Block Island, Then and Now
Class | Registration opens 1/27/2025 9:00 AM
NOTE: The class will end with an optional full day tour of the island the week of May 12th. The cost of the tour with ferry fees and parking will be between $50-$80 per person.
Join us for a deep dive into Block Island’s geology, ecology, sociology, and rich cultural history. Be introduced to locals with stories to tell. Learn about the island’s earliest development, Native peoples’ settlements, the arrival of Europeans, current fishing, farming and tourism industries, and the impact of wars, storms, and development.
Block Island is located 12 miles off the coast of RI and consists of ten square miles in land area. About 1,400 people live on the island year-round. How are they impacted by the droves of summer visitors and seasonal residents who dramatically multiply the island’s population? What are the islanders’ main concerns going forward regarding impacts on natural and man-made resources?
Format: Your coordinators will select island guest speakers and set up telephone, Zoom, or in-person interviews. Participants will be asked to make a presentation, conduct an interview, or lead a discussion from the topics shown in the syllabus.
Resources/Expenses: Participants should purchase a copy of Steve McQueeny’s book Block Island: From the Glaciers to the Wind Farm. It is available from several Block Island sources for about $25 including shipping, and there are a few copies available through the library system. Participants will need access to the Internet.
Patricia Nickles
Pat Nickles is a retired city planner and novice potter. She has coordinated previous LLC reading and writing classes.
Kathleen O'Kula
Kate O’Kula is a retired social work administrator and consultant and co-coordinated her first LLC course in Fall 2024. She is published in several anthologies, has co-led workshops at the Adult Corrections Institution, and has paired her poetry with works of art exhibited in Rhode Island galleries.