Blackstone River Watershed Association
Blackstone River Watershed Association
In This Issue
BRWA NEWS

Celebrating Smokey's Birthday

Educating our Youth

CALENDAR

THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL

Clean Water Act Violation on Peters River

Beetle Battle

Summer Fish Kills

SPOTLIGHT ON SCIENCE

Spectacular Sedges and Remarkable Rushes

FAMILY FOCUS

Summertime Storytime

BE GREEN

Native Lawns are Green Lawns

REFLECTIONS


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Issue 41 July 2013

BRWA NEWS

Celebrating Smokey's Birthday

Come join us on Sunday August 11th at River Bend Farm in Uxbridge as we help the Mass Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) celebrate American's forest mascot - Smokey! The DCR is hosting this event in honor of Smokey's 69th birthday! Park Staff will have equipment from MA DCR Forest Fire Control District 7, MA Department of Fire Services, Uxbridge Fire Dept. and the Uxbridge Antique Fire Museum on display. They will also provide self-guided activities to learn about Smokey's forest friends, a butterfly garden tent and butterfly/moth display.

While there, the BRWA invites you to participate in a series of short, informative demonstrations that we will provide on the following water resource topics: rain gardens, down-spouts, invasive aquatic plants, and reduction of non-point source pollution using our interactive watershed model (see following newsletter article). You'll receive environmental tips to use at home, work, and around your community. We will also have a member of our board available to discuss the BRWA's education, outreach, and advocacy initiatives. This is the perfect time for you to find a way to get involved with our efforts to protect and restore the Blackstone River and its watershed. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Educating our Youth
Fifth graders at Uxbridge's Whitin school were responsible for severely polluting an entire watershed on May 15th. Sediment, fertilizer, pet waste, pesticides, road salt, petroleum products, manure, heavy metals, and toxins flowed fast and furious into waterways. But never fear, the students saw the error of their ways and cleaned up their mess by implementing best managment practices in their neighborhoods, businesses, farms, factories, golf courses, parking lots, and roadways. And all of this happened in about an hour. And then it was repeated over and over until nearly 150 students had participated in the BRWA's interactive watershed model program. During the programs, Susan Thomas, BRWA project coordinator, engaged the students in an animated discussion of the water cycle, watersheds, point- and non-point source pollution, environmental and human consequences of water pollution, and conservation practices.

As part of the "Watersheds and Us" program, the BRWA brings this interactive watershed model into fourth and fifth-grade classrooms throughout the Blackstone River Watershed in an effort to increase the public's awareness and stewardship of the Blackstone River, its tributaries and all the land surrounding it. During these presentations, which complement the Massachusetts science curriculum, students learn three major lessons: (1) wherever you are, you are in a watershed; (2) what you do on the land directly affects the health of our waterways; and (3) for every type of landuse, there are environmentally-friendly alternatives to traditional management practices. For example, homeowners can reduce the amount of lawn fertilizer they use or even convert grassy areas to wildlfower gardens or vegetable patches. Business owners can reduce stormwater runoff and increase groundwater infiltration by installing downspouts and rain gardens.

The Uxbridge students were particularly enthusiastic about the watershed model program and provided letters and posters demonstrating their newfound understanding.
  • "I liked the fact that you let us do everything hands on instead of doing it all by yourself. Before your presentation, i didn't even know what a watershed was."

  • "That display you brought in was very fun and cool. . . . I hope you get to do that for the next couple of years for all the other kids (to) get to enjoy it as much as we did."

  • "It (the presentation) helped prepare me to talk to my family about pollution."

  • "This presentation also helped a lot with MCAS testing because there were lots of questions revolving around watersheds."
More comments can be found here.

If you are a teacher, or parent of a student, and you want the BRWA to bring the program into your school, please contact the BRWA at info@thebrwa.org or 508-278-5200.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

According to the powers that be, July is National Park and Recreation Month, National Blueberry Month, and National Picnic Month. Those add up to one great invitation to get out and enjoy the Blackstone River watershed in a boat or along the trails! We've even included a recipe for blueberry muffins to take along on your picnic.

August is National Immunization Month, National Catfish Month, and National Peach Month. Whether you are travelling abroad or have children entering school in September, vaccinations are an important consideration. And while you'll have to fish outside the Blackstone watershed to catch a catfish, you'll find orchards around where you can pick your own peaches to eat fresh or use in the cobbler recipe that we've provided.


