City & Government

PROVIDENCE – With the warmer weather arriving, state public health and environmental officials are urging residents to safely enjoy the outdoors. With a very mild winter in which more ticks than usual have likely survived until spring and with warmer weather and longer days giving people more reasons to engage in outside activities, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) are concerned that 2022 may be a bad year for tick bites and the transmission of Lyme disease and other diseases.
For Rhode Islanders to enjoy the outdoors safely, it is important they be aware of ticks and the diseases these arachnids carry. Rhode Island continues to be a high-incidence state for Lyme disease. According to RIDOH disease data, Rhode Island had 839 cases of Lyme disease in 2020, with an incidence rate of 77 cases per 100,000.
“While Rhode Islanders are enjoying the great outdoors, we need to make sure we’re all taking these three key steps to preventing Lyme and other tick-borne diseases: Repel, Check, Remove,” said Interim Director of Health James McDonald, MD, MPH. “Repel and reduce your exposure to ticks, check your body for ticks in the spots that they like to crawl and hide, and be sure to promptly and properly remove ticks if you find one on yourself, your family members, or your pets. Ticks are tiny and you may not be able to feel them or spot them right away. The sooner you find and remove them, the better your chances are at preventing the potential for very serious health issues caused by Lyme and other diseases ticks carry.”
Increasing numbers of ticks could be attributed to a variety of environmental factors that are symptomatic of climate change such as more moderate winters (allowing ticks that are alive in autumn to survive over the winter), hotter temperatures in the summer, and more rainfall. Rhode Island’s Lyme disease prevention work is part of larger efforts toward building greater community resilience, which will help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from the adverse health effects of climate change.
“As the weather warms and Rhode Islanders begin returning to state parks, campgrounds, and management areas, so do ticks,” said DEM Acting Director Terry Gray. “DEM and the Rhode Island Department of Health cooperate on a wide array of programs and initiatives to protect public health. Public education is critical. Again this year, DEM welcomes the chance to make RIDOH’s informative tick bite-prevention materials available for our park and campground visitors.”
RIDOH’s ongoing Tick Free Rhode Island campaign highlights the three keys to tick safety: repel, check, and remove.
Repel
Keep ticks off you, your children, and pets by:
o Avoiding wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaves. If you are going to be in a wooded area, walk in the center of the trail to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush, and leaves at the edges of the trail. You can also spray your clothes with permethrin to keep ticks away. Make sure to not spray this on your skin.
o Wearing long pants and long-sleeve shirts when outside.
o Tucking your pants into your socks so ticks do not crawl under your clothes.
o Wearing light-colored clothing so you can see ticks more easily.
Check
Check yourself, your children, and pets, for ticks by:
o Taking a shower as soon as you come inside if you have been in grassy or wooded areas.
o Doing a full-body tick check using a mirror; parents should check their kids for ticks and pay special attention to the area in and around the ears, in the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and in their hair.
o Checking your pets for ticks as well because they can bring ticks into the home.
Remove
Remove ticks from your body, as well as from children and pets, if you find them.
o Use a set of tweezers to remove the tick. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight up.
o If you don’t have tweezers, use your fingers with a tissue or rubber gloves.
Most people who get Lyme disease get a rash anywhere on their body, though it may not appear until long after the tick bite (70-80% of people with Lyme disease will develop a rash, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). At first, the rash looks like a red circle, but as the circle gets bigger, the middle changes color and seems to clear, so the rash looks like a target bull’s-eye.
Some people don’t get a rash but feel sick, with headaches, fever, body aches, and fatigue. Over time, they could have swelling and pain in their joints and a stiff, sore neck; or they could develop shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet, or facial drooping from nerve palsy. A few people may even experience heart problems. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics.
Rhode Island’s Lyme disease prevention work is part of larger efforts toward building greater community resilience, which will help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from the adverse health effects of climate change.
