May - October:  URI Watershed Watch

The University of Rhode Island Watershed Watch Program (URIWW) is a statewide volunteer monitoring program. It focuses on providing current information on the water quality of surface water resources throughout Rhode Island, including lakes, ponds, reservoirs, rivers, streams and the marine environment. Monitoring occurs from May through October. 

The heart of the program consists of weekly measurements taken by numerous trained volunteer monitors. The program emphasizes watershed scale monitoring because the water quality of a given body of water is a reflection of the activities in the lands and waters that surround it and lie upstream. 

The program is intended to encourage communities and shoreline residents to understand the need to cooperatively manage and improve the water quality of all the water bodies within a watershed. In this way we can ensure that Rhode Island's bays, estuaries, and freshwater resources remain one of the state's great assets.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Linda Green, Program Director, (401) 874-2905, lgreen@uri.edu or Elizabeth Herron, Program Coordinator, (401) 874-4552, emh@uri.edu.

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 8:30 am - 12 noon

WHERE: Quonny Breachway launch ramp at the end of West Beach Rd., Charlestown, RI

WHO: Salt Ponds Coalition - For more info contact Art Ganz at 364-3068.

MORE INFO: Paddle Quonny Pond and learn about historic sites, salt marshes, and conservation efforts to protect barrier beaches and marine resources.

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

WHERE: Kingston, RI

WHO: Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association - For more info contact Danielle at 539-9017 or info@wpwa.org. 

MORE INFO: Starting from Taylor's landing and ending at the Biscuit City landing. About 10 miles. PFD's required. $5 member / $10 non-member. Kayak rental extra.

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 9:00 am - 12 noon

WHERE: Merino Park, Heath St. off Hartford Ave., Providence, RI

WHO: Sierra Club & Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council - If you want to participate, contact Mike Condor at 783-5228 or condor@gmail.com.

MORE INFO: To observe National River Cleanup Week, the Sierra Club and the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council are teaming up to clean a section of the Woonasquatucket River, which flows past the Sierra Club office at Rising Sun Mills in Providence and into Narragansett Bay. We will be cleaning up the river in Merino Park. Wear sturdy shoes or boots and a pair of heavy gloves. If you have waders and/or pruners, please bring them. Trash bags will be provided.

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 11:00 am

WHERE: Larson Woods, Attleboro, MA

WHO: Ten Mile Watershed Council - For more info contact Keith Gonsalves at 474-3813 or ktggroup@aol.com.

MORE INFO: Bring your own canoe, kayak, PFD's and paddles.  Reservations are required.

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 9:00 am - 12 noon, rain or shine

WHERE: Flagg Road, URI Kingston, RI

WHO: Rhode Island Wild Plant Society - For more info contact 453-3777 or office@riwps.org.

MORE INFO: The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society is dedicated to the study, conservation, cultivation and restoration of Rhode Island's native plants. We want everyone to take a wild plant home and put it in your garden so you can appreciate how beautiful and valuable these plants are.

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

            * event also happening on June 30th.

WHERE: JAYCEE Corridor & Arboretum, State Senator Donald Roch Riverwalk & West Bay Bike Path (Greenway), Providence/Hay Streets in West Warwick

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon

WHERE:  John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge at Pettaquamscutt Cove, Narragansett, RI

WHO: Charlie Hickox & Sally Hanson, USFWS Volunteers. For more ino contact the Kettle Pond Visitor Center at 364-9124 x48. Call 348-9109 to find out if it's been rained out.

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 1:00 - 2:00 pm

WHERE: Sachuest Point Visitor Center, Middletown, RI

WHO: Heather Medic, Stranding Coordinator, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Program. For more info contact the Kettle Pond Visitor Center at 364-9124 x48.

MORE INFO: In recent years, the population of seals has grown, and more northern species are traveling further south. Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration is the primary responder to both live and dead marine mammal and sea turtle stranding calls. During this presentation you will learn about the latest population trends in New England and what you may do if a seal is in need of help.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 6, 7:00 - 8:30 pm 

WHERE: Tri-Pond Park Nature Center (located on Asa Pond Road in Peace Dale, RI)

WHO: South Kingstown Parks and Recreation - For more info or to register, contact 789-9301 or visit the website.

MORE INFO: Today we will use this traditional flower to create a cheerful daisy basket.Participants will finish their arrangement with a helium balloon accent.This program is for adults, but youth as young as 14 are welcome to attend. All participants must register in advance. The cost for residents of South Kingstown is $17 and $22 for non-residents.

WHEN: Friday, June 8, 5:00 pm

WHERE: Kimberly Rock Athletic Fields, East Providence, RI

WHO: Ten Mile Watershed Council - For more info contact Keith Gonsalves at 474-3813 or ktggroup@aol.com.

WHEN: Friday, June 8 - Sunday, June 10

WHERE: Connecticut Lakes Region of Northern New Hampshire

WHO: Audubon Society of Rhode Island - For more information contact  949-5454 or programs@asri.org.

