Our new Groundhog friend!

Just after the floods abated, we began seeing a ground hog meandering in the field behind the house. He is now a daily visitor, which leads me to believe there is a burrow nearby and possibly, a young groundhog soon to appear.

I plan to get a photo of our him/her and will post it. Who cares if a Groundhog is a giant member of the squirrel family. We think its pretty cool that we have one living here.

Pennsylvania has Phil. We have Hopkinton Harry/Harriet.

Road Closures in Hopkinton, Rhode Island

After the historic rains and floods in our neck of the woods, we are dealing with how to get there from here. Below is a list road closures.



As of Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 3:30 p.m., the following roadways in Hopkinton are closed:

Chase Hill Road at Ashaway Road
Woodville Alton Road at Collins Road, up to Alton Bradford Road
Rt. 3 at the Westerly Town Line
Rt. 3 at Reynolds Farm
Woodville Road at the Richmond Town Line
Dye Hill Road from the bridge between Woody Hill Road and Saw Mill Road
Bank Street
Marshall Driftway
Burdickville Road at the Charlestown Town Line
Laurel Street
Alton Bradford Road at the Westerly Town Line
Alton Bradford Road at the Richmond Town Line

There is no surprise that the bridge over Brushy Brook is out. Just look at the Video.

Incredible Flooding

Here in Hope Valley our babbling brooks are rivers and the rivers are white water rapids. We received nine inches of rain after having two previous storms of three inches plus. The ground is saturated and there is no place for the water to go.

We've had a huge problem with flooded, washed out roads and bridges.

The phrase "You can't get there from here", is frighteningly true. I've met more folks who were lost and couldn't find there way today, than I have all last summer during tourist season. I heard the phrase "Where an I?" More than once as folks try to navigate around the flooded roads to get where they need to go.

The photo above is Brushy Brook where it crosses Dye Hill Road taken at about 6:30 p.m. March 30, 2010.

When it Rains this much

the brooks and rivers overflow. The roads flood, as water tries to find a place to go. Thank goodness it stopped raining this morning. It will give the water time to flow from the brooks to the ponds, rivers and eventually the ocean. Hopefully, most of this will happen before high tide.

Get ready, this is just the beginning of spring.

Maple Syrup the Modern Way

Twenty years ago, I watched a Connecticut Farmer make maple syrup. There was a great deal more waiting and boiling to produce a quart of syrup than today.

We checked out the Sugar Shack of Wayne Richmond on Canonchet Driftway in Hope Valley on Sunday. He has a much more modern set-up which includes: A large fiberglas storage tank and reverse osmosis machine, along with the traditional buckets hung from the trees and the smell of wood mixed with sap vapors steaming from the shack. We learned about the different grades of syrup, the process, how weather and barometric pressure effect harvesting and the cooking temperatures.

Thanks, Wayne for sharing your expertise. We are learning all about reverse osmosis thanks to you!

Tres Bien, Merci, Napolean!

My son, who has his autism to deal with, finds learning by regular means tedious. I am always looking for ways to make subjects, like history, come alive for him. This year we are on a journey through world history and some of it has been like watching socks dry.

I decided to place more emphasis on interesting people in history.

Merci beaucoup, Napolean Bonaparte!

Hopkinton, RI Town Council Vacancy

Are you ready for a personal challenge?

At a time when our council is hammered with budget projections and decreased State funding, Hopkinton has a town council vacancy.

While there are no written qualifications except that you be a registered voter in the Town of Hopkinton, I have a few suggestions.

1. A respect for small town government.

2. Business or volunteer experience with budgets.

3. More than impressive communication skills.

4. No special individual pet issues or axes to grind. Your time on the council may be short and
there is a great deal of work to be done.

If you think you are up for the challenge, contact our town clerk without delay. The Town Council has 15 days to fill the vacancy.

Elizabeth Cook-Martin
Town Hall
One Town House Road
Hopkinton, Rhode Island 02833
377-7777

Worth Protecting!

I came across a gallery of photos of Hopkinton. Kudos to whoever took these. I am posting them here for you all to enjoy. There are a great reminder of why we all moved here in the first place.

http://www.riacc-online.org/galleries.html


Enjoy the show!

Hopkinton Planning Board Meeting, Wednesday March 3rd

This is a reminder that the Hopkinton Planning Board will hold their next meeting:

Wednesday, March 3rd at the Hope Valley Elementary School beginning at 7 p.m.