7/29, 8/19, 8/26 Nature Journaling at River Bend Farm. 1:00-1:30 p.m. The Nature Notebook in the Visitor Center is brimming with interesting nature notes and wildlife sightings! Supplies provided to make your own nature journal and wildlife sightings! Contact: (508) 278-7604.
8/3 Blackstone River Watershed Council/Friends of the Blackstone. 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Free for RI residents: Eco-Depot hazardous waste recycling. 60 Commercial Way, East Providence, RI.    info
8/4, 8/18, 8/25 Art at the River / Canal Towpath Tour at River Bend Farm. 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. / 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, Uxbridge. Take a short walk through the sunny field to the Blackstone River, make a sun print for your nature journal and write down your discoveries. Materials provided. / This easy walk follows the flat towpath and includes stories about the canal's history and wildlife. Contact: (508) 278-7604.
8/6 Tour of Bioremediation at Blackstone River Canal, Fisherville Mill Canal. 10:00 a.m. to noon. Grafton. info or contact the ELA at ela.info@comcast.net or (617) 436-5838.
8/7 Aquatic Plant ID Training. The Sudbury-Assabet-Concord Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area. 6:00 p.m. –8:00 p.m. Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge Visitors’ Center, 680 Hudson Rd in Sudbury. Contact Amber Carr at amber_carr@fws.gov or (978) 443-4661 ext.33. info
8/10 Blackstone River Coalition Water Quality Monitoring.  
8/11 Smokey's Birthday Celebration. 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park. 287 Oak Street, Uxbridge. See above for details.  
8/17 BRWC Open House/River Cleanup. 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.   Contact Keith Hainley at 401-996-1542 or KeithHainley@BlackstoneRiver.org.
8/17 BCC Workday. 9 a.m. at Plummer’s Landing, Church St. Northbridge, MA.   Info from Dave Barber 508-478-4918
8/21 Blackstone River Watershed Council Monthly Meeting. 6:30-8:30 p.m., Lincoln, R.I.   info
8/22 BRWA Board Meeting. 6:45pm 271 Oak St., Uxbridge   info
8/24, 29 Stormwater Advocates Training Workshops. info.
Sundays through October 20 Weekly Riverboat Tours on the Blackstone Valley Explorer. Central Falls Landing in Pawtucket, R.I. Free the last Sunday of each month. info.

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THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL

Clean Water Act Violation on Peters River
The U.S. EPA has issued a $55,000 fine to J.H Lynch & Sons, Inc. for failing to prevent discharge of sediment into the Peters River and Arnold Brook in Bellingham. The contamination occurred during MassDOT roadwork for which J.H Lynch & Sons was contracted. The Clean Water Act requires that projects over one acre utilize best management practices to intercept site runoff during construction. Sediment, oil, and other contaminants contained in runoff can impair water quality, reduce fish and wildlife habitat, and decrease the waterway's capacity to moderate flooding. More information on EPA stormwater guidelines can be found at www.epa.gov/region1/npdes/stormwater.

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Beetle Battle
Asian Long-horned Beetle As you spend time outdoors this summer, keep an eye out for a particularly destructive woodland enemy. Beginning in July, the dreaded Asian Long-horned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, will be emerging from hardwood trees as adults after spending time in the center of the tree as pupae. Eating their way out from the center, the non-native insects destroy the structural integrity of the tree and leave a dime-size hole on the outside that is visible to those who know what to look for. The beetle's waste is called frass and it looks similar to sawdust. A coalition of government agencies, conservation organizations, academic researchers, municipalities and citizens have banded together to contain the spread of this devastating species since it first was observed in Worcester in 2008. If you spot an adult beetle, its frass, or the exit holes in a tree, please call 1-866-702-9938. For more information, go to www.beetlebusters.info/.

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Summer Fish Kills
man holding brook trout The Blackstone River watershed is home to numerous species of freshwater fish, and efforts are underway to restore passage for anadromous fish including herring and shad. Recreational fishing is what connects many people to the Blackstone River and its tributaries. While observing a fish kill in the summer is disturbing, keep in mind that natural causes, and not pollution, are typically responsible. Increased temperatures and related reductions in dissolved oxygen are common precursers to fish kills. And as water levels drop in late summer, fish become concentrated, which allows disease to spread. If you observe a kill-off, you should notify the Mass Department of Fish and Wildlife at 508-389-6300.

