Henry David Thoreau

The Blackstone River Watershed Association (BRWA) is an all-volunteer, nonprofit, grassroots organization that has for the last 53 years played an active and important role in the protection of the historic Blackstone River and its watershed. Once considered the most polluted river in the country, so much progress has been made improving water quality and providing us all with ever greater environmental and recreational benefits.

The people of the Blackstone Valley find themselves stewards of a very beautiful and nationally significant watershed. Understanding what we can do to protect our freshwater resources has never been more important and more possible. Fifty years ago, 10,000 volunteers put forth a phenomenal effort to clean up the Blackstone River at the start of the ZAP the Blackstone movement. That work continues today. While many volunteer activities were diminished these last two years because of Covid 19, the BRWA is committed to reengaging with our members and volunteers.

We need the help and involvement of Blackstone Valley residents more than ever! Please consider supporting the work of the BRWA through a membership donation, active participation as a volunteer, or simply a one-time donation.

Click here to become a member or to make a much-needed donation of any amount.

Some of BRWAbs goals in 2022 include:

• Celebrate 53 years as an all-volunteer, non-profit, grassroots watershed organization by offering a salute to our Nipmuc sisters and brothers and their relationship with the Blackstone River at BRWAbs Annual Meeting presentation in May: Pakachoag: Where the River Bends See article below
• Support and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of ZAP the Blackstone See article below
• Improve BRWAbs alliances with other watershed organizations through our continuing participation in the Blackstone Watershed Collaborative
• Build on an already strong and passionate Board of Directors
• Expand BRWA membership and volunteer lists
• Communicate with Blackstone Watershed legislators on advocacy issues
• Complete development of mapping tools for organizing virtual cleanups
• Continue development of a new, more engaging website
• Reengage the Watershed & Us education program serving schools and organizations throughout the watershed
• Anticipate partnering with MA Audubon through an EPA Environmental Education Local Grants Program in developing a Rivers to Sea program, a high impact Grade 5-12 STEM program for students and teachers in Massachusetts.
• Organize the 7th Annual Family Fun Fishing Day scheduled for Saturday, June 4th See article below
• Partner with the Blackstone River Coalition in the Water Quality Monitoring Program for the 19th year

Accomplishments in 2021 include:

• Completed of a new Strategic Plan (more)
• Honored the life and work of a dear friend and fellow board member through the Pieter de Jong Memorial Nature Walk
• Supervised internships for two Sutton High School Seniors helping them with several activities including organizing a mini cleanup with Sutton High Environmental Club and our Open Sky partners.
• Completed 18th year of the Water Quality Monitoring Program more
• Partnered with MA Fish & Wildlife in a Stream Temperature Monitoring Study See article below
• Provided input on a variety of advocacy efforts including:
  • providing written testimony in support of H.2198, An Act Relative to the Protection of Wetlands and Water Resources in Chapter 40B Applications
  • supporting the Invasive Species Bill: H. 999/S. 563B An Act responding to the threat of invasive species
  See article below
• Participated in and contributed to the Blackstone Needs Assessment project led by the Narraganset Bay Estuary Program more
• Joined the newly created Blackstone Watershed Collaborative
• Organized a very successful 6th Annual Family Fun Fishing Day with partners Open Sky, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, and MA Fish & Wildlife.

The activities and accomplishments summarized here illustrate the positive impact of BRWA membersb efforts! We hope that this will inspire many more to join us as we work toward the success of our mission to engage, educate, and advocate for improved water quality in the Blackstone River Watershed with a vision of Vibrant, Healthy, free-flowing Waterways in the Blackstone Valley, Treasured by All!

We are very grateful for those who have supported the work of the BRWA in the past through membership, donations, grants, and active participation.

Click here to become a member or to make a much-needed donation of any amount.

Sincerely,

JoAnne Holahan

Packachoag: Where the River Bends is a film documentary that explores the history and identity of Pakachoag, the largest of three Nipmuc Villages that make up present-day Worcester. Pakachoag centers on the large hill in South Worcester that is now also the site of the College of the Holy Cross, Quinsigamond Village, and part of Auburn. The film explores the area before, during, and after colonial contact, including how the growth of Holy Cross has engaged with and erased that history. Produced by a team of professors and creatives at Holy Cross in collaboration with the Greater Worcester Land Trust, the film describes the connection of the Nipmuc people to the land of Packachoag Hill and to the Blackstone River that bends around it.

Viewers are led on a walking tour of important Nipmuc sites such as Pakachoag Spring, and bKattatuckb, the original name of the Blackstone River. Thomas Doughton (Nipmuc), Senior Lecturer at Holy Cross in its Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, and Colin Novick, environmental historian, and Executive Director of the Greater Worcester Land Trust, lead the tour. Cheryll Toney Holley, Leader of the Hassanamisco Band of Nipmuc, gives testimony to the Nipmuc presence in the Blackstone Valley today.

