Norman Bird Sanctuary, a place that not only seeks to grow and preserve the local ecosystem but also seeks to grow and preserve local community.
I couldn’t tell you how I first learned about Norman Bird Sanctuary (NBS). I’ve been a local resident of Aquidneck Island for 3 decades, and while I knew Norman Bird Sanctuary existed, I don’t think I have ever been, prior to my first visit in May of this year, 2026.
I was told by some of the other volunteers here at the Sanctuary that many local residents grew up going to the camp here or had kids who came to the camp here, but that there even was a camp here was news to me. The location and visual I had in my mind of the Sanctuary wasn’t even quite right. So with all that in mind, what even brought me here?
I had taken a trip to McAllen, Texas at the beginning of May to see some friends. On that trip we visited several nature preserves. It taught me a lot about how important local ecosystems are, and about why and how we should be protecting them. About how important an individual plant could be, about how important some insects we may dislike or animals that we fear could be. That some of the beauty we see in nature and some of the comforts and delights we experience from nature are due to wildlife we take for granted, ignore or sometimes try to remove from their habitat. Or that some of the plants we adore or animals we cherish could be bringing harm to life around it if we take them from other habitats and try to introduce them to our own.
It was a call to action that resonated with me. Despite never having been here, or knowing anyone from here, NBS was the first place to come to my mind to begin a journey of giving back and learning to better co-exist with wildlife and one of self-rediscovery. Upon returning home, one of the first things I did was look up what opportunities NBS had, if any, for me to help join the effort. I requested a day off from work so that I could walk to NBS after an appointment.
One of the opportunities NBS was offering was to work with their Conservation Crew, or Con Crew as it is lovingly called. The website lists that the Con Crew needs volunteers to do trail maintenance, stone wall repair, weeding, raking, invasive removal, and more. All seemingly basic sounding tasks, but none I had any experience in doing. So, I had no idea what to expect or if I would be able to help. I was a bit nervous my lack of knowledge and experience would mean I wouldn’t be accepted for help. If I wasn’t able to help, in my mind, it meant I’d likely have to do more official schooling but the calling inside of me to start this environmental journey spurred my determination to see if I could help in any way, no matter how small.
As of the time of writing this, I’ve happily been helping out for 6 weeks. Despite my lack of experience with a lot of basic tasks and tools, and my lack of knowledge of environmental science, I was happily welcomed aboard and accepted into the group. I’ve been graciously taught about everything as we go. I’ve gained experience in painting, use of power tools, construction, and gardening. I’ve learned about species of plants native to Rhode Island and what is invasive. I’ve learned about the history of the land on Aquidneck Island. It’s been a breath of fresh air both literally and figuratively.
Most of my life for the past decade has involved being indoors and working with technology. I’m a web developer that helps manage websites for my job. I went to school for Computer Science. If I’m not working I’m generally playing video games. Neither of these things lend credence to the idea that conservation work would call out to me so fervently. But I think conservation work has provided something I feel both of those things have failed to give. Connection to the outside world, both nature and in person interaction, a reason to get my body moving that isn’t just, “we should exercise because it’s healthy for us”, and a sense of purpose.
While I had a major in Computer Science, I had a minor in Psychology. I actually wanted to major in it as well but it wouldn’t have been financially feasible at the time. I’ve been playing video games since I was two and have always had a decent interest and understanding of technology, so that’s often what people associate me with. While I still enjoy video games, tech has become a lot less of an interest for me. Technology has done a lot to keep people connected and connect a lot of the world, but I think it’s begun having a greater effect of keeping people divided or making them feel alone. My interest in Psychology was because I wanted to be understand and help people.
With Covid requiring me to work from home the past six years, I haven’t had a lot of opportunity to interact with people in person. Talking to some other locals recently and seeing commentary online, I’ve come to learn that other people on Aquidneck Island are struggling to connect with people as well. I wanted to find a way to change that for myself and others.
I don’t regret my job or lifestyle for the past decade. I’ve had a stable job and from it a stable income, and my time with video games has kept my mind active and introduced me to a lot of great people I call friends from around the world. It is both those things combined which had me visiting Texas and coincidentally led me to wanting to come to NBS. But despite the financial stability my job brings, and vast amounts of people and communities I could continue to meet from gaming; it is my hope to one day work at NBS in a professional capacity.
As I said at the start, Norman Bird Sanctuary isn’t just seeking to grow and preserve the local ecosystem. It’s seeking to grow and preserve the local community as well. And even though I’ve only been volunteering here- and for a relatively short time at that – I already feel very much a part of the NBS community. Everyone here is very welcoming and very fun to be around. They all have a lot of knowledge they’re freely and willingly sharing with everyone. Education and knowledge sharing are things Norman Bird Sanctuary is committed to providing. Just as they hope to impart knowledge onto volunteers and visitors; they hope volunteers, visitors and academic partners will impart knowledge onto them, so everyone can grow and learn together.
Aquidneck Island is a very beautiful place with a lot of rich history. Much of that beauty and history is somewhat rapidly being pushed out, making it difficult for local community members to be able to enjoy the place they call home. I hope that by working with Norman Bird Sanctuary, I can help to preserve and regrow such beauty for the local residents – human, plant, and animal alike – and help restore faith that we have a home and community worth living in and fighting for.