The Tick Free Rhode Island campaign features three animated Tick Free Rhode Island videos. The videos show how to repel both ticks and mosquitoes, how to check for ticks, and how to properly remove a tick from the skin. RIDOH’s Rhode Island Tick Detective Workbook for Kids is also available online. To view the videos and get more information on Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, visit health.ri.gov/ticks.

PROVIDENCE – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is reminding Rhode Islanders to remove potential food sources from their properties as black bears emerge with warmer weather. Bird feeders, unsecured trash cans, livestock feed, and other easily available household and backyard food sources attract bears primarily in early spring, during droughts, or in the fall when they are trying to put on weight for hibernation. Thus far in 2022, eight confirmed black bear sightings have been reported to DEM. These include one sighting each in Exeter, North Smithfield, and Richmond, two in West Warwick, and three in South Kingstown from Jan. 11 to May 1.
Black bears are generally shy and unaggressive and will avoid interactions with humans. Until their natural food sources become more available in the spring, however, black bears may be destructive when scavenging from trash cans and visiting bird feeders, beehives, chicken coops, rabbit hutches, and compost piles in search of food. Bears can easily become dependent on readily available backyard food sources and quickly become a nuisance. Black bears have an excellent sense of smell, will investigate odors they identify as an easy meal, and will regularly frequent a site once a food source is identified.
“A bear can’t be blamed for riffling through a trash can, but we can certainly change our own behaviors for the safety of both the community and wildlife,” said DEM Chief Public Information Officer Michael Healey. “By teaching bears that backyards are not their personal grocery stores and humans are not vending machines, handing out snacks, we can keep wildlife wild and our communities safe. Remember, bears are usually only following their noses to what they perceive as a food source, with no intention of interacting with people.”
DEM reminds the public to become “bear aware” by:
o Removing bird feeders by early April and waiting until early November to put them back up.
o Refraining from feeding pets outside, or if you do, taking pet food dishes inside at night.
o Storing birdseed, livestock feed, and garbage in buildings.
o Taking garbage out for pickup on the morning of collection – not the night before.
o Keeping barbecue grills clean of grease. Do not put meat or sweet food scraps in your compost pile.
o Using electric fencing around chicken coops, beehives, rabbit hutches, and livestock pens.
o Moving livestock into barns at night.
o Above all, DO NOT FEED BEARS. These are wild animals. An adult male typically weighs between 150 and 450 pounds, while females generally weigh between 100 and 250 pounds.
If a black bear is spotted on private property, people are advised to:
o Report the sighting to DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement at 222-3070. DEM is working closely with local police to track bear sightings and complaints and educate people on how to safely coexist with bears.
o Do not panic. Bears are rarely aggressive toward people and will often leave on their own. After the bear leaves the area, food sources or any other item of attraction should be removed from the yard.
o Do not run away if you surprise a bear. Walk away slowly while facing the bear. Make noise and let it know you are there by shouting something at it. In Rhode Island, black bears are protected animals. Intentionally feeding or shooting a bear is illegal.
The following steps will minimize the potential for bears to attack livestock or apiaries:
o Use electric fencing around pens or paddocks to protect sheep and goats and other small livestock.
o Move small livestock into barns at night.
o Secure grains and sweet feeds in buildings.
o Use electric fencing to protect apiaries and chicken coops.
For more information on DEM programs and services, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@RhodeIsland.DEM).

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today announced the Town of Westerly will begin aerial application of mosquito larvicide across 500 acres of Chapman Swamp and nearby swamplands by helicopter on Wednesday, May 11, weather permitting. Spraying will take place between 8 AM and 2 PM. In the event of inclement weather, a rain date will occur on the first day after May 11 when weather permits.
Bti, a naturally-occurring bacterium applied in granular form to control mosquito breeding in swamps and other breeding habitats, will be applied. Bti is used to kill developing mosquito larvae by being applied to standing water where those larvae are found. It is an environmentally-friendly product whose toxins specifically affect the larvae of only mosquitoes, black flies, and fungus gnats and does not pose a risk to human health. Larviciding is recommended as part of the state’s action plan to control West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and considered an effective strategy to reduce mosquito populations and related disease risk.
