On Pettaquamscutt 2017

• Register now for Improving the Health of the Narrow River Estuary on January 29

Space is limited for the January 29th presentation, so we encourage you to register now to reserve a seat.

Join us for updates on two projects to improve the marsh resiliency and water quality in Narrow River:

Dr. Jennifer White, Hurricane Sandy Resiliency Coordinator for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, will describe recent efforts to restore the salt marshes in Narrow River by placing dredged material on the surface of the marsh to raise the elevation so that plants can thrive.

Craig Swanson of Swanson Environmental Associates will discuss a recent study on the impact of dredging near the mouth of the river to increase circulation within the estuary.

For more about the winter speakers series, visit our On Pettaquamscutt page. 

David Smith Receives 2016
Friend of the River Award at NRPA Annual Meeting

 

David was given this award for his outstanding service as the NRPA Program Coordinator from 2011 to 2016 and for his dedicated and active participation in many initiatives and events concerning Narrow River and its Watershed.  

In addition, he and his wife Rosemary have been River Watch Volunteers for many years, are active in the Friends of Canonchet Farm group, particularly in re-claiming the land from invasive plants, they coordinate the “On Pettaquamscutt” winter speaker series, and they have attended too many bike path town meetings to count.

Update on the Narrow River Marsh
Restoration and Elevation Project

NRPA Annual Meeting
Tuesday Evening October 4
Refreshments 7:00 Program 7:30
URI Coastal Institute, 218 South Ferry Road, Narragansett

Annual Meeting to Feature Film
On Pre-Contact Settlement

Please join us for 46th NRPA Annual Meeting on Tuesday evening, October 4, at the URI Bay Campus, when filmmaker, writer and storyteller Marc Levitt will show us Woven in Time, his account of how the pre-contact Narragansett settlement at Upper Salt Pond was preserved. Marc will introduce the film and answer questions about the settlement known as archaeological site RI 110, which is the largest pre-contact settlement on the East Coast.

The Annual Meeting will also include:

• Reports on NRPA activities from the past year Updates on important issues affecting Narrow River including water and land use management efforts
  
• Highlights from NRPA’s education programs
• Presentation of the W.E.R. La Farge Memorial Friend of the River Award
• Drawing for this year’s kayak raffle.

Directions:

♦  From Boston Neck Road (Scenic 1A) in Narragansett take South Ferry Road and drive 0.4 miles to the Bay Campus. 

♦  Take your second left after the South Ferry Church.

♦  The Coastal Institute building is number 6 on the map.

♦  Park in the lot marked A.

Narrow River Notes

Download the Summer 2016 issue of Narrow River Notes for:

• News about the Annual Meeting on October 4
  
  
• Photos and recaps of the Narrow River Road Race, Narrow River Turnaround Swim and the Pettaquamscutt Paddle
  
  
• Profiles of the 2016 NRPA Lesa Meng College Scholarship recipients
  
  
• Photo and story about What Lives in the River

Calling all Painters and Printmakers

Discover your inner artist at Art at the River

Saturday Morning, August 6, from 9:00 to 11:00
Middlebridge Marina, 95 Middlebridge Road, Narragansett

Paint, take photos, and make fish prints. All experience levels and all ages welcome. Free and open to the public, but make your reservation today.

• Click here to sign up for Art on the River.

Activities: Richard Grant, NRPA President and accomplished artist in several mediums, will give FREE instruction in drawing and watercolor painting. If you have easels or sketch pads and watercolor paints, please bring them, a limited amount of materials will be available for use.

Printmakers will be guided by NRPA Board member Sarah Gaines in making prints using fish to take home. And we have Narrow River coloring books for all ages!

Background: For the fourth year, NRPA and Narrow River Land Trust (NRLT) in conjunction with the Town of Narragansett Park and Recreation Department is running a series of monthly educational programs and family activities at the Town property at Middlebridge in summer 2016.

NRPA and NRLT share common interests to preserve, protect, and restore the environment and the quality of life for all communities within the Narrow River Estuary and its watershed. The Middlebridge property is central in the watershed, has easy access to shallow water, and has panoramic views so it serves well as an educational and activities center and a starting point for events that increase awareness of the fascinating cultural and natural history of Narrow River.

2016 Scholarships Honor Three
Enthusiastic Friends of the Environment

Congratulations to our 2016 NRPA Lesa Meng College Scholarship winners:

Hayley Hebert
South Kingstown High School

Hayley has been a very active Girl Scout for 11 years, during which she participated in many environmental activities. She was also a volunteer at the Norman Bird Sanctuary where she assisted with the local Harvest Fair.

Hayley will be attending the University of Rhode Island in the fall and plans to major in Medical Laboratory Science with a minor in (you guessed it) Environmental Science.

Tyler Kumes
The Prout School

Tyler, shown here sporting a 2016 Narrow River Road Race T-shirt, has spent many volunteers hours with Save The Bay and NOAA caring for the New England Coast, but is now headed for the Left Coast to study ecology and environmental science at UC Santa Cruz.

Tyler was a member of the Recycling Club at Prout since his freshman year, where he started the school’s composting program. Tyler was a four-year member of the Cross Country team and the Captain of the Varsity Sailing Team.

Tracy Kurdziel
North Kingstown High School

As with her fellow honorees, Tracy has demonstrated a commitment to caring for the environment. For her senior project she worked with Rhode Island Resource Recovery to improve the recycling program at North Kingstown High School. She also volunteered for several Clean Ocean Access Beach clean-ups and attended meetings for the N.K. Conservation Committee. Tracy was also a member of the Girls Track and Field Team.