The 45-minute film will be shown at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, May 18 in Community Rooms A and B of the Grafton Public Library and will be followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion with Colin Novick and Cheryll Toney Holley.

A brief business meeting will precede the presentation at 6:30 PM for the election of officers, to welcome new members of the Board of Directors along with all members of the Blackstone River Watershed Association.

The BRWA is offering this Annual Meeting presentation with a virtual option. Please indicate if you will be attending virtually when you register.

Registration is required

Click here to register

Come join the Fun at our annual Family Fun Fishing Day on Saturday June 4th 2022.

This is a FREE event for all ages and abilities!! A great way to introduce kids to fishing with the help of our team of instructors.

The BRWA has been working with MassWildlife since 2019 to monitor seven sites in four coldwater streams in the watershed. The study is an interstate partnership project headed by MassWildlife and developed together with collaborators in the USGS Conte Lab, Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and UMass-Amherst MA along with partners in NH, to gather stream temperature data to calibrate models used to predict stream temperature changes on coldwater fisheries and systems as the climate continues to warm.

One of the monitoring sites selected for a temperature logger.

Imagine you're a fish that requires cold water temperatures even during the hot summer months; where do you go when seasonal drought conditions or longer term climate factors warm up your chilly stream habitat, lower water levels, and decrease flow rates? For the iconic brook trout or the lesser known slimy sculpin, year-round water temperatures no warmer than 68B0 F are critical to their reproduction and survival. Here in Massachusetts, waterbodies that support these sensitive fish species are referred to as Coldwater Fisher Resources (CFR). Changes in environmental factors can reduce the ability of CFRsB or networks of coldwater streams to support trout and other aquatic wildlife. Fisheries biologists, environmental agencies, conservation groups, anglers, and watershed associations are collaborating on a state and regional effort to identify important coldwater patches (refugia) within a CFR where fish can retreat during the warmer months.

Locating coldwater refugia can help scientists, municipalities, and conservationists plan effective habitat protection efforts. To this end, U. S. Geological Survey scientists created a computer modelB to predict and identify areas within CFRs where brook trout may persist as water temperatures climb. The model uses temperature data collected from streams at regular intervals throughout the year. Using specialized temperature dataloggers placed in coldwater streams, the data is uploaded to a stream temperature database. Placement of the dataloggers and downloading the information is where partnerships play a significant role.

The goal of the study is to monitor the temperature profiles of potential coldwater climate refugia.B These are areas that are likely to continue to provide coldwater as global temperatures rise.B Recent modeling efforts, however, predict that some refugia will become too warm in summer to support brook trout even with a two-degree Celsius increase in mean July temperatures. BRWAbs involvement in deploying data loggers and downloading data has helped to validate the temperature model used in the brook trout occupancy models.

BRWA volunteers preparing temperature probe for installation.

Working with Rebecca Quinones, an aquatic biologist with MassWildlife, we identified streams and tributaries that looked promising for this study. BRWA did a lot of scouting and field work including contacting landowners. With Beccabs help we installed monitoring equipment in the streams. During the summers, BRWA volunteers checked the equipment monthly and took temperatures with a handheld thermometer to compare to the temperatures being recorded. At the end of the summer, the monitoring devices, called HOBOs were removed and the data uploaded to a computer. The HOBOs were then repositioned to continue collecting data. Two HOBOS went missing due to major runoff events. Those devices have not been located and likely will not be. Fortunately, with end of summer uploads key data was captured prior to the loss of the HOBO.

Becca and her team from MassWildlife also did electrofishing to sample some of the streams being monitored and collect data on fish populations. Joy Trahan-Liptak, Mike Sperry, Ted Beauvais and JoAnne Holahan all participated in field work at various times from Spring 2019 through Fall of 2021. With the batteries in the HOBO temperature loggers running low, and sufficient data having been collected, BRWA will remove the loggers in 2022.

Thanks to MassWildlife for providing part of this write-up from an article in their newsletter.

The BRWA advocates for the Blackstone River, its tributaries and the watershed.

H. 999/S. 563B An Act responding to the threat of invasive species

Recently, we have supported invasive species legislation (H.999/S.563) in the state legislature. We reviewed the draft bill and supported it while also suggesting improvements. Our main concern is that the bill will not be fully implemented without some changes. The changes we propose have to do with leveraging the small number of highly trained state employees with a cadre of volunteers who can work with them to identify, manage and control invasive species wherever they are. These volunteers would be trained and certified as binvasive species paraprofessionalsb who would enter sightings of invasive species into the state database, undertake demonstration projects to control invasives and restore natural systems and native species, and provide other assistance to the statebs invasive species coordinator.

