Audubon Society of RI corrects the record on Mayor Grebien's environmental impact review of Morley Field

"The data source for this conclusion is listed as 'Audubon Society of Rhode Island, 2023.' We did not provide these data or support such findings."

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island released a letter it recently sent to Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien taking issue with an environmental review of Morley Field sent to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to justify the destruction of Morley Field.

The Audubon Society stated specific objections to an “erroneous claim regarding the impact of the proposed construction on migratory birds while citing the Audubon Society of Rhode Island as the source of this information” and requested “that the city of Pawtucket remove the current findings and reassess the data related to the impact of the proposed project on migratory birds as stated in the environmental review.”

Morley Field is the only greenspace in Pawtucket's Woodlawn neighborhood. The Woodlawn neighborhood (which is just north of Providence, along I-95, west of Pawtucket Avenue) is approximately 74% people of color, with 59% people living at or below the poverty rate and 29% children. Woodlawn is a working-class neighborhood where most people live in triple-deckers or multifamily units, often with no backyard. Since the 1970s, families in Woodlawn have used Morley Field for little league games, Pop Warner football, picnics, and reunions, and as a place to relax and breathe. For the families who live in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Pawtucket, Morley Field is an invaluable green space and escape from the densely populated corner of the city.

The Grebien Administration has been pushing to sell and pave the greenspace over the objections of the local community for years. See here and here for more information. The report has been removed from the City’s website.

Here’s the letter:

Recently, an environmental review for a proposed development project in Pawtucket was submitted as part of a larger application to the DEM to alter Morley Field. The report specifically assessed the proposed conversion of the land parcel from the current 5.2-acre patch of developed open space into two parcels: a 3.1-acre “non-recreation” parcel and a 2.1-acre “new recreation facility.” The 10-page environmental review outlines the potential impact of the project on various environmental metrics including air quality, climate, endangered species, geology, and migratory birds.  

While the project plan includes commendable measures such as limiting all new landscaping to the planting of native species, the review made an erroneous claim regarding the impact of the proposed construction on migratory birds while citing the Audubon Society of Rhode Island as the source of this information. The Audubon Society of Rhode Island requests that the city of Pawtucket remove the current findings and reassess the data related to the impact of the proposed project on migratory birds as stated in the environmental review.  

The review states that the proposed construction of approximately 60% of the current open space to impervious pavement would have “no impact or potential for some improvement” to migratory birds. The data source for this conclusion is listed as “Audubon Society of Rhode Island, 2023.” We did not provide these data or support such findings. 

Proper time and attention to detail must be focused on environmental reviews such as this one because, collectively, communities are facing arguably the greatest period of conservation urgency in history. As North American bird populations have declined by 30% since 1970, habitats are being lost to rising sea levels and urban sprawl and climate change are altering the timing and productivity of our ecosystems, the development of a parcel of habitat should be scrutinized to ensure that the full impact of converting it to an impervious, paved surface is understood. We are concerned about the lack of due diligence on its authors' part and the potential impacts of such a development on the avian community.  

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island would have gladly provided insight into the implications of this project on migratory birds and provided numerous sources of information that would have led them to a different conclusion than the one listed. For example, the recently released Audubon Society of Rhode Island State of Our Birds reports, both of which are available for download on our homepage, provide a wealth of information on the importance of various habitat types to migratory and resident birds. The report overview, presented at the beginning of the document, outlines the importance of conserving small, isolated patches of habitat in urban areas due to their potential outsize importance for migrating birds.  

This information was obtained from a study conducted in 2005 by David Mehlman and his colleagues, which noted that, while these small patches of habitat may not support enough biodiversity to allow refueling by migrating birds, they may provide resting opportunities for birds in a state of physical exhaustion, thereby increasing their overall chances of successfully completing their migration.

Mehlman and his colleagues specifically reference “urban corridors of Northeastern North America” as areas where the most commonly used migratory stopover sites may be “…a park, woodlot, or small forest block, in a generally inhospitable landscape matrix” and continue to state that these sites may provide a place where birds can briefly rest as they transit in between sites that contain higher quality habitats. Morley Field sits immediately adjacent to the riparian habitat along the Moshassuck River which increases its potential utility to birds.  

Currently, Morley Field is contained in the “Urban/Recreational Grasses” habitat category by the Rhode Island Ecological Communities Classification (2011). This habitat is ranked as one of the most important for approximately 15 species of breeding birds in Rhode Island, including the American Robin (Turdus migratorius), Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), and Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus), all of which have been declining steadily in southern New England since 1966. 

Further, two of Audubon’s “Responsibility Bird” species, the Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) and Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica), are also known to use this habitat type to support their foraging needs. These species have been selected for additional study because of their steep population decline and demonstrated need for conservation support. All of these species stand to be impacted negatively by the conversion of over five acres of potential habitat to predominantly pavement.  

The book “The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Rhode Island,” which was recently published by the Rhode Island DEM, outlines the habitat associations, population trends, and statewide distribution and abundance of all birds breeding in our state. This text could have also been consulted during the creation of the environmental review, but it was not. If the review authors had read this text, they would have found that many species positively associate with recreational grass habitats such as that present at Morley Field. These species include American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), American Robin, Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus), Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina), Common Grackle, Gray Catbird  (Dumetella carolinensis), House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) and Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia).  

This readily available information illustrates the need for further study for the environmental review before fully determining the potential impact of the proposed construction project on migratory birds.  

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island has no research or data that would support the conversion of recreational grass habitat to predominantly pavement or that would otherwise suggest that this conversion would be without impact on birds. The Audubon Society of Rhode Island encourages the authors of the environmental review to dive deeper into the established research to fully report on the impact of the Morley Field project on migratory species.  

Until these factual errors are corrected, we urge Mayor Donald Grebian to enact a more carefully examined environmental review with certain quality control measures, including discussion with the Pawtucket City Council and with qualified scientists at the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.  

Sincerely,  

Audubon Society of Rhode Island  Director of Avian Research Charles Clarkson, PhD