The Refuge System's Blue Goose meets RI Governor Don Carcieri at a kick-off event for the annual Tour of Rhode Island. Left-to-right: Karen Cooke and Myrna George (South County Tourism Council, Governor Carcieri, and the Blue Goose (Lisa Goncalves). Janis Nepshinsky photo, 1/24/07

This year's Tour of Rhode Island was announced to the public at the RI Statehouse by Governor Carcieri on January 24, 2007.  Once again, the May 5^th bus tour will include a stop at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Kettle Pond Visitor Center.  The event is sponsored by NBC - Channel 10, Rhode Island Monthly, and AAA Southern New England.  The Tour of Rhode Island gets Rhode Islanders out to see the State's special sites.  The theme for this year's tour is: "After all - there's no place like home!".  This tour is highly publicized in all the major newspapers, and gets great media coverage the week preceding the event, and during the event itself.  South County Tourism Council President, Myrna George says, "… the Fish and Wildlife Service facility at Kettle Pond is the hit of the South County Tour Bus".