Invasive Water Chestnut

For a small investment the state could reap large rewards by bringing trained and motivated volunteers into this program. Think of all the biology teachers, university faculty, college students, native plant aficionados, farmers, anglers, conservationists, environmentalists , birdwatchers, ecologists and others who would be interested in this program. By training and certifying volunteers the state will know that information reported is from a reliable source. The state can work with volunteers to

• design and implement control or eradication measures
• remove invasive species and encourage native species
• measure the work accomplished and the results over time

The legislation defines citizen scientists but does not provide clear roles and opportunities for meaningful participation in the statebs invasive species program. The BRWAbs suggestions for improvement will go a long way towards making this bill much more effective once passed and signed into law. Since the bill is still under consideration, if you want to engage with your local representatives, it is not too late.

H.2198, An Act Relative to the Protection of Wetlands and Water Resources in Chapter 40B Applications

We were also asked to take a look at a bill (H.4144) that would address some of the problems caused by combined sewage overflows (CSO). There are still stormwater runoff systems in some cities that discharge into the wastewater treatment stream. When big storms occur the runoff from the streets and parking lots, combined with the regular wastewater treatment flow, exceeds what the treatment plant can handle and the floodgates are literally opened and all the water goes into the receiving water body, typically a river or the ocean.

This potentially harms public safety for boaters, fishers, and swimmers due to the elevated bacteria levels along with other pollutants. The bill requires bacteria testing to develop a predictive model, based on downstream monitoring, that can be shared with the public when these events occur to let them know what is happening and how long they need to stay away from the water. A mitigation plan is also required, and the stormwater system involved will be given priority for upgrading. Ultimately, that is the solution to this problem b the elimination of combined stormwater and sewer systems. Worcester is 90% fixed, but 10%, mostly in the Quinsigamond neighborhood still has stormwater flowing to the wastewater treatment plant. H.4144 is still under consideration offering you an opportunity to contact your local representatives.

We engage with partners in the newly created Blackstone Watershed Collaborative under the leadership of Stefanie Covino as well as the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance and other watershed associations to learn about legislation so we can study the issue and comment on the legislation. Ted Beauvais (ted.beauvais@thebrwa.org), the BRWA Director of Policy, is the point person for these efforts and can share copies of legislation and the BRWA letters that have been sent.

If you are unsure who your MA legislators are, you can find out using this link: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator

Join us in welcoming Nicole Bratsos as the new Program Coordinator for the Blackstone River Coalitionbs Volunteer Watershed-wide Water Quality Monitoring Program. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the monthly monitoring of 75 sites within the watershed and working with the programbs three Field Coordinators to recruit and train volunteers. Nicole is additionally responsible for implementing the state and EPA-approved Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), managing data, and creating yearly water quality report cards to show the health and challenges of the watershed.

Originally from Blackstone, MA, Nicole is passionate about protecting and restoring the Blackstone River. She started her water quality career in the mountains of Colorado, where she worked for a municipality and gained valuable experience in source water protection, laboratory analysis, and data management. Upon returning to the Blackstone Valley area, she was a volunteer field monitor with the Blackstone River Watershed Association for the 2021 season. Nicole is currently working on a BS in Water Quality Management and began working for the Blackstone River Coalition as an intern in the Fall of 2021. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking, and adventuring with her 2-year-old son.

The BRC trains community scientists to participate in the Coalition's watershed-wide water quality monitoring program. The goal of this long-running program is to gather information about the current status of, and long-term changes in, the health of the Blackstone River watershed. This information helps local policy makers, state officials, and concerned community members make the Blackstone River cleaner for people and for wildlife. Over 90 volunteers work with the BRC to sample 75 sites throughout the watershed from Worcester to Pawtucket.

To volunteer as a field monitor, floater, or lab assistant, please contact Nicole at 508-254-8745 or nicolebratsos.wqm@gmail.com.

Come celebrate the accomplishments made over the last 50 years in keeping the Blackstone River Valley Beautiful.

Back in September 1972, 10,000 volunteers participated in removing tons of trash, appliances, furniture, cars and even a school bus from the banks of the Blackstone River. Since then, people like you continue to help keep the Blackstone River watershed beautiful for all to enjoy.

Left: The beginning - young ZAP volunteer in 1972

Right: The mission continues - Volunteer at a recent BRWA Annual Cleanup

For the 50thB Anniversary the organizers are planning a 1-day cleanup to rival the original cleanup with 10,000 plus 1 volunteers in all. Come join the FUN and help us meet our goal.

August 27, 2022: Clean and Green Up part of the Blackstone River Watershed September 10, 2022: Come join us again for a celebration of success at the Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark

To learn more or become a volunteer please visitB https://www.zaptheblackstone.com/