to the birds and animals who live there, and hopefully, to you, too. Since dog walking has been determined to be incompatible with the NWR mission of wildlife protection, leave your pooch at home.
· Things to remember: don’t litter, don’t light campfires or cooking grills, don’t pick wild flowers or berries, don’t dig up plants, don’t touch small mammals (however innocent they look, they may carry the rabies virus).
Getting There
Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife Calendar
Spring (Mar-May)
Plan to start your first visit to the Sachuest Refuge by spending a few minutes in the Visitors Center, which was enlarged and totally rehabbed in 2003. Look for the interpretive exhibits and artwork, especially the giant mural by Portsmouth artist Amy Bartlett Wright. Take a peek to see what’s new in the teeny-tiny Bayberry Boutique that is run by volunteers and a membership organization called Friends of Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuges. You can study the latest list of bird and wildlife sightings on the bulletin boards, get a weather update, check the tide tables, scope out the fishing reports, sign-up if there are any (free) guided walking tours being offered, chat with the volunteers and other wanderers, and, most importantly, pick up a copy of the trail map. Another added bonus: The Visitors Center’s restrooms are super-clean and universally accessible.
Once you have your updates, your bearings, and your map, leave from the front of the Visitor Center building, and turn towards the left, or south if you have your pocket GPS fired up. Pick up the Ocean View trail in front of the building. Keep in mind that the refuge is not really a speed-walkers’ milieu. You’ll want to slow down to enjoy it thoroughly, and walk only on the marked trails that are designated as open for visitors during the time you are there. The paths at Sachuest are rated as easy terrain and are trimmed wide, mowed often, and for the most part, all level. Geologically speaking, Sachuest is a drumlin, a small hill composed of glacial drift. A glance at the map, however, tells you that you are on a little peninsula with Sachuest Bay on one side, and Sakonnet River, actually an estuary, on the other. (Sachuest and Sakonnet are words from the native Narragansett language that translate as “little hill at the outlet” and “rocky outlet.”)
Westward, you will see Second Beach, and directly across, you will be able to make out the big crack in the ledge at Purgatory Chasm, and on a distant point beyond that, you may be able to see chimney tops of the mansions along the southernmost end of Newport’s Cliff Walk. Knowing how popular Aquidneck Island became as a summer resort among the high-society set of the Gilded Age, you’d expect to find mansions on this picturesque point, too. However, no grand villas ever stood here. On Sachuest’s landscape today hardly any manmade evidence is visible that would convince you that from the 1600s through the 1800s, the whole area was cleared farmland and inhabited mainly by grazing sheep.
At Sachuest Point
In about 10 minutes, you will reach the rocky point of Sachuest Point and an interpretive wayside sign. You can reach the rocks easily and safely at the designated access points. This is a good place to take stop and enjoy the panoramic ocean views. The beauty of this particular spot on Aquidneck Island is all-but indescribable. Author Herman Melville had an expression for places that take your mind and spirit into another realm – he called them a “Tahiti of The Soul.” The best part: hallelujah, no automobiles.
On days when big rolling waves are crashing onto the shore, the surf can be dramatic. Deadly, even, if you get too close. It might be best to sit on the bench and not climb down the bluffs. There is usually lots of activity along the shoreline – you may see lobster boats, sport fisherman, plein air artists, nature photographers, bird watchers, diving birds (cormorants are fun to spy on), any number of different gulls, winter’s handsome harlequin ducks and, on occasions only at low tide in winter also, blubbery harbor seals.
It seems so idyllic at Sachuest that it is nearly impossible to believe this was once a booming place – literally. The Coast Artillery temporarily installed two 4.72-inch guns pointing out to sea during World War I. During World War II, for the strategic defense of Narragansett Bay, the U.S. Army re-armed the location with really big guns (reassuringly capable of hitting Martha’s Vineyard, in fact). It was called Fort Church, in honor of a Rhode Island colonial era citizen-soldier. The Navy also built small-arms ranges on about 150 acres at Sachuest. Concurrent with the military’s massive pullout from its Rhode Island installations, ambitious plans to reclaim the land as open space and wildlife habitat began with a 70-acre gift from the state’s chapter of the Audubon Society in 1970.
Nearly all the defensive structures at Sachuest have been removed, but if you know where to look and what you are looking for, scraps of the military’s presence remain. Some of us at NLM remember happily driving all over the point and stopping to picnic in the shade beside the concrete ruins of graffiti-covered barricades, batteries, barracks and a radar tower, all of which were supposedly built to resemble the barns, cottages and silo on “a working farm.” They didn’t fool us for one second and we have a hard time believing they would have duped our enemies either. “The Visitors Center,” NWR manager Ware explained, “was a Naval radio receiver communication center.”
Birds are everywhere at Sachuest, and hushed hikers will always hear more than they see. It is estimated that more than 200 species have a seasonal presence at the refuge, representing 15 orders and 32 families. In descending sequence, the major groups seen are: waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds and passerines. Ten species of small mammals inhabit this small parcel, too, including coyotes that must enjoy having a steady diet of plump Eastern cottontails. A nature note: Coyotes sleep all day hidden in old woodchuck burrows and are people-shy. You’ll spot plenty of bunny tails on the bunny trails, but no coyotes.
Along Flint Point Trail and Island Rocks
Next, the route rounds the tip and continues coastwise, for less than one mile. The Ocean View trail eventually joins the Flint Point trail. There is an observation platform directly in front of the rocks an offshore outcropping known as Island Rocks, and another interpretive wayside sign. (Look for seals on the rocks at low-tide in winter.) You may see cross-routes that circle through the interior, too, but stick to the main outermost trail. Eastward, you can see the gently sloping fields and farmlands of Little Compton and the light at Sakonnet Point.