I know that it was not imperative for everyone to be in attendance at the last meeting, but I hope we will hear about the bids for the engineering study of Brushy Brook Development. It is also important for us to stay informed on other possible residential development in our area of Hope Valley and the rest of Hopkinton. What may not effect us directly in location, will impact the town and us financially.

A report regarding well production and water quality in our area and will be submitted to the Planning Board by their March 3rd meeting along with the Conservation Commission. I thank you all for your help in providing information for the report. A request will be made that a copy of the report be given to the hydrologist who is employed by the consulting engineering company evaluating the Brushy Brook project.

If it doesn't stop raining by Sunday, we will have a neighborhood ark building seminar...LOL.

An Important Notice to All Animal Lovers from the Hopkinton Animal Shelter

Rabies A Serious Threat In Hopkinton.

Due to the number of incidents involving rabid animals, the Town of Hopkinton feels it is necessary to educate the public on the importance of vaccinating your pets against the rabies virus.

Any pet involved in an altercation with a wild animal is subject, by Rhode Island State Law, to serve ten days in quarantine. If your pet is vaccinated, quarantine can be done at your home. If your pet is not vaccinated or the vaccination has expired the quarantine must be done at the shelter or a state approved kennel at the cost of the owner.

Many residents feel they are not at risk because their pets are only outside for short periods of time. Rabies vector species, which include bats, skunks, raccoons, foxes and woodchucks do not behave normally when infected by the rabies virus. They will come out during the day and can attack people or animals they would normally run and hide from.

Residents who have strictly indoor pets such as cats may believe there is no risk to them. Although it is rare, there have been incidents where rabies vector species have gotten inside the home. Bats can come down the chimney, skunks and raccoons can come in through open doors, windows or even through pet doors. The best way to ensure your pets safety is to have them vaccinated against the rabies virus.

Although there is a treatment for humans against rabies, there is no treatment for pets. If your pet contracts the rabies virus they will die a horrible, painful death.

In an effort to get all pets vaccinated, the Town of Hopkinton will hold its annual Rabies Clinic on March 21, 2010 at the Hopkinton Highway Department Facility located at 395 Woodville Road. From 10:00 a.m. to 12:00pm. The cost is $12.00 per vaccine ‐ cash only.

You do not need to be a Hopkinton resident to have your pets vaccinated at this clinic. Any questions can be directed to the Hopkinton Animal Shelter at 377‐7785.

We made the Front Page of the Sun!

If points could be had just for showing up, the residents of Pleasant View and the Brushy Brook area have earned a few. At least, their efforts and concerns have been recognized by the local press.

The front page article in Monday's Westerly Sun was encouraging. Now, we need to keep the focus on our concerns for our water, public safety, and wildlife habitat.

I wish the Sun article had mentioned that a DEM representative was at the Planning Board Meeting to express concerns and not just that there were concerns expressed over the impact on Arcadia Management Area.

I just wish the State of Rhode Island, Audubon Society or Nature Conservancy could buy this property and annex it to Arcadia.

Monday, Monday

This week my son and I finish our unit on the History of Scotland with a side dish of the Legend of Nessie. Teaching a teen with autism is a challenge in and of itself, but sometimes, his "aspie" perspective can be a unique advantage.

The Loch Ness Monster is long time myth is how we began. In my son's mind, he had to find out the first siting of Nessie. He discovered was that it was in the 500's by St. Columba. He moved forward from there. He looked at sketches and photos.
His determination Nessie was probably a Plesiosaur and he figures there has to be more than one. He also figured that they feed on plants and sturgeon which are found in the loch. His logic and determination to research the facts are aspie traits. I have a feeling the Loch Ness mystery will be a part of our curriculum long after we finish Scotland.

Time for school!

Thought for the Day

Cree Indian Prophecy

Only when the last tree has been cut down
Only when the last river has been poisoned
Only when the last fish has been caught
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.

Walking 360 acres of forest and rock.

Hubby and I decided to walk the parcel of land where 300 homes are proposed. I had heard a neighbor talk about it being a "mining" expedition. I though he was joking. After seeing the "boulders" everywhere between the trees, in the clearings and even in the wetlands, I realized that he was stating fact.

For these developers to create 200 half acre lots with all the open space they propose, they will be crushing rocks for years. Then there is the issue of trees.
By the time you get 500 feet back from the neighboring property lines, this is a forest. Yes, there is a dirt road and a glorified cow path cut in them, but the rest is deciduous forest. There are oaks, maples and birch. There are seedling pines. There are signs of wildlife. Deer and fisher cat were the tracks I saw today.

This will not only be a mining operation, but a logging one as well. There is a 25 foot canyon at about 1500 feet back. Because I am a lousy mountaineer, I could not see if there was a stream at the bottom. I did find another stream further up.

