Description The Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NBNERR) is located on Prudence Island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island and is one of 29 Reserves in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS). This is a network of protected areas established for long-term research, education, and stewardship. This partnership program between NOAA and the coastal states protects more than one million acres of estuarine land and water, which provides essential habitat for wildlife, offers educational opportunities for students, teachers, and the public, and serves as living laboratories for scientists. Prudence Island is only accessible via passenger ferry and has no commercial development; there are approximately 100 year-round residents although the summer population swel