All along the way, you will see each season’s most familiar wildflowers – wild roses, asters, goldenrod – blooming high and low among the branches and towering brambles. Here and there, is a sparse tree or two, and an open field now and then. Be aware that some of the most vigorous vines are poison ivy, an aggressive plant the USFWS refers to as an “undesirable species,” not to mention that, if you touch it, the itch is maddening. A larger portion of the tangle, however, is Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), which, although its leaves and berries make a brilliant autumn showing, is “invasive” (meaning it is taking over everything and choking out important plants which provide better food sources or habitats for birds and animals). Currently, over 70% of the vegetation on the refuge is considered invasive, and controlling the spread of both non-native and invasive flora is a priority for refuge manager Ware and the NWR staff. In a long-term effort to restore 82 acres to native grasses and shrubs, the bittersweet is being hydro-axed, mowed and finally “stressed” out of existence with EPA-approved herbicides.
On the topic of invasive species, you should keep in mind that the USFWS, while it welcomes your enthusiasm for the great outdoors, considers you to be more or less of an invader, too. Ware defends this position, and said “By Federal mandate, the wildlife and habitats always come first.” In some publications, recommendations for site conservation urge severe reduction or elimination altogether of soil-compacting, ground-flora trampling recreation. How thwarting to think that even the most mild-mannered, binoculared bobolink watchers, just by stepping into open fields, are habitat-wreckers. Zealot environmentalists have said worse things about people who, intentionally or not, upset the delicate balance of the natural world, but before you become offended, remember that our species is not at risk of extinction – at least not yet. NWR manager Ware names a few of the endangered birds she monitors: “From the Rhode Island list, at Sachuest we see nesting piping plovers, peregrine falcons, short-eared owls and harrier hawks.”
Back To Visitors Center
The final leg of the Flint Point trail makes a turn away from the shore. Facing in the direction of the Norman Bird Sanctuary’s famous Hanging Rock, you are overlooking Third Beach, Gardiner Pond and the salt marsh restoration project that began in 1998. After being abused for decades as a trash dump, this “impacted wetland” is making a speedy recovery now that the tidal flow has been re-established. “Marsh flora and fauna both responded strongly to the restoration,” the experts wrote in an official report about this site, “by becoming more like the biological communities present in unimpacted marshes.” In plain talk, what they meant was, as wetlands go, it seems to be working, and you can hardly tell the difference from the real thing. What good news. It is a quick 10-minute walk along this inland path to the large informational kiosk at the corner of the parking area and the Visitors Center.
Seven years ago, when President Bill Clinton signed the country’s first comprehensive refuge improvement act into law, he said, "The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's greatest system of lands dedicated to the conservation of fish and wildlife.” On behalf of the mummichogs, we agree, it is great. By the way, you’re probably not going to actually see any mummichogs while you’re on the trails at Sachuest, but be comforted by the fact that thousands of them are swimming nearby, merrily munching away at the all-you-can-eat mosquito larvae buffet. That adds up to about a trillion fewer itchy bites for you.
What To Know Before You Go
Sachuest is open sunrise to sunset, and after-dark sport fisherman require a $15 permit for access. There are a limited number of parking spaces. During tick season, take every recommended precaution to avoid Lyme disease. For all the details, call 401-847-5511 or 401-364-9124, which is the Charlestown USFWS Rhode Island office.
· Things to bring: good walking shoes, water, a hat, sun screen lotion, binoculars, camera, extra film, and a favorite nature field guide.
· Things to leave in your car: kites, radio-control planes, bikes, roller blades, motorized vehicles, paintball guns, fireworks, boom-boxes, alcoholic beverages and trash.
Because it is a protected wildlife area, Sachuest has the usual rules and regulations, all of which make perfect sense to the birds and animals who live there, and hopefully, to you, too. Since dog walking has been determined to be incompatible with the NWR mission of wildlife protection, leave your pooch at home.
· Things to remember: don’t litter, don’t light campfires or cooking grills, don’t pick wild flowers or berries, don’t dig up plants, don’t touch small mammals (however innocent they look, they may carry the rabies virus).
Getting There
Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge is located in Middletown, Rhode Island. In downtown Newport, pick up Route 138A, or Memorial Boulevard. Continue past First (or Newport) Beach. After the beach, bear right onto Purgatory Road. Take a right onto Sachuest Point Road, pass the state beach, and continue to the end. It leads directly into the refuge’s parking lot. On summer weekends when the beach traffic is at peak, allow a little extra time to get to and from Sachuest Point.
Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife Calendar
Spring (Mar-May)
Bluefish, blackfish and striped bass move into coastal waters as temperatures
rise.
Winter cress, bulbous buttercup and other wildflowers in bloom
Common yellowthroat, American goldfinch and other songbirds in full chorus.
Common tern arrive to nest on offshore islands.
Summer (Jun-Aug)
Scarlet pimpernel, thistles and many other wildflowers in blossom.
Fledged
young of resident birds appear.
Wood nymph and many other butterflies
present.
Fall (Sep-Nov)
Large flocks of tree swallows gather in late August and early September.Winter (Dec-Feb)
Monarch butterfly migration peaks in late September.
Hawk migration best mid-September through early October.
Harlequin, eiders, scoters and other migratory waterfowl arrive; many species winter over here.
Snowy owls, short-eared owls and rough-legged hawks often present.
Purple sandpipers and sanderlings winter along rocky shore.
Field Trips For Families
Visit all 5 of Rhode Island’s National Wildlife Refuges -
Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, Block Island, 127
Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, Charlestown, 400 acres
Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, Middletown, 242 acres
Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, South Kingstown, 800 acres
John H. Chafee (Pettaquamscutt Cove) National Wildlife Refuge, Narragansett and South Kingstown, 317 acres, accessible by canoe or kayak, no trails
