Fishermen cast their lines off the Jerusalem breachway in Narragansett last summer. Meetings are now under way to create a statewide licensing program for saltwater anglers.

The Providence Journal / Gretchen Ertl

Not that long ago, saltwater fishermen in Rhode Island would not have spent two seconds thinking about the concept of paying for a license to fish.

But now, they are actively meeting with state officials to create a statewide licensing or registration program for saltwater anglers.

The next meeting of the Rhode Island Marine Recreational Fishing License/Registry Study Group is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Riverside Sportsmen’s Club, on Mohawk Drive in East Providence.

Steve Medeiros, head of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, and Bob Ballou, assistant to the director of the state Department of Environmental Management, agree that the change in attitude was prompted by one big factor — a federal law requiring all saltwater fishermen to register with the National Marine Fisheries Service, a year from now, unless their state has its own statewide registration program.

“There is no choice,” said Medeiros. “If we all have to pay, the question is, how do we minimize the damage?”

So the best course, according to Medeiros and others, is to set up a state program that keeps the licensing fees in Rhode Island and best suits the needs of Rhode Islanders.

Medeiros and Ballou say they plan to spend the next year working out the details of the program, which must meet criteria set by the federal rulemakers.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has estimated that about 400,000 people fish in Rhode Island’s coastal waters each year and that 40 percent of them are Rhode Islanders. The study group hopes to generate better numbers in coming months.

Federal officials say their key goal is to get better information on the recreational fishing effort. In the past, surveyors would randomly question members of the public. Once fishermen are registered, surveyors can target them for the questions and expect to get better data.

Originally, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wanted the mandatory registrations to begin on Jan. 1. But in rules that were finalized a few weeks ago, NOAA is giving fishermen until Jan. 1, 2010, to register with it or with a state program.

Most coastal states have already created their own programs. According to NOAA, the Pacific and Gulf Coast states all have statewide programs that comply with NOAA’s rules.

Florida, South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland have state registration programs, but they don’t fully comply with the federal standards. States from New Jersey northward throughout New England have no programs.

But Ballou says New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts are creating their own programs.

Ballou and Medeiros said there are a lot of details to work out, and one big issue: What do you do about the occasional person who goes fishing. Ballou’s example was the avid fisherman who takes out a guest on his boat. Medeiros mentions a tourist who visits Rhode Island for a short period. Is there an alternative way to license such people and not hurt the state’s tourism industry?

It is also somewhat unclear about whether legislative authority already exists to create the program. Whatever the details, Ballou said the program probably won’t go into effect until sometime in 2010 or 2011.

For more information about the federal program, go to: www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/mrip. For information about the state’s efforts, including minutes and agendas of meetings, go to:

www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/fishwild/reclic.htm

New Yorker piece highlights Van Jones

The gritty streets of New Bedford and a crowded conference on environmental building in Boston that attracted many Rhode Islanders are highlights of a recent article in The New Yorker magazine that focuses on environmental activist Van Jones and his efforts to fight both global warming and urban poverty by creating millions of “green jobs.”

Award-winning staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert wrote the piece, “Greening the Ghetto,” that appeared in the Jan. 12 issue. It can be found at: www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/12/090112fa_fact_kolbert.

Kolbert describes Jones, founder and president of a group called Green for All, as he addresses some high school dropouts in New Bedford, and then the city’s mayor, Scott Lang, who is excited that a company making photovoltaic cells plans to start manufacturing in his city.

Last year, Jones, who lives in Oakland, Calif., published The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems. In the book, he contends that climate change and urban poverty can both be defeated by the creation of jobs to weatherize buildings, install solar panels and construct mass transit systems.

The Green Collar Economy has been praised by former Vice President Al Gore, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman. Some call Jones a visionary and the future of environmentalism.

The concept of green jobs became a big theme in last year’s presidential campaign.

Kolbert closed her article by describing a speech Jones gave at the Greenbuild conference sponsored in Boston in November by the U.S. Green Building Council. More than 28,000 people from all over the world attended.

Jones said the nation’s first black presidentwould also be its first “green” president. Jones, according to Kolbert, told the builders that they kept pushing for green building standards, even when the local city councils didn’t know that they were talking about.

Jones told the builders and architects and engineers that they gave Barack Obama the audacity of hope because “he saw that audacity in you.”

At the end, the nearly 1,000 people in the audience rose to their feet clapping, Kolbert wrote. Dozens followed Jones, hoping to talk.

Narragansett Trail hike

The Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association will lead a hike through a two-mile section of the Narragansett Trail, along Long and Ell Ponds in Hopkinton on Saturday.

