Blackstone River Watershed Association In This Issue BRWA NEWS EarthDay Cleanup: Coming to a Waterbody Near You! CALENDAR THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL More about MS4 Mass Wildlife Speaker Series Victory for Conservation Easements FAMILY FOCUS Wetland in a Pan BE GREEN Planning for the Harvest REFLECTIONS BRWA Online About the BRWA JOIN the BRWA Volunteer SUBSCRIBE TO THE BRWA NEWSLETTER Issue 61 February 2016 BRWA NEWS EarthDay Cleanup: Coming to a Waterbody Near You! The BRWA's annual Earthday Cleanup is citizen stewardship at its finest. Families, scouts, churches, local businesses, and other river advocates pitch in each year to do their part in restoring the Blackstone River and its watershed. Do you know a pond, stream, wetland, or stretch of the river that is trashed? Please send us the details and a photo if possible. Can you spare a few hours on Sunday April 17th for this worthy cause? If so, sign up at events@thebrwa.org. The BRWA and Alternatives Unlimited, Inc. will organize the cleanup and Clean and Green Fair from 1- 3 p.m at the River Bend Farm Visitor Center in Uxbridge. Cleanup supplies and signs can be provided ahead of time to volunteers working at sites in other towns from Auburn to Blackstone. We also need volunteers who can assist in waterways with canoes. With your help, we can continue to make the Blackstone healthier! top CALENDAR OF EVENTS February 11th is National Make a New Friend Day. Feel free to extend the celebration for the entire year. Whether hiking a trail, networking at the office, standing in line at the airport, or browsing a farmers market, stop and introduce yourself. And while you're at it, share with your new friend an interesting fact about the Blackstone. You might just create an advocate! 2/14 Cornell's annual Great Backyard Bird Count (http://gbbc.birdcount.org/) 2:00 p.m. West Hill Dam. 518 East Hartford Avenue, Uxbridge. Meet at the dam. Info: 508-278-2511. 2/14 Healthy Heart Valentine's Day Hike. Mass DCR. Purgatory Chasm. 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. 1 mile walk; leashed pets ok. 198 Purgatory Rd, Sutton. Info: 508-769-7011 2/15 Maple Sugarmakers Weather Watch.Blackstone River and Canal State Heritage Park. 11:00 a.m. - noon. River Bend Farm Visitor Center. 287 Oak Street, Uxbridge. Info: 508-278-7604. 2/17 Blackstone River Watershed Council Monthly Meeting. 6:30pm - 8:30pm. Lincoln RI.   info 2/25 BRWA Board Meeting. 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 287 Oak St., Uxbridge.   info 3/5 Blackstone River Coalition’s Annual Water Quality Monitoring Summit. 9:15 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Hopedale Community House, 43 Hope St, Hopedale, MA. Info: Susan Thomas, acadia94@verizon.net or 508-839-9488. 3/7 Trout Unlimited Central Mass Chapter Monthly Meeting. 6:00 -9:00 p.m. Auburn Sportsman's Club. 50 Elm Street, Auburn, MA.   info 3/19 2016 RI Land and Water Conservation Summit. 7:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. URI, Kingson RI.   info 4/17 BRWA's Annual EarthDay Cleanup. 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. River Bend Farm Visitor Center, Uxbridge and sites throughout the watershed. See above for details. top THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL More about MS4 The January newsletter discussed how the BRWA and other water advocates are asking the State to sign on to the pending MS4 permit. Here are some details about the stormwater permit. See future newsletters for additional background info. Phase 2 permit covers municipalities under 100,000 like Grafton, Uxbridge, and Blackstone. 240 Massachusetts towns currently operating under the 2003 permit, which is 8 years overdue for reauthorization. Permit calls for six pollution control measures including public education/outreach, public participation/involvement, illicit discharge detection/elimination, construction site runoff control, post construction runoff control, and pollution prevention/good housekeeping. Mass Stormwater Handbook adopted 1997/revised 2007, needs updating to reflect current scientific understanding of groundwater recharge and advances in low impact development. In permit debate, EPA relies more on water quality standards whereas Mass DEP focuses more on best management practices. top Mass Wildlife Speaker Series As part of its 150th anniversary celebration, Mass Wildlife is offering a series of free talks on a wide range of topics. This speaker series, which is free and open to the public, will be held at the Westborough headquarters at 1 Rabbit Hill Road. On February 18th, there will be a talk entitled Wildlife Journey in Time: The History of Wildlife in Massachusetts. Learn about the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife's role in fish and wildlife conservation and how you can play a part in it. The March 1st talk is Amphibian and Vernal Pool Conservation Needs You. This is the perfect introduction for those who want to get involved and contribute to monitoring projects this spring and summer. Both talks begin at 7:00 p.m. For more info on the complete series, contact: 508-389-6300 or Mass.com/MassWildlife150. top Victory for Conservation Easements One of our best tools for protecting valuable land and water resources is the tax incentive provided to landowners who place