What was remarkable was the quiet, and the echos, and the view from the top. You could see all the way across the valley to the next hill (Canonchet?) I really wanted to cry. This is a natural place which should not be any more disturbed than it already has been. It would be a great hiking venue and horseback riding trail.

It is a good place for humans to visit, but not live. I wish the State would just buy this land and annex it to the management area. Developing this land would be a crime.

I met a Rhody Fresh Farmer!

I knew it would happen sooner or later, but I met a Rhody Fresh Dairy Farmer here in Hopkinton. What a nice, hard-working guy. It made me think that unless you buy Rhody Fresh milk, you don't know where your milk comes from.

I have been guilty of not buying local milk. I think all of us are. When you think about it, the pennies per gallon difference gives you peace of mind. You know where your milk comes from and you may even know your farmer!

I plan to visit his farm at some point and meet the Happy Cows of Hopkinton.

January Thaw

In typical New England fashion, the weather is treating us to a day above freezing. The sun is bright and with a gentle wind, you can tolerate just a sweater if you keep moving. For a fleeting moment, you might feel a touch of Spring Fever.

I am going to enjoy this day. Tomorrow, they predict rain, sleet and snow.

The Serenity of Country Life

Back in June, I told one of my friends that we were moving to Hope Valley. She thought I would be lonely, bored and craving to move back to civilization. She could not have been more wrong. I don't miss the noise of the highway or the multiple runs of the fire station 24/7. I don't miss the litter or the fumes.

I love the serenity of my home, the friendliness of my neighbors,The Langworthy Library filled with local history info, the local business people, my mail carrier, West's Bakery, Hack and Livery and farm stands. How could I be bored? As an avid bird watcher, my own back yard affords me the best from sparrow to wild turkeys to hawks and our resident Great Horned Owl. We have streams to fish in and deer to watch. This part of Rhode Island is a treasure and endangered.

I can only hope that our efforts to reject the impending 300 house development called Brushy Brook is successful. The next planning board meeting should be interesting.

The Rockville Mill

The Rockville Mill project when first proposed sounded like a good idea.

It originally called for 8 apartments and artists studios in addition to the U.S.Post Office presently located there. The artist studios pulled together a project which is truly mixed use. However, the developer was told that this would not be profitable.

In order for this developer to make a profit and still offer reasonable rents, is it necessary to cram people into 14 apartments with no recreational space and woefully inadequate parking?

Eight really nice apartments along with some revamping of the site to provide some outdoor space would make sense.

Preserving the Rural Character of Hopkinton, RI

I have to be honest. I am a new resident of Hopkinton. We moved here in July, 2009 and were enchanted with the place. The wide open spaces, the wildlife, the stars at night, the Great Horned owl calling his mate, the fireflies and my neighbors. The folks here are friendly, kind, caring and fiercely independent.

Three hundred homes are proposed for a tract of land in Hope Valley. Three hundred homes in an area which has no public water or sewer or trash pick up. Three hundred homes on a piece of property which is adjacent to one of Rhode Island's environmental/wildlife jewels: Arcadia Management Area. Three hundred homes in a town with a volunteer fire and rescue with access to a narrow country lane with a one-lane bridge.

You might think, they have over 300 acres, and the over all density will be 1.19 acres how much will this effect the town and the wildlife? Let me tell you a little story...

I used to live in Warwick. When we first moved into our home, there was a small patch of wetland acreage across the road. White tail deer would come to feed in this little patch of paradise and drink water from the brook. For years, the city would not allow building because of the wet characteristics of the land. The deer were happy and so were the neighbors. Jump ahead ten years. Someone decided that it was now okay to build three pretty ugly raised ranch houses. They sure did truck in a ton of fill. The adjacent neighbor's land started to flood every time it rained, and the deer were gone. They never returned.

Now you might ask, where the deer went. I can't be certain. We first thought they moved across the main road into another wooded area. For a couple of years, they were occasionally seen in those woods. Then the big development was approved. Somewhere in the vicinity of 200 homes were built. The deer were never seen. Now, this development consisted of homes priced $400,000 and up. More sprawl and what was the last sleepy country road in Warwick is on the verge of needing a traffic light.

This is not what I want for Hope Valley and I am sure you wouldn't either. We have to come together as a community and remind our planning board of the provisions in the town comprehensive plan.

Hopkinton Planning Board Meeting
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Hope Valley Elementary School
7:00 p.m.


Come to the next planning board meeting and let your voice be heard!