MORE INFO: In this northern wilderness it is possible to see over 100 species that nest in this area. We will be staying at The Glen, a rustic lodge with modern amentities situated on First Connecticut Lake. Our guide will be Jim Osborn who has over 20 years of experience birding in this area. Many of you know Jim as the former coordinator of Great Expeditions for ASRI and a bird leader for many of our Block Island birding weekends. $435.00 for Audubon members. $485.00 for non members.

WHERE: Apeiron Institute for Environmental Living in Coventry, Festival Parking at the Western Coventry School on Rt. 117 near the intersection of Rt. 102.

WHO: Apeiron Institute, RI DEM, Clean Water Action, Toxics Information Project, SRICD and many other partners. For more info contact Bekah Greenwald at 228-7932 or bekah@apeiron.org or visit the website.

MORE INFO: It's a new world, are you ready? Join in over 40 interactive workshops and happenings like the morning Climate Action Conference from 10am to 12pm. Shop all the new eco-friendly trends and find out what you can do at home, work and school to make a difference under the vendors tents. Alternative cars, clean living stars and music for the revolution all for one low price $10 advance, $20 at the gate. Details and tickets online or call 228-7930.

(photo credit: Apeiron Institute)

WHEN: Saturday, June 9, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

WHERE: Charlestown, RI

WHO: Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association For more info contact Danielle at 539-9017 or info@wpwa.org. 

MORE INFO: Join the Source to Sea Pawcatuck River Paddle from Biscuit City landing to the Richmond landing. About 8.5 miles. PFD's required. Kayak rental extra. $5 member / $10 non-member.

WHEN: Saturday, June 9, 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm

WHERE: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, Charlestown, RI

WHO: Dave Clayton, USFWS Volunteer. For more info contact the Kettle Pond Visitor Center at 364-9124 x48.

MORE INFO: We'll take a short walk to a vernal pool, look for local woodland birds, and look for changes in the natural world as the season moves from spring to summer. Bring binoculars, insect repellant and curiosity.

WHEN: Saturday, June 9, 6:00 pm

WHERE: Tillinghast Farm, Barrington, RI

WHO: Audubon Society of Rhode Island - For more info contact Sharon at 949-5454 or scresci@asri.org.

MORE INFO: The Audubon Society of Rhode Island will hold its annual event, Jam with the Clams, a celebration of our state's natural resources. Held on the beautiful shores of southern Barrington with breathtaking views of the bay at sunset, this event will feature a live and silent auction, live music and traditional clam bake - all in a fun and casual setting with more than 250 guests expected to be in attendance.

What: Buckeye Brook Coalition is holding a canoe and kayak trip of Warwick Lake and 0.7 mile of the upper reaches of Buckeye brook.  

When: Sunday, June 10, 11:00 am

Where: Meet at the parking lot of St. Timothy Church at the intersection of Warwick Avenue and Lake Shore Drive in Warwick and we will drive to a specific launch area by 11:15 am.

Who: Buckeye Brook Coalition - For more info Contact Paul Earnshaw at 739-6592.

More Info: Bring your own kayak, canoe, etc. This is a very easy paddle for interested parties who want to see that part of Buckeye Brook up close and personal. This is an opportunity for people to see the effects the airport is having on the environment. This trip usually only takes about an hour or 2 to complete, depending on how windy it is. More time can be spent exploring over 90 acres of Warwick Lake as well.

WHEN: Monday, June 11, 3:30 pm

WHERE: Coastal Institute Auditorium at the URI Narrangansett Bay Campus, 218 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI

WHO: Metcalf Institute - Ruth Curry, PhD, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 

MORE INFO:  Ocean circulation plays a major role in the global climate system and can amplify changes triggered by rising greenhouse gas concentrations. Curry will explain why it is critical to understand the ocean's response to warming and the potential for increased severity of hurricanes, drought and sea level rise. Rhode Island and is free and open to the public.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 12, 3:30 pm

WHERE: Coastal Institute Auditorium at the URI Narrangansett Bay Campus, 218 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI

WHO: Metcalf Institute - Charles H. Greene, PhD, Ocean Resources and Ecosystems Program, Cornell University

MORE INFO: Unprecedented climatic warming in the Arctic has led to dramatic changes in the northern oceans, notably in the shelf ecosystem of the northwest Atlantic. Greene will relate these circulation patterns to shifts in abundance of plankton and their consumers and explain the consequences for ecosystems. All lectures are free and open to the public.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 13, 3:30 pm

WHERE: Coastal Institute Auditorium at the URI Narrangansett Bay Campus, 218 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI

WHO: Metcalf Institute - Cynthia Barnett, Florida Trend

MORE INFO: Westerners have long irrigated and shared water to survive. Today, vast wetland drainage, development and overuse have led to scarcity and water wars across the American East. Journalist and author Barnett will talk about water resources and ways to effectively report on this crisis. All lectures are free and open to the public.

