View From a Naturalist: Napatree Point in Westerly

Photography courtesy of Watch Hill Conservancy / Janice Sassi Photography

Every Saturday morning through Labor Day, naturalists from the Watch Hill Conservancy bring groups of all sizes and ages along the 1.5-mile peninsula of Westerly’s Napatree Point Conservation Area, the state’s westernmost point. Because it’s a conservation area, the beach is kept in a pristine state, which encourages a wide variety of birds and other shore life to visit. It’s a quality that visitors enjoy, according to naturalist Steve Brown. “People say that they had no idea of all the different organisms that live at Napatree, or of the water quality testing that’s going on, or of the different scientific studies that are going on, or just how beautiful it is,” he says.

Photography courtesy of Watch Hill Conservancy / Janice Sassi Photography

As a peninsula, Napatree has two distinct habitats: on the north side is Little Narragansett Bay, which often plays host to sailboat racing and sports a view of Connecticut across the water. It’s also a productive choice for birders, since most avian visitors like to feed in the calm waters. To the south is the Atlantic Ocean, where on a clear day visitors can see Block Island and Long Island.

Once home to dozens of two- and three-story summer homes owned by wealthy, out-of-state families, Napatree’s reputation as a vacationer’s paradise came to an abrupt halt when the 1938 hurricane blasted through the area, killing fifteen people and completely scouring the beach of houses. Visitors can see the broken pieces of cement that once formed Fort Road running up the middle of the peninsula. For Brown, the site presents a continually changing environment. “I don’t know what we’ll see once we get out there. For me, that’s the highlight because it’s a mystery, a curiosity on a beautiful Saturday morning. That’s my favorite part.” watchhillconservancy.org

Photography courtesy of Watch Holl Conservancy / Janice Sassi Photography