This morning I grabbed a quick handheld breakfast and headed to the nearest shoreline access point to sit and enjoy the scenery, and the overpriced (and delicious) food waiting in the bag I’d set on my center console. As I coasted down the laneway leading to the water, I saw that the makeshift dirt lot that local residents had been using (and protecting) for years had been leveled and paved and the once precarious path to the water had been converted to a drainage ditch and beside that, a new, easier-to-navigate path had been cut through the beach rose down to the rocky shoreline.
The ‘townie’ in me immediately began to worry about this spot, one of the only ‘un-snootified’ spots left in my area—meaning no adjacent landowner had brandished his hefty tax bill as a reason why no one should be allowed to park there and enjoy ‘his’ view. It’s sad to say, but I pictured social media influencers tousling their hair in selfie videos, boasting this as, “one of the best-kept secrets in Rhode Island, fam!” And then counting the seconds before a ‘no parking’ sign sprouted at the end of the road.
A flock or terns spontaneously materialized over a pod of breaking fish about 100 yards off the beach, they appeared to be bonito, I just watched and my thoughts swung in another direction. The optimist in me saw this is as an act of good faith. This spot stands out as a rarity in today’s world. There is a private road not even 200 feet from where I was parked that offers easier access to the distant end of that beach. The sign at the start of the road reads, “Private Road, Residents Only, pedestrian access allowed.” The stated permission for pedestrians flies in the face of every other ‘private road’ sign I’ve ever seen. It’s a statement of trust and an unsigned agreement offered by the property owners along that road that welcomes outsiders to enjoy and experience the beach and scenery that they hold dear. It also, sort of, smooths the hackles of the type of people who – if not welcomed – would step over that line out of principle. It’s sort of a reverse psychology play that avoids confrontation through a subliminal easement of trust and gratitude. Do I think every private road should allow pedestrian access? I absolutely do. But when I read that sign for the first time, I my guard dropped immediately, it’s like they gave me something that I didn’t know I wanted and, as a result of that, I wanted to protect it with my respect for their property and privacy. It’s funny how, when privacy is not demanded you automatically want to trade your respect as your half of the transaction.
Panning my view back to the knot of diving terns, I noticed a new sign erected at one corner of the four-car lot, it read “Shoreline Public Access, we need to work together to help keep this site clean, environmentally sound and accessible to all, for generations to come. Please do your part: do not litter, respect the rights of neighboring property owners, preserve and protect the natural resources associated with this site and the adjacent shorelines. Your care, consideration and assistance is deeply appreciated.”
Discussions about shoreline access can quickly escalate into a powder keg with a lit fuse. I AM of the belief that citizens should have unobstructed access to the shore, but that’s not the reality and it’s easy to see why. When you walk along some of the more accessible spots… the amount of bait boxes, cans, Dunkin’ cups, miles of discarded line and just general garbage you come across, is sickening. I don’t know what type of person does this or what makes them feel like it’s justified. Maybe it’s a ‘thumbing of the nose’ at the entitled who have kicked them out of other spots? Whatever it is, it serves no purpose other than providing the necessary ammunition for another access point to be shut down and disrespecting the natural beauty of the shoreline at the same time.
These signs are a contract with all the people who use these access points across the region, whether you’re walking your dog or casting a line… by stepping onto the shore, you’re agreeing to protect your access, as well as MINE, and everyone else’s in the process. If you’re not going to do your part, you have no business being there. And God help you if I’m the one that catches you disrespecting it.
