Blackstone River Watershed Association In This Issue TIP OF THE MONTH BRWA NEWS This Calls for a Party! 36th Annual Canoe and Kayak Race a Success More Friends Needed! Rally For the Valley on June 1 CALENDAR IN YOUR COMMUNITY Family Canoeing in the Blackstone Watershed Grafton Town Meeting OKs Land Purchase Ranger Walkabouts Announced Massachusetts Envirothon Held at River Bend Farm OF GLOBAL INTEREST America’s Most Endangered Rivers Repair - The 4th R EWG Sunscreen Guide Natural Landmark 2012 Photo Contest BRWA Online About the BRWA JOIN the BRWA Volunteer SUBSCRIBE TO THE BRWA NEWSLETTER Issue 29 May 2012 "Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?" That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future." Herman Hesse, Siddartha TIP OF THE MONTH Mobile Phone Recycling Mobile devices enter the waste stream in huge numbers, more than any other type of electronic product. Even though, by weight, they represent a small percentage of discarded material, they are one of the most recyclable items. Many convenient programs exist to allow consumers to trade-in or recycle cell phones. Some programs will even pay for old working phones; some will make a donation of either money or refurbished phones to various causes; others just give consumers an easy, environment-friendly method of disposal. Here are some links to available programs: Good Causes – Domestic Violence Programs Verizon HopeLine program National Coalition Against Domestic Violence or locally New Hope Good Causes - U.S. Military Personnel: Cell Phones For Soldiers Good Causes – Providing Children in Need with School Supplies, U.S. and Abroad GreenestGenius (currently Apple products only) Additional ways to recycle: Major carriers AT&T Sprint Also, retail stores like Radio Shack, Staples, Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Best Buy have recycling programs for electronic devices. Check with your local store or town recycling center. If you know of any other outlets for mobile device recycling, email us, and we’ll share them with our readers. BRWA NEWS This Calls for a Party! BRWA awarded DCR Grant The BRWA received a $15,500 grant from the DCR’s Partnerships Matching Funds Program. The award will be used to contract a mechanical harvester to remove water chestnut plants that have infested the 85-acre Rice City Pond in the Blackstone River Heritage State Park in Uxbridge. Last year two Pull the Plants Parties attracted volunteers who removed over 50 cubic yards of plants. Although this sounds significant, it only cleared a narrow path that could be used by boaters in the Greenway Challenge. This summer we will “Party” again to pull plants from the shallow areas that the harvester will not be able to get to. Watch for dates in our next newsletter and join us! This grant kicks off a project that will take three to five years to complete and lots more fundraising will be necessary. Please consider making a donation that will help us restore the esthetic, habitat and recreational opportunities this pond has to offer. top 36th Annual Canoe and Kayak Race a Success Fifty-four paddlers in 43 boats could not have asked for a better day for the BRWA’s 36th Annual Canoe and Kayak Race on May 19. The BRWA event, the second longest running river race in the State, continued a Blackstone River Valley tradition. After the 11-mile paddle that started in Grafton and ended in Uxbridge, spectators and racers convened at the finish line to enjoy friends, good music, tasty food, and the setting of River Bend Farm. Race results can be viewed on the BRWA website. Special thanks to our sponsors, The Milford Savings Bank, Mayfield Plastics, Fin and Feather Sports, The Rose Garden Restaurant and Pub, and Laurianne's Resturant." Congratulations to Steve Cunningham, the new Race Chair, on a successful event. Thanks to all who volunteered and helped to keep the racers on course and safe. Want to help organize next year’s event? Let us know! top More Friends Needed! Did you know that the BRWA has been protecting our watershed for over forty years? Our success depends on your support and contributions. In early June we will be mailing a special print version of our newsletter that will be a compilation of our accomplishments over the past five or six years to showcase the value of the Blackstone River Watershed Association. We hope that this publication will inspire you to make a tax deductible donation and become a member (or renew your membership). Your contributions will be invested in programs that support our mission to educate, engage and advocate to improve water quality in the Blackstone River Watershed. If you do not receive this special periodical and a letter announcing our membership campaign in your mailbox, its because we don’t have your mailing address. Contact us via 508-278-5200 or info@thebrwa.org and we will gladly get one to you. Thank you in advance for your support. top Rally For the Valley on June 1 The MA DCR Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park and the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor will host “Rally for the Valley” at the River Bend Farm Visitor Center in Uxbridge on Friday, June 1st, from 3:30 – 7pm. Join the BRWA and groups and citizens from around the Watershed to support the Blackstone Valley National Historic Park initiative introduced in Congress last October. Add your voice to the call for the passing of this legislation and the establishment of the National Historic Park within the Valley. There will be family fun activities, food, music, area vendors and much, much more. Please visit the Heritage Corridor website for more information. top CALENDAR OF EVENTS 6/1 Rally For The Valley   info 6/2 National Trails Day   info 6/2-6/3 Free Fishing Weekend STATEWIDE   info 6/2-6/9 International Clothesline Week   info 6/7 Ranger Walkabout - "Hopedale: Anatomy of a Company Town" Meet at Hopedale Unitarian Church, 65 Hopedale Street   info 6/9 National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day (Mmmmm...pie)   info 6/9 Sense of Place Festival - DCR/Friends of Upton State Forest Upton State Forest CCC Camp   info 6/9 BRC Water Quality Sampling   6/14 BRWA Board Meeting 6:30pm 271 Oak St., Uxbridge   info 6/16 Blackstone River Theater Solstice Festival 11am - 7pm Diamond Hill Park, Rte. 114, Cumberland, RI   info 6/14 Ranger Walkabout - "Three Mill Village Park, Grafton" Meet at Three Mill Village Park, Route 122A, South Grafton   info 6/18-6/24 National Pollinator Week   info 6/18-6/24 Recycle Week   info 6/21 Ranger Walkabout - "Slatersville: America's First Planned Village" Meet at North Smithfield Public Library, 20 North Main Street   info 6/23 Great American Backyard Campout   info 6/24 Family Canoeing on Quisigamond River, Grafton Sponsored by Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm   info 6/28 Ranger Walkabout - "Roger Williams' Providence" Meet at Roger Williams National Memorial, 282 North Main Street, Providence   info top IN YOUR COMMUNITY Family Canoeing in the Blackstone Watershed MA Audubon will host a family-friendly canoeing experience in the Blackstone River watershed this summer. Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary will sponsor the outings, open to families with children ages 8 and up, to explore the Blackstone and Quinsigamond rivers. The paddles will be led by Sheryl Farnam, Birding Instructor/Natural History Guide at the sanctuary. Follow the links for more information. Family Canoeing on Quinsigamond River, Grafton Sun, Jun 24, 2012 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm Family Canoeing at Ekblaw Landing, Grafton Sun, Jul 22, 2012 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm Family Canoeing on Rice City Pond, Uxbridge Sun, Aug 19, 2012 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm Family Canoeing on the Quinsigamond River, Grafton Sat, Sep 08, 2012 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm This program is part of the Campaign for a Fishable/Swimmable Blackstone River by 2015. top Grafton Town Meeting OKs Land Purchase Last month we reported that the town of Grafton was considering the purchase of a parcel of land adjacent to Flint Pond. The Conservation Commission, Planning Board, Board of Assessors and Board of Selectmen recommended that the town exercise its option to purchase the 15 acre lot under Chapter 61A for $330,000. After much debate, the Town Meeting approved the purchase. Daily Grafton article top Ranger Walkabouts Announced The John H Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor has announced the schedule for their 2012 Thursday Night Walkabouts, a series of free programs offered by National Park Service Rangers. View the schedule of these explorations into the history, culture and natural beauty of the Blackstone Valley at the National Park Service website. top Massachusetts Envirothon Held at River Bend Farm The Massachusetts Envirothon competition was held May 17 at the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park in Uxbridge. Mass Envirothon is a statewide environmental education program for high school age young people and their advisors. It emphasizes hands-on, team-oriented problem solving and community involvement that prepares young people for environmental careers and active citizenship. Teams of five students from participating schools and organizations are tested on their knowledge and skills in the management of natural resources and present their findings from research on the year’s Current Issue. This year’s Current Issue was “Sustainable Stormwater Management” . The overall winning team from Newton Community Farm will represent Massachusetts at the Canon Envirothon to be held Pennsylvania. Congratulations to the teams from the Blackstone Watershed participating in the Envirothon: Doherty Memorial High School, Worcester; Leicester High School; Millbury High School; Sutton High School and Worcester Technical High School. For more information on the Envirothon visit : Massachusetts Envirothon Canon Envirothon (North America) Also see this Worcester Telegram & Gazette article. top OF GLOBAL INTEREST America’s Most Endangered Rivers American Rivers has released their annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers Report. Based on a review of nominations from river groups and concerned citizens across the country, the report highlights ten rivers whose fate will be decided in the coming year. The report provides guidance for citizens and decision-makers to take action on behalf of the listed rivers. top Repair - The 4th R A recent article in Grist online magazine reported on “repair cafes” in the Netherlands where groups of volunteers meet to fix clothes, appliances electronics and other items. People bring in items in need of repair and the group pools their resources to fix them for free. The article highlights a small but growing movement away from the throwaway culture and toward a return to the tradition of repairing serviceable items. Similar groups are starting to form in urban areas of the U.S. like Brooklyn and San Francisco. In addition, online support for repairing broken items, including help forums, manuals and step-by-step instructions, is also increasing. Some repair related websites: www.fixitclub.com www.ifixit.com www.repairclinic.com www.ehow.com If you know of any repair collective groups in the area, have recommendations for repair resources, or just know of anyone in the business of fixing things, email us, and we’ll share them with our readers. top EWG Sunscreen Guide Environmental Working Group (EWG) has released their 6th annual Sunscreen Guide. In the guide, EWG reviews and ranks more than 1800 sunscreen products for safety and effectiveness. They report that a higher percentage of products in the U.S. market provide adequate UVA/UVB protection with less harmful ingredients but that there is still a long way to go. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released new sunscreen regulations that EWG believes did not go far enough to protect American consumers. Consult the guide for help in choosing the best summertime protection. top Natural Landmark 2012 Photo Contest The U.S. National Park Service has announced their 9th Annual National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Photo Contest. Winning photographs will be featured in the 2013 National Natural Landmarks calendar. Contest entries will be accepted through June 30, 2012. Winners will be announced in September. You can view the 2011 winners online. National Natural Landmarks are designated by the Secretary of the Interior following rigorous scientific study. The National Natural Landmarks Program is managed by the National Park Service and recognizes significant examples of biological and geological features and supports the cooperative conservation of these important examples of America’s natural heritage. Full contest information and submission requirements for the contest are online Click here for a complete list of designated sites of the National Natural Landmarks Program and their accessibility information 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.