The Friends of the National Wildlife Refuges of Rhode Island have announced the winners of their eighth annual amateur photo competition. The judges for the contest were Jim Hazelwood and Matt Wunsch.

By Natalie Garcia Spring arrives today, but wildlife is already busy chirping and croaking to mate with the opposite sex. It may not feel like spring to humans, but the season arrived this morning at 2:05 a.m. as the sun shone directly over the equator, ushering in the time of renewal.

By Peter B. Lord; Journal Environment Writer The federal cutbacks have forced Rhode Island's refuges to adopt a "self service"option: having teachers be their own guide for schoolchildren.

Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, on Schoolhouse Road in the Green Hill section of South Kingstown, will be closed to the public for one to two days next week as workers treat invasive plants with herbicide.

By Peter B. Lord Migratory bird hunting will continue unchanged at the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge despite a national lawsuit against 74 national wildlife refuges across the country. Trustom is the only national wildlife refuge in Rhode Island where hunting has been allowed.