Blackstone River Watershed Association In This Issue TIP OF THE MONTH BRWA NEWS 6th Annual Blackstone Valley Riverways Cleanup The Watershed & Us Presented in Grafton BRWA Annual Member Appreciation Event & Business Meeting CALENDAR IN YOUR COMMUNITY National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Wear Your Lifejacket! OF GLOBAL INTEREST Scotts Miracle-Gro Will Pay $12.5 Million in Fines BRWA Online About the BRWA JOIN the BRWA Volunteer SUBSCRIBE TO THE BRWA NEWSLETTER Issue 33 September 2012 For myself I hold no preferences among flowers, so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous. Bricks to all greenhouses! Black thumb and cutworm to the potted plant! Edward Abbey BRWA NEWS 6th Annual Blackstone Valley Riverways Cleanup Volunteers are needed for the 6th Annual Blackstone Valley Riverways Cleanup on Sunday, October 21, 2012 from 1:00 to 3:00PM. Have fun outdoors while protecting local water resources, removing trash along local riverbanks for a cleaner, healthier, and more beautiful resource. Last year, more than 85 bags of trash were collected. Possible sites for this year's cleanup include: River Bend Farm, Uxbridge, MA Plummers Landing, Northbridge, MA River Road, Uxbridge MA Fisherville Dam, Grafton, MA Blackstone Gorge, Blackstone, MA Also, keep your eyes open for riverbank areas that need cleaning and notify the BRWA so that your suggestions can be added to the list of possible cleanup sites. To volunteer for the cleanup or to report a site that needs cleaning call the BRWA office at 508-278-5200 or email at events@thebrwa.org. top The Watershed & Us Presented in Grafton 100 5th graders and teachers at North Street Elementary School in Grafton participated in interactive demonstrations of the BRWA’s Enviroscape watershed model on September 17. Susan Thomas, BRWA program assistant, reviewed concepts of the water cycle and watersheds before engaging the students in demonstrating various land uses and their respective point-source and non-point source pollution issues. For example, “Farmer” Sarah applied “cow manure “ near a stream while “Plant Manager” Brandon” was responsible for discharging “toxic sludge” from the industrial factory into a ditch before other students provided the “heavy rain events”. The resulting contamination of the model’s streams and lake and its negative effects on aquatic plants and wildlife as well as drinking water supplies made a strong impact on the 5th graders. The students then brainstormed possible solutions to each of the water contamination scenarios. The teachers and students thoroughly enjoyed the hands-on demonstration and the teachers even followed up with a quiz the following day on the watershed concepts presented by Ms. Thomas. top BRWA Annual Member Appreciation Event and Business Meeting The BRWA will host its Annual Member Appreciation Event and Business Meeting on Saturday, November 3 The evening will begin with a fall buffet followed by our always short business meeting and a special program. A special mailing will go out soon with more information. A reminder that this event is for members only, so if you have not yet joined, visit our website to learn how you can sign up today! We hope you will join us for this special event. top CALENDAR OF EVENTS 9/29 2012 UniBank Blackstone River Valley Greenway Challenge   info 9/29, 9/30 Waters Farm Days - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day    info 9/29 National Public Lands Day   info ---- October - National Energy Action Month   info 10/7 Millville Lock Walk 2pm-3pm Millville, MA    info 10/11 BRWA Board Meeting 7pm 271 Oak St., Uxbridge   info 10/13 BRC Water Quality Sampling   10/13 Guided Walk - Southern New England Trunk Trail 1pm-3pm Franklin, MA    info 10/21 6th Annual Blackstone Valley Riverways Cleanup   volunteer 11/3 BRWA Annual Member Appreciation Event and Business Meeting   top IN YOUR COMMUNITY National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Many local towns will be hosting a drug take-back day on Saturday, September 29, from 10am to 2pm, in conjunction with National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Area towns include Blackstone, Cumberland, Douglas, Grafton, Hopedale, Northbridge and Woonsocket. Improper disposal of prescription drugs is a major health, safety and environmental issue. Visit the DEA National Take Back Initiative website to locate local collection sites and find drug disposal information. The drop-off is anonymous; “no questions asked”. top Paddling a Kayak or Canoe? Wear Your Lifejacket! reprinted from MassWildlife News People in kayaks and canoes are reminded that from September 15, 2012 to May 15, 2013, paddlers must wear their personal flotation devices (PFDs) while boating. According to the Massachusetts Environmental Police, most boating fatalities in Massachusetts are due to boaters who fail to wear PFDs while in small craft in cold water or cold weather situations. Waterfowl hunters using canoes or kayaks are reminded that this law also applies to them. top OF GLOBAL INTEREST Scotts Miracle-Gro Will Pay $12.5 Million in Criminal Fines and Civil Penalties for Violations of Federal Pesticide Laws from Water Efficiency Magazine Monday, September 10, 2012 The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a producer of pesticides for commercial and consumer lawn and garden uses, was sentenced in federal district court in Columbus, Ohio, to pay a $4 million fine and perform community service for eleven criminal violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which governs the manufacture, distribution, and sale of pesticides. Scotts pleaded guilty in February 2012 to illegally applying insecticides to its wild bird food products that are toxic to birds, falsifying pesticide registration documents, distributing pesticides with misleading and unapproved labels, and distributing unregistered pesticides. This is the largest criminal penalty under FIFRA to date. Full text of the article top Views & opinions expressed in linked websites do not necessarily state or reflect those of the BRWA. Your input is crucial to this eNewsletter. If you have a local watershed-related story, information of interest to our subscribers, or comments about this publication, drop an email to the editor. The Blackstone River Watershed Association (BRWA) has a mission to engage, educate and advocate for improved water quality in the Blackstone River Watershed; its objectives are to: Engage the public in watershed stewardship activities, Educate members, supporters and watershed residents on watershed protection strategies, and Improve the water quality and esthetics of the Blackstone River Watershed’s water bodies. The BRWA eNewsletter is published monthly by the Blackstone River Watershed Association. BRWA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Editor: Michael Sperry mike.sperry@thebrwa.org Mailing address: BRWA, 271 Oak Street Uxbridge, MA 01569 Phone: 508-278-5200  Web: www.thebrwa.org Click here for back issues.