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SPOTLIGHT ON SCIENCE

Spectacular Sedges and Remarkable Rushes
"Sedges have edges, and rushes are round." Like a great many people who are interested in plant life, but who are not botanists, this might be the limit of what you know about these fascinating plant species. But there is much more to sedges and rushes than their shape--they play important roles in our wetland ecosystems, and with a little practice, you can differentiate between members of the two groups, and identify some of the different species of sedges and rushes that live in New England.

Sedges and rushes are both grass-like plants that inhabit areas with water or wet soil, including pond shores, wet meadows, marshes, fens, and swales. Many species of sedges and rushes grow in clumps or tussocks, but others grow in dense stands of single stems that spread from underground rhizomes. Both sedges and rushes are wind-pollinated.

Sedges and rushes are important wetland plants, providing shelter, nesting material, and food for a variety of wildlife species such as waterfowl, songbirds, and muskrats. By slowing down fast-moving water and trapping sediment, they provide flood mitigation and erosion control. Additionally, sedges and rushes improve water quality by filtering out pollutants and excess nutrients from the water.

Sedges are in the family Cyperaceae, with the vast majority belonging to the Carex genus, called "true sedges". Most other sedges around New England are in one the following genera: Cyperus (nutsedges), Eleocharis (spike rushes) and Scirpus (bulrushes).

Sedges are challenging to identify precisely at the species level without a technical guide. However, they all tend to have a triangular-shaped stem (culm), which is best felt toward the bottom end where the stem is thicker. They generally have three flat leaf blades, and closed sheathes (where the leave blade wraps around the stem). Individual species can be identified by carefully observing the flowers and fruiting bodies that occur at the tip or along the sides of the stem. The flowers grow in clusters on spikes called inflorescences. Species vary by whether the male and female flowers are on the same spike, on different spikes, or even on different plants. Single seeds are contained in a small dry fruit called an achene or nutlet, which is contained within a sac-like perigynium that contains the female flower prior to pollination. The variation observed in these structures is used to differentiate species. For example, the achene can have two or three sides. The perigynium can taper to a point called a beak. If you were trying to identify a plant you found, you might also consider the length of the sac, whether it has hairs or is ribbed, the sheath color, and whether the flowers are stalked or stalkless.

Rushes belong to the family Juncaceae and most species are in the Juncos genus. In contrast to sedges, rushes have a round stem and narrow leaf blades that, when present, may be flat or round. The stem may have internal compartments, called septa, that are never present in sedges. The leaf sheaths can be open or closed around the stem. Flowers are bisexual, having both male and female parts, and they can occur along the sides or at the top of the stem. The fruiting bodies are capsules that contain many seeds. Species can be differentiated by stem height, capsule features, leaf position and length, and flower color.

Whether your field identification skills are limited to "sedges have edges, and rushes are round," or you are able to point out the differences between Carex greyi and Juncus effusus, everyone should appreciate the valuable role these grass-like plants play within the Blackstone River watershed. Discuss them with your town conservation commission in regard to wetland permitting and restoration projects. Suggest that your local plant nursery add them to their aquatic plant offerings. Consider them when designing a rain garden for your home or business. And provide these humble plants with the same respect and protection that you would show more dramatic woody plants. So, the next time you find yourself walking or paddling past some grassy plants, take a closer look. You may actually be in the presence of spectacular sedges and remarkable rushes.

You can find more information about sedges and rushes at New England Wetland Plants, Inc., and the National Resource and Conservation Service (www.bwsr.state.mn.us/wetlands/training/PlantID-sedges.pdf) and (www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/florane/index.htm).

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FAMILY FOCUS
Summertime Storytime
wind in the willows photo: The Wind in the Willows AndrewLam3.jpg
We are certainly experiencing the warm, slow, days of summer when all we want to do is find a hammock or tree-house or perhaps a large flat rock in the middle of a cool, lazy stream where we can relax, and pass the hours turning the pages of a good book. What better time to gather your kids around an illustrated copy of Kenneth Grahame's classic, The Wind in the Willows!

In chapter one, which is called "The River Bank", Mole and Rat explore the river. In the beginning, Mole leaves behind his spring cleaning, digs his way to the surface, crosses a meadow, and finds himself in a whole new world.

"As he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before. All was a-shake and a-shiver — gleams and sparkles, chatter and bubble. The Mole was bewitched. By its side he trotted spellbound; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank."

