It's not just for the birds: How the Norman Bird Sanctuary is marking its 75th anniversary
MIDDLETOWN – The Norman Bird Sanctuary can count on its regulars – members and non-members alike – to visit annually. And with a year-long celebration of the sanctuary's 75th anniversary in place, the hopes are that many new faces will visit the diverse 300-plus acres in 2024.
“There is so much to do here,” said Kaity Ryan, the NBS's executive director. “It's a place for the community to come and explore and experience all that we have to offer.”
In 1949, Mabel Norman Cerio created the Norman Bird Sanctuary through a bequest of her 235-acre coastal Paradise Farm property. Cerio split her living time between the farm and on the Italian island of Capri. The non-profit has grown to more than 300 acres that include dunes, grassland, forest, streams and eight gardens. Its Hanging Rock, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, is one of Rhode Island's iconic spots. There are seven miles of trails, and the popular Universal Trail is one of the state's few ADA-accessible hiking trails.
BioBlitz, festival, Hanging Rock beer: What's planned for the 75th anniversary
The NBS annually offers about 160 educational programs and events, many free, and the lineup has been ramped up for the 75th anniversary. The sanctuary is offering the Sightlines lecture series featuring speakers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (study of birds), the Smithsonian, the Museum of American Bird Art, the Tomaquag Museum, and more.
It's a year of significant anniversaries. The NBS's Harvest Festival celebrates No. 50 and the volunteer-run Rhode Island Natural History Survey's 25th annual BioBlitz, a 24-hour data collection event, will be hosted by the Norman on June 7-8. “They'll tell us about our habitat. It's great timing,” Ryan said. “Every kind of critter you could see, day or night.”
Ryan said that while the NBS remains great for birding, it offers much, much more. There are summer camps. She said members (1,500 of them) and non-member visitors can bring a canvas to paint, a book to read. They can hike, and attend the lectures. Hanging Rock offers beautiful views of Second Beach, Third Beach, Sachuest Point, St. George's School, and Paradise Valley. And, Ryan added, Hanging Rock has served as creative inspiration for artists, writers, and philosophers for more than 150 years.
Ragged Island Brewing Co., of Portsmouth, has brewed a Hanging Rock beverage to celebrate and sponsor the 75th Anniversary. It is available at the Ragged Island taproom in Portsmouth, local liquor stores, and at NBS events and programs throughout 2024, with 10% of all sales benefiting the Norman Bird Sanctuary.
The Norman Bird Sanctuary typically welcomes 20,000 visitors annually. Its paid staff (full and part-time) of 22 is boosted by about 25 during the summer.
It's all about the volunteers
Its corps of 100-plus volunteers, Ryan said, is crucial to the successful operation and maintenance. Volunteers help with governance, events, programs, land stewardship, and educational outreach in places like the NBS's curiosity lab. Recently, she said, volunteers from nearby Salve Regina University helped move 2,000 pounds of old boardwalk off the trails for disposal. Examples of land stewardship include invasive plant management, storm clean-up, garden cultivation, and installing bird boxes. The NBS sanctuary welcomes new volunteers.
“It's a volunteer-driven organization,” Ryan said, “and has been for the 75 years we've existed.”
From February through April, non-members visiting the Norman Bird Sanctuary do not have to pay the customary trail fees. Those fees are being underwritten by the NBS's Winter in Nature sponsor, Discover Newport.
The standard trail fees are $7 adults, $6 senior/military, $3 students with ID, $3 ages 3-18, free younger than 3. Members enjoy free admission.
Take a hike: Middletown's Hanging Rock offers great ocean views, with prime bird-watching along the way
The NBS grounds may be rented for events, and stays at the historic Paradise Farmhouse may be booked.
For more on the NBS, visit normanbirdsanctuary.org. Or call 401-846-2577.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Norman Bird Sanctuary celebrates 75th anniversary with beer, camps, tours