This fall she will attend Lafayette College and plans to major in Electrical Engineering with the hopes of exploring alternative energy sources when she graduates.

139 Compete in 2016 Narrow River
Turnaround Swim

On Saturday, June 25, 139 swimmers set off from the beach adjacent to the URI Campanella Rowing Center dock at 9:00 a.m., swam around a buoy a half mile down river, and headed back to the beach.

And here's how they did:

Stuart Cromarty of Foster R.I. was first with a time of 19:01 followed by Matt Gilson of Albion, R.I. who had a time of 19:38.

See complete results for the 2016 Turnaround Swim

See results by Division

 See Turnaround Swim pictures in an NRPA photo album on Flickr

Discover What Lives in the River

Date: Saturday, June 11, 2016
Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Middlebridge Marina, 95 Middlebridge Road, Narragansett

"What Lives in the River?" is an all-ages introduction to common fish, shellfish, crabs and other inhabitants in the river. This year's program features:

♦ Hands-on seining with experts to catch river creatures

♦ Guided walks along the intertidal zone and salt marsh to observe the inhabitants

♦ River-water tanks and microscopes to examine river creatures, and guidebooks to help identify them

♦ Posting of a running tally of the creatures identified

♦ Experts to discuss the importance of estuaries as nurseries for fish & shellfish, the fascinating migration of river herring, and the role of river plants in the food web.

Please wear footwear that can get wet. This event is designed for families with elementary or middle school children and is free and open to the public. But you must reserve a space ahead of time by clicking the reservation link:

Sign up for "What Lives in the River"

Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult member of the family.

29th Narrow River Road Race

Browse the Road Race Photo Album on Flickr

Mary D’Arcy of Wakefield and Ray Sikorowicz of Lincoln display awards for first place finishes in the Narrow River Road Race 5K Run on Saturday, May 14. Ray completed the run from Treaty Rock Park in South Kingstown to Narragansett Beach in 18 minutes 5 seconds for the best time overall. Mary ran the course in 22:23 for the best time in the Women’s Division and the seventh overall.

Click these links for complete 5K Run results:

♦ 5K Run

♦ Men's Division with results by age group

♦ Women's Division with results by age group

Andy Hale of Cambridge, Mass. won the 10K Run in 40:07 and Kaitlyn Hughes of Manville, R.I. was the first women to complete the event. Her time of 44:34 was fifth overall. Click these links for complete 10K Run results:

♦ 10K Run

♦ Men's Division with results by age group  

♦ Women's Division with results by age group

The USA Track & Field (USATF) certified 10K course (#RI06004RN) starts at Narragansett Town Beach, turns at Treaty Rock Park in South Kingstown, and returns to the beach. The 5K course (#RI06005RN) starts at Treaty Rock Park and finishes at the beach, where prizes are awarded to first place male and female finishers in each of six age categories for the 10K Run, 5K Run and 5K Walk.

Sponsors Make it Happen

Many thanks to the local businesses and individuals whose financial support is helping us produce the 29th Narrow River Road Race and other 2016 NRPA events:

AAA Northeast  A Quick Tire  All That Matters  Brickley's Ice Cream

Camire's Athletic Soles   Dave's Marketplace  Durkin Cottage Realty

Hebert Design/Build  Lawrence Goldberg Law   Dr. and Mrs. Edward Mazze

Nardolillo Funeral Home  SmithCo Oil Service  Wakefield Liquors  Wickford Factory Outlet

Narrow River Notes

Download the Spring 2016 issue of Narrow River Notes for:

• Tips on Boater Safety
  
  
• Schedule of Events on the River and a list of 2016 NRPA Events Sponsor
  
  
• Profiles of our two new Board members
  
  
• Articles about the Science Fair Award, outreach to local schools and the mascot for this year's road race

Fourth Graders Follow Ospreys' Journey North

Mrs. Wood's Fourth Grade class at Monsignor Clark School in Wakefield recently examined the features of ospreys that make them so well adapted for catching fish. They also received a lesson on the osprey's spring migration from as far as the Amazon Rain Forest to New England nesting grounds. They are tracking the daily progress of two birds (Snowy and Edwin) transmitting a radio signal of their exact position on their journey north. If you are an educator and wish to have a similar program in your classroom please contact Board Member Craig Wood at cwood@essgroup.com. Programs can be tailored for grades 4 to 12.   

Abby Cobb Wins 2016 Science Fair Award

Education Chair Veronica Berounsky presents South Kingstown High School Junior Abby Cobb with the 2016 NRPA Science Fair Award at the March NRPA Board of Directors meeting. Abby was presented with a $50 prize, a certificate and an NRPA membership.

Abby's project at the SKHS Science Fair in January, A Slick Solution: Best Way to Clean up an Oil Spill, evaluated the ability of three materials to remove oil from water: hair, cotton balls and sawdust. Hair was the most efficient, that is, absorbing the most oil and the least water.

NRPA also awarded Honorable Mentions at South Kingstown High School Science Fair to:

♦  Hossam Zaki for a project titled Commercial Water Filters

♦  Matthew Kutcher for Power of Water through Electrolysis (creating energy through the electrolysis of water)

♦  Cristian Rodriguez-Gervais for Natural Remedies against Bacteria

♦  Sierra Rowley for her project Micro Plastics, Macro Problem on the amount of micro-plastics found in Narragansett Bay from personal care products such as liquid soap.