There are many splendid stories that take place on, or near, a river. Scruffy the Tugboat by Gertrude Crampton (ages 3-7), Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling (ages 7 and up), and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (ages 12 and up) are just a few.

More are listed here.

Choose a favorite scene to recreate along the Blackstone River!


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BE GREEN

recycle symbol enveloping planet Earth Native Lawns are Green Lawns - By Maggie Plasse

This article appeared in a previous issue of BRWA Blackstone River Monitor and has been edited.

We Americans love our lawns! Approximately 20 million U.S. acres are planted as residential lawn and 30–60% of the potable municipal water in the U.S. is used for maintaining lawns. That’s a lot of land and a lot of water. We also use 67 million pounds of synthetic pesticides yearly, It is easy to see that our love for green lawns is polluting our rivers and streams and depleting our diminishing water supply. So, what is an environmentally minded person to do?

While speaking to people from the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA), I found out that I could have my cake and eat it, too! The secret is to work with nature. This means creating conditions for grass to thrive and resist damage from weeds, disease, and insects. The idea is to prevent problems from occurring so you don’t have to treat them. A healthy lawn can out-compete most weeds, survive most insect attacks, and fend off most diseases. Here are some ways with which you can maintain a healthy lawn:
  • Develop healthy soil.
  • Choose a grass type that thrives in your area.
  • Mow high, often, and with sharp blades.
  • Water deeply, but not too frequently.
  • Correct thatch build-up.
  • Don't attempt to eliminate all weeds. Set realistic goals.
Lawns grow best in soil that is loamy, and that has a mixture of clay, silt, and sand. Periodically adding organic matter like compost, manure and grass clippings improves the soil by retaining water and adding nutrients. If the soil is packed down, aerate it by pulling out plugs of soil, allowing water and nutrients to penetrate to the grass roots.

Most lawns need to be fertilized annually. Be careful not to over-fertilize—this could harm the lawn. In a slightly acidic soil, a slow-acting fertilizer is best.

Choose a type of grass that grows best in New England; it will better resist local pests and diseases. Native grasses such as fescues are well adapted to growing in sun or shade, and are hardy enough to withstand summer droughts and cold New England winters. Once your lawn is well established, watering should not be necessary. Mother Nature will do the job!

When mowing, set your mower on a medium or high setting, mow often, and keep the blades on your mower sharp. Longer grass has more leaf surface to take sunlight. This allows the grass to grow thicker and develop a deeper root system that helps the grass survive drought and tolerate insect damage. Longer grass also shades the soil, retains moisture, and makes it difficult for weeds to grow.

Most lawns are watered too often, but with too little water per watering session. It’s best to water a lawn when it really needs it, and to water slowly and deeply. This trains the roots to grow downward. Watering too often and too little trains the roots to grow closer to the surface making it harder for the grass to resist drought conditions. Water your lawn once per week in a way that simulates a slow, soaking rain. This gives the lawn about an inch of water that will penetrate 6–8 inches. Before watering again, let the soil to dry completely and water in the early morning to reduce evaporation.

What does it mean to correct thatch build up? All grass forms a layer of dead plant material called thatch. When thatch gets too thick, it prevents water and nutrients from penetrating the soil. Over use of fertilizer can create a heavy layer of thatch. You can reduce thatch by raking or sprinkling a thin layer of soil or compost over the grass. In a healthy lawn, earthworms and microorganisms keep the thatch in balance by decomposing it and releasing nutrients into the soil.

Remember to set realistic goals. Even a healthy lawn is likely to have some weeds. Also, if you know that grass does not grow well in an area of your yard, try planting a local ground cover.

If you want a lawn that is thick and enjoyable and also good for the environment, you can also check out these sites:
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REFLECTIONS

“It is not half so important to know as to feel.” Rachel Carson
music-notes-flowers-wall-art

It's been a long week. You are feeling drained and stressed. Listening to a recording of environmental sounds, especially water, can soothe and revitalize you quickly in a way that lingers for long afterwards. Here are two water recordings that you can find online. Both are produced by Lindsay O'Connor, and, along with many other acoustic water videos, they are available at www.texashighdef.net.

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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: Susan Thomas susan.thomas@thebrwa.org
Mailing address: BRWA, 271 Oak Street Uxbridge, MA 01569
Phone: 508-278-5200  Web: www.thebrwa.org

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