conservation easements on their property. Last December, President Obama signed off on a law making this program permanent. Since its introduction in 2006, it has been responsible for the protection of millions of acres throughout the country. These lands can still be used for agriculture and recreation, and they continue to supply taxes to local communities. The bipartisan support for the recent law clearly demonstrates how the incentive program is a win-win scenario for people and natural resources. For more information: http://www.landtrustalliance.org/taxonomy/term/121 top FAMILY FOCUS Wetland in a Pan One way to teach children about nature is to let them build models. Even something as complex as a wetland can be demonstrated with some simple materials and creativity. Start with a metal or aluminum pan (9"x13" or so). Place modeling clay on one of the short sides of the pan, angling it down toward the bottom. This will represent uplands. Place a strip of sponge or floral oasis across the next portion of the pan, making sure it is snug against the bottom and sides of the pan. This will represent wetlands. Place some blue construction paper at the final third of the pan to represent a pond, river, or other water body. Use sticks, pine cones, or flowers to "vegetate" the uplands. Paint some q-tips green with brown tips and place them in the wetlands to represent cattails and other wetlands plants. You can also use pine needles. Cut out some images of herons, otters, and dragonflies. Tape them to toothpicks and place them in the wetland. Cut out some images of fish, tadpoles, crayfish, or other aquatic animals and tape them to the blue paper. Sprinkle some loose dirt or cake sprinkles on the "uplands". Using a spray bottle, make it "rain" on the uplands until you see the dirt/sprinkles being washed into the wetlands. Observe how the "wetlands" soak up the water and "pollutants". Keep adding water until the wetland is saturated and starts releasing excess water into the waterbody. Predict what will happen if the wetland is damaged or removed. Remove part or all of it and observe how the water carries the dirt and pollution into the waterbody. Discuss what happens to the animals living in a polluted waterbody and how it might affect people living nearby. Based on "A Wetland in a Pan: from WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands. top BE GREEN Planning for the Harvest Nothing makes you feel like a good earth steward like nurturing your own vegetable garden. And even though it's February, this is the ideal time to start planning for a successful harvest! If you have an existing garden, start by reviewing what worked in the past and what needs tweaking this year. Then grab some graph paper and map it out! Site selection is critical. Ideally you have 6-8 hours of direct sunshine. Think about winter trees leafing out when you choose a spot. Also consider where compost piles, water supply, and equipment are located to be more efficient. Consider purchasing a rain barrel to capture and reuse roof run-off. Consider having multiple plots or raised beds to allow rotation of crops from year to year. This reduces problems with disease and microbes. The four major groupings include legumes, root veggies, cabbage/cauliflower family, and "other" (corn, squash, celery, tomatoes). Determine if your soil texture leans more toward clay, silt, or sand. Balance it out as needed or choose plants that have a preference for a soil type. Have your soil pH tested with a home kit, at a local garden center, or by an extension service. Amend as needed to achieve a level of 6.5 that is preferred by most vegetables. "Top dress" with organic material (compost or other locally available free sources) and remove early spring weeds before planting begins. Some experts advise not to turn over the soil as that encourages weeds and breaks down the complex soil ecology. Order seeds early enough if you plan to start germination indoors. Early veggies include peas, leeks, beets, and greens. Don't forget to plan for garden features that encourage pollination and natural pest control like bird and bat boxes and host plants. Photo by Susan Thomas top REFLECTIONS “It is not half so important to know as to feel.” Rachel Carson This painting highlights the core elements of our world: the sky, the water, the land, and us. It can be easy to forget that everything that happens around us originates from these elements and our interaction with them. We should all strive for those interactions to be harmonious. Midsummer Light, Estuary near Rock, Cornwall Orignal painting by Melanie McDonald http://melaniemcdonald.co.uk/gallery_paintings-of-rock-cornwall-ii_417.htm 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 residents on watershed protection strategies, and Advocate to local residents, community leaders, non-profit partners, and state regulators to take actions that will help to ensure our waterways continue to provide healthy habitat and enjoyable recreational opportunities. The BRWA eNewsletter is published monthly by the Blackstone River Watershed Association. BRWA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Editor: Susan Thomas susan.thomas@thebrwa.org Mailing address: BRWA, 271 Oak Street Uxbridge, MA 01569 Phone: 508-278-5200  Web: www.thebrwa.org Click here for back issues.