Considered one of the most spectacular hikes in Rhode Island and an aerobic challenge, the route will include steep fissures and rocky ledges. Hiking boots and layered clothing are recommended.

Hikers should meet at the trail, off Canonchet Road, at 9:45 a.m., and bring water and snacks. Fees are $10 for association members, $15 for others. To register, call (401) 539-9017 or e-mail danielle@wpwa.org.

Getting kids outdoors

The Narragansett chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club is sponsoring an event titled, “Local Parks: A Solution to Reduce Kids’ Outdoor Deficiency,” on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Roger Williams Park Casino, Providence.

There will be brief presentations, new ideas and comments from Rhode Island park leaders.

TV, video games and audio devices exercise increasing influence on young people to the detriment of their social developmentand health. Experts have concluded that focused exposure to the outdoors could have a beneficial effect on this group. Rhode Island has a significant number of parks that could help children learn to interact with the natural world. Bob McMahon, Providence’s superintendent of parks, will give an update on local parks, facilities, capabilities and potential.

Last summer, The Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Parks and Recreation introduced five outreach festivals to draw families to activities in various parks. At Saturday’s event, Bob Paquette, the division chief, will comment on the response of youthful participants and future plans for youth-oriented activities.

The event is open to the public. To register or for information, call Jack Schempp (401) 331-4553 or Linda Pease at (401) 351-2234

Learn about lead

Providence-based Childhood Lead Action Project served as an adviser on a recently released Sesame Street DVD titled Sesame Street Lead Away! Sesame Workshop relaunched its original release made in 1996.

The updated bilingual (English and Spanish) online resource offers young children and their families important information geared toward creating awareness of the health risks of lead, where it can be found and age-appropriate strategies to aid in the prevention of lead exposure. Families and their children can incorporate these easy-to-implement activities into their everyday routines.

Lead poisoning is the number-one environmental hazard threatening children throughout the United States, affecting an estimated 310,000 children under the age of 6.

“Lead poisoning is an issue that has affected me personally, and to be able to work on the issue through Sesame Street, a program that I have enjoyed as a child, as well as with my children, has been a wonderful opportunity,” said Liz Colón, a project adviser and director of training and outreach at The Childhood Lead Action Project.

All video and printable materials are available for free download at www.sesamestreet.org/lead. The Sesame Street video is also available in a newly converted DVD format for easy access viewing and on iTunes, part of the Learn Along with Sesame series. For additional information, e-mail lead@sesameworkshop.org.

This project was initially funded by The Prudential Foundation in collaboration with the National Safety Council’s Environmental Health Center.

Storm-water seminar

The Aquidneck Island Watershed Council will hold a seminar on storm-water management on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the main auditorium of the Community College of Rhode Island’s Newport campus.

Leading the hour-long presentation will be Bruce Morton, conservation engineer who spearheaded the Hole in the Wall outdoor environmental classroom in Niantic, Conn.; Tom Spears, Niantic’s chief engineer when the Hole in the Wall project was conceived and implemented; and David McLaughlin, director of Newport’s Clean Water Access, who will give an update about where his group is with testing the local waters.

A question-and-answer session will follow.

For more information about the event, e-mail Trip Wolfskehl at TRIP@screencrafttileworks.com. Information about RI NEMO’s last stormwater workshop is available online at www.ristormwatersolutions.org/SW_resourcesmanagers.html.

All about watersheds: Course for teachers

The Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association and the Narrow River Preservation Association will conduct a graduate-level course for teachers entitled “Watershed Science for Educators,” providing scientific information about watersheds in general and several Rhode Island watersheds in particular.

Participants will receive an Active Watershed Education Curriculum Guide, GIS watershed maps, interactive lessons and other resources. Materials are geared to teachers of middle school grades, but educators at all levels may participate. Emphasis is placed on understanding the natural processes of a watershed and the results of human interaction with these processes.

The three-hour classes will meet on Thursdays, Feb. 5 through April 30. All costs are covered by the WPWA and NRPA through a grant from the Rhode Island Rivers Council.

For information or to register, call Denise Poyer at (401) 539-9017, or e-mail denisep@wpwa.org. The deadline to register is Jan. 30.

The Environmental Journal is a listing of brief news items about the actions of individuals, organizations and businesses that affect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the landscape that surrounds us. If you have comments or suggestions, please contact environment reporter Peter B. Lord at (401) 277-8036, or by e-mail at plord@projo.com or by writing him, care of the Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, R.I. 02902.

plord@projo.com