WHAT: Join us for an after work canoe trip on the lower Woonasquatucket and see the city from a new angle!  

WHEN: Thursday, June 14, 5:30 pm

WHERE: We will start at the landing on South Water Street and paddle up the Woonasquatucket River to near Eagle Street before turning around and heading back down to South Water Street. If there is time and if the weather is suitable we can also head out through the hurricane barrier to get a view down Narragansett Bay.

WHO: Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council - For more info or to sign up, contact Lisa at lisa@woonasquatucket.org or 861-9046. Advanced sign-up is required.

WHEN: Friday, June 15, 11:00 am

WHERE: Coastal Institute Auditorium at the URI Narrangansett Bay Campus, 218 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI

WHO: Metcalf Institute - Peyton Fleming, Ceres; Dennis Duffy, Cape Wind Associates;Jeff Deyette, Union of Concerned Scientists

MORE INFO: Twelve states have passed energy standards that require at least 15 percent of their energy to come from renewable sources in the next two decades. Is this realistic? Will it be enough? Panelists will summarize potential alternative energies and discuss the economic and policy hurdles to achieving renewable energy goals. All lectures are free and open to the public.

WHEN: Saturday, June 16, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

WHERE: Richmond, RI

WHO: Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association - For more info contact Danielle at 539-9017 or info@wpwa.org. 

MORE INFO: Join the Source to Sea Pawcatuck River Paddle from Route 91 to Bradford. About 11 miles. PFD's required. $5 member / $10 non-member. Kayak rental extra.

WHEN: Saturday, June 16, 9:00 am

WHERE: upper Rhodes on the Pawtuxet parking lot in the Cranston
portion of Pawtuxet Village, RI

WHO: Friends of the Pawtuxet River - For more info contact Hillary at 784-8240.

MORE INFO: Canoe trips, farmers market, wildflower walk on the river trail. One hour canoe rentals at the lower Rhodes on the Pawtuxet parking lot. Canoes are available at 9am, 10am and 11am. $3/ adult and $1/child. Reservations required. 

WHEN: Saturday, June 16, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

WHERE: Central Falls Landing, Broad St. & Madeira Ave., Central Falls, RI

WHO: Blackstone Valley Tourism Council - For more info click here.

MORE INFO: Free river tours on the Blackstone Valley Explorer, canoe and kayak rides with the Blackstone Valley Outfitters, and more!

WHEN: Saturday, June 16, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm

WHERE: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown, RI

WHO: South County Conservancy - For more info call the Kettle Pond Visitor Center at 364-9124 x48.
 

MORE INFO: Testing kits are a wonderful way to teach the concepts of water quality to your children. We will go over some of the concepts of water quality and then walk to the pond to take some samples. All ages are welcome. Call to register.

WHEN: Saturday, June 16, 11:00 am

WHERE: Central Ave., Pawtucket, RI to Ferris Ave., East Providence, RI

WHO: Ten Mile Watershed Council - For more info contact Keith Gonsalves at 474-3813 or ktggroup@aol.com.

WHEN: Saturday, June 23, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

WHERE: Bradford, RI

WHO: Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association - For more info contact Danielle at 539-9017 or info@wpwa.org. 

MORE INFO: More paddling on the Pawcatuck River from Bradford to Potter Hill. About 7.5 miles. PFD's required. Kayak rental extra. $5 member / $10 non-member.

WHEN: Saturday, June 23, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

WHERE: Put in Location is Wildwood Outfitters on 271 Main
Street in downtown Wakefield

WHO: Saugatucket River Heritage Corridor Coalition and Wildwood Outfitters. For more info contact Glenn Ricci at 789-1412 or srhcc@saugatucket.org.

MORE INFO: Join us for a fun and educational paddle up the
Saugatucket River from downtown Wakefield to the historic Peace Dale
Mills. We will learn about the local ecology and historic landmarks
along this urban stretch of the river. No experience necessary and the
paddling is very easy. Kayak and canoe rentals are available from
Wildwood Outfitters. Or bring your own boat!

WHEN: Saturday, June 23 at 9:00 am. Check in starts at 7:45 am, mandatory safety briefing is at 8:45 am.

WHERE: URI Boathouse on Walmsley Lane (River Rd) in North Kingstown (near South Kingstown line)

WHO: Narrow River Preservation Association - For more info contact Paul McCaffrey at 884-1223 or mccaffreyeg@cox.net.

MORE INFO: Swimmers will dive into the waters of Narrow River for the 2nd Annual "Narrow River Turnaround Swim." Although individuals and even some teams have been swimming in Narrow River for years, this group swim of 1 mile will showcase the improving water quality of the River. This event is a benefit for the Narrow River Preservation Association (NRPA). The entry fee is $20 postmarked by June 13, 2007 or $25 on the day of the swim. A registration form, sponsor forms, and more information can be found here.