Of all the beaches I visited to record for this project, East Matunuck State Beach reigns as my personal favorite if we’re talking about traditional summer beachgoing, due largely to its massive expanse of white sand, clear water, and stunning view of Block Island Sound. 

 

As much as Narragansett is defined by human engagement both in summer and the off-season, East Matunuck is defined by its relative isolation. While it’s still quite highly trafficked year-round, Matunuck as a village doesn’t have the same commercial presence and relationship to its coast as Narragansett does. Rather, it is a relatively rural area littered with wildlife preserves, hiking trails, a few pubs, a popular surfing spot, and a good number of farms. 

 

Consequently, it’s no surprise that the most impactful soundmarks at East Matunuck are directly tied to the local ecosystem, especially those emanating from the salt pond that backs up to the beach itself. Hidden behind a forest of reeds in the parking lot is a wholly separate soundscape that’s teeming with a multitude of coastal life. Squeaking reeds and lapping waves are an ever-present backdrop to the true keynote sound - the nonstop cacophony of a symphony among different birds. 

 

This feels particularly poignant in light of the threat not only from climate change but also human encroachment. While I maintain that human sounds are just as valuable to a soundscape as wild ones, it can simultaneously be true that human activity may threaten certain valuable soundmarks that would otherwise continue in perpetuity. I say human encroachment because, despite Matunuck’s identity as a more rural, wildlife-focused area, it still isn’t immune to the ever-increasing commercialization of Rhode Island’s coast by largely out-of-town forces. As I recorded in the salt pond, I was staring down a mid-construction development of trendy new houses that are probably worth more than half my neighborhood in Wakefield put together. This gradual march of development to meet the demands from out of state buyers further underscores the imminent threat to our coasts. 

 

Currently, South County locals are embroiled in a fierce battle with coastal landowners - again, predominantly wealthy out of towners - over our right to shoreline access. In response to this battle, in 2021 Rhode Island voted to create the Special Legislative Commission to Study and Provide Recommendations on the Issues Relating to Lateral Access Along the Rhode Island Shoreline. Per the CRMC, “any coastal land below the mean high water line is considered public” - and yet, coastal landowners continue to dispute where this water line lay in their continued resistance to public access.

 

Access to the beach and its natural resources is enshrined in Rhode Island’s constitution, and so being denied access to it feels unthinkable to a local.  The threat posed to beloved soundmarks by attempts to privatize the coast makes preservation of these endangered soundscapes more urgent than ever.