In most communities, the state recommends applying larvicide by hand to roadside catch basins. In the Chapman Swamp area of Westerly, aerial application is recommended given the area’s remote location and large footprint. Mosquitoes carrying the EEE virus were found in Chapman Swamp in 1996, 2003, 2019 and 2020. Since 1997, the Town has applied Bti annually to help control mosquito breeding. Additional dates for spraying may be scheduled by the Town; the targeted areas include portions of Chapman Swamp and swampland near Hespar Drive.
For mosquito prevention tips, visit the Rhode Island Department of Health’s website.
For more information on DEM programs and services, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@RhodeIsland.DEM).

PROVIDENCE – Governor Dan McKee and The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today announced it has awarded $75,000 in grants to seven communities and private businesses that own and/or operate pump-out facilities that help boaters with properly disposing of sewage. The grants, funded by the US Fish & Wildlife Service Clean Vessel Act (CVA), will support five projects in Narragansett Bay, one facility in Point Judith Pond, and one pump-out boat on the Pawcatuck River. Every year, DEM applies for federal funds to buy or replace CVA equipment for use by municipalities and private marinas to offer low cost pump-outs. Since 1994, DEM has awarded over $2 million in CVA grants.
“Most of us know it’s not right to discharge wastewater directly from our boats into Narragansett Bay or the ocean. In fact, it’s illegal to pump waste within three nautical miles of the Rhode Island coast,” said DEM Acting Director Terry Gray. “DEM works with municipal and marine trades partners to prevent the discharge of boat sewage, which impairs water quality by introducing bacteria and other pathogens and chemicals that are harmful to humans and marine life. The support of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Clean Vessel Act helps accomplish this by subsidizing pump-out facilities that empower thousands of Rhode Island recreational boaters to do their part to keep the bay and coastal waters clean.”
The recent grant recipients are:
• Town of South Kingstown – $18,750 for the replacement of an existing stationary pump-out at Ram Point Marina in Pt. Judith Pond
• Newport Yacht Club – $3,000 for the maintenance of a stationary pump-out in Newport Harbor
• Barrington Yacht Club – $1,875 for the maintenance of a stationary pump-out in Bristol Harbor
• Town of Jamestown – $1,575 for the maintenance of two stationary pump-outs in Jamestown
• Town of Westerly – $13,300 for a new outboard engine for a pump-out boat serving the Pawcatuck River and Little Narragansett Bay
• Safe Harbor Cowesett North Yard – $18,750 for the replacement of an existing stationary pump-out in Greenwich Bay
• Safe Harbor Cowesett South Yard – $18,750 for the replacement of an existing stationary pumpout in Greenwich Bay
There are currently 15 pump-out boats and 59 facilities located across Narragansett Bay and RI coastal waters. Many existing facilities require repair and upgrades as they have exceeded their useful life expectancy since initial construction. All pump-out facilities must be kept fully operational to adequately meet the demand. Around 40,000 boats are registered in Rhode Island, and the state welcomes many thousands more visiting boats each year. Last year, a total volume of over 600,000 gallons of sewage was pumped out at these facilities and diverted from directly entering Rhode Island’s surface waters. Visit DEM’s website for a map of marine pump-out facilities in Rhode Island.
New this year, DEM has partnered with the San Francisco Estuary Partnership to upload all publicly accessible pumpout facility data to the Pump-out Nav Application, available on Android Play and iOS Apple stores. This free phone application allows boaters to locate and get directions to the nearest pump-out station, view cost information and hours of operation, and report any problems encountered while using the pump-out facility.
In 1998, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to receive a statewide “no discharge” designation from the US Environmental Protection Agency prohibiting boaters from discharging sewage into local waterways.
For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates.