Author: Bruce Hooke

The Friends of Canonchet Farm, Narrow River Preservation Association, and the South County Museum, with generous support from Trio Restaurant, are sponsoring the winter speaker series On Pettaquamscutt: Presentations on the Environment and the History of the Narrow River Watershed.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Attendees explored Narrow River without getting wet or cold, as NRPA Board member Dr. Veronica Berounsky presented “Narrow River – Past and Present.” Veronica led a virtual tour of the Narrow River and sites in its watershed and discussed and illustrated important issues along the way.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Wildlife biologist Mike Lapisky, former chief of the Division of Fish and Wildlife of R.I. DEM and a member of the Friends of Canonchet Farm, displayed skulls and pelts in his presentation, “Wildlife at Canonchet Farm.”

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Jim Crothers, Executive Director of South County Museum, traced the history of the property now known as Canonchet Farm from the time of the Pettaquamscutt Purchase in 1657 to its purchase by the Town of Narragansett in the middle of the 20th Century.

On Pettaquamscutt, the Second Season

NRPA, Friends of Canonchet Farm and South County Museum sponsored On Pettaquamscutt: Presentations on the Environment and the History of the Narrow River Watershed.

Jon Boothroyd, January 27, 2013

Geologist and NRPA Vice President for Science Dr. Jon Boothroyd discussds “Climate Change, Coastal Geologic Hazards and Sea-Level Rise: Some Rhode Island Strategies.” Jon, who is a URI Research Professor Emeritus and the R.I. State Geologist, described what is happening to our coastline and the Narrow River Watershed and what can be done to adapt to the new realities.

Hope Leeson, February 24, 2013

In February, botanist Hope Leeson presented on the “Rhody Plant Initiative,” a program that promotes the use of native plants grown from Rhode Island wild stock through seed collection and cuttings. Hope is the botanist for the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, with a primary focus on invasive plant inventories and experimental management techniques.

Rhody Native is an initiative to make indigenous plant material available to homeowners and organizations involved in habitat restoration. The program is an opportunity to promote local Rhode Island businesses, educate the public about Rhode Island’s native biodiversity, and improve our natural environment.

Frank Heppner, March 24, 2013

On Sunday, March 24, railroad historian Frank Heppner presented “Short Line and Electric Railroads of Rhode Island,” with highlights of the Sea View Line and the Narragansett Pier Railroad. Heppner is a founding member and Chairman of the Friends of the Kingston Station, and the author of Railroads of Rhode Island, Shaping the Ocean State’s Railways.

NRPA, Friends of Canonchet Farm, South County Museum and the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library sponsored the third season of On Pettaquamscutt: Presentations on the Environment and the History of the Narrow River Watershed.

January 26: The Red House at the Head of Narrow River: Birthplace of Gilbert Stuart, Painter of Presidents

Peggy O’Connor, Director of the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum presented about the painter and the snuff mill where he was born.

February 23: Biodiversity is Everywhere: 1,200 Species of Life and 4 1/2 inches of rain in the Narragansett BioBlitz

David Gregg, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, spoke about the BioBlitz at the South County Museum in June 2013, what the professional and amateur scientists found in their 24-hour search of Canonchet Farm and Pettaquamscutt Cove, and how they survived the heaviest rainfall of the summer.

March 30: Restoring Habitat at Lake Canonchet

Throughout 2014 and 2013, 100 volunteers have removed more than five tons of Japanese knotweed and other invasive plants from the shore of Lake Canonchet across Boston Neck Road from the Narragansett Town Beach. The work is part of a Friends of Canonchet Farm project to restore native habitats along this fresh-water coastal pond.

At this On Pettaquamscutt presentation, Kathie Kelleher and David Smith, members of the Friends of Canonchet Farm Restoring Habitat Committee, discussed the goals of the project, described the problem of invasive vegetation in South County, and showed some of the initial results of the restoration project.

The Fourth Season of On Pettaquamscutt: Presentations on the Environment and the History of the Narrow River Watershed, the winter speaker series sponsored by NRPA, Friends of Canonchet Farm, South County Museum, the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library and Trio Restaurant.

January 25: Numi Mitchell, “Coyotes in Your Back Yard”

Coyotes, originally a prairie species, have colonized the Continental U.S. over the last 100 years, and in the mid-1990s even took up residence on the islands in Narragansett Bay. Numi Mitchell, lead scientist in the Narragansett Bay Coyote Study, described the most successful practices for managing coyote herds.

February 22: Colin Porter, “King Philip’s War at Home: Another Look at the Jireh Bull Garrison House”

“A few rods from this spot stood the Stone House of Jireh Bull Burned by the Indians December 15, 1675,” so reads the stone marker on Middlebridge Road commemorating a preemptive strike by the Narragansetts to prevent Bull’s fortification from being used by Connecticut and Massachusetts Bay militia assembling to attack the tribe. On February 22, 2015 anthropologist Colin Porter told the story behind the stone and what Jireh Bull’s Garrison House meant to Native Americans and Europeans struggling to coexist in the Narragansett Country.

March 29: Wenley Ferguson, “Salt Marsh Restoration in Narrow River”

Wenley Ferguson, shown here during one of her many visits to the salt marsh just below Middlebridge on the east side of the river, was be the final presenter in the 2015 series. Wenley, who is Director of Habitat Restoration at Save the Bay, will discuss Save the Bay’s efforts to assess threats to salt marsh health and to restore healthy, functioning marshes.

Many thanks to all those who helped make the fifth season a great success, with each presentation drawing an audience of 60 or more and filling the library meeting rooms:

♦  To Rosemary and David Smith who lead the effort each season and to Marilyn Sherman and the staff at the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library for hosting the events.

♦  To Friends of Canonchet Farm and South County Museum our partners in organizing the series and arranging for the speakers

♦  To Trio Restaurant, which donates gift certificates to Newport Restaurant Group eateries to thank our presenters.

♦  And of course, to our 2016 lineup of speakers:

January 31, 2016

Furniture maker Jeffrey Greene, author of American Furniture of the 18th Century: History, Technique, Structure, described “Furnishing the South County Plantation Homes.”

February 28, 2016

Laura Myerson, Professor of Habitat Restoration Ecology in the Department of Natural Resources Sciences at URI and Richard Enser, Ecosystem Biologist debated “Can We Go Back to the Future?” as they explored what does “Restoration Mean in the Age of Global Change”.

March 20, 2016

Archaeoloist Jay Waller wrapped up the series with “What R110 Tells us about the Native American Usage of the Natural Resources at Canonchet Farm.” R110 is an archaeological site that rests on the upper portion of Salt Pond just south of Commodore Perry Highway and which is arguably the most significant pre-European contact Native American find on the East Coast.

Many thanks to all those who helped make the sixth season a great success, with each presentation drawing an audience of 80 or more and filling the library meeting rooms:

♦  To Rosemary and David Smith who lead the effort each season,

♦  To Marilyn Sherman and the staff at the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library for hosting the events,

♦  To Friends of Canonchet Farm and South County Museum our partners in organizing the series and arranging for the speakers,

♦  To Trio Restaurant, which donates gift certificates to Newport Restaurant Group eateries to thank our presenters,

♦  And of course, to our 2017 lineup of speakers:

January 29, 2017: Improving the Health of the Narrow River Estuary

These two presentations featured two projects designed to improve the marsh resiliency and water quality in Narrow River:

Dr. Jennifer White, Hurricane Sandy Resiliency Coordinator for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, describes recent efforts to restore the salt marshes in Narrow River by placing dredged material on the surface of the marsh to raise the elevation so that plants can thrive.

Click here to see the full presentation.

Dr. Craig Swanson of Swanson Environmental Associates discusses a recent study on the impact of dredging near the mouth of the river to increase circulation within the estuary.

Click here to see the presentation.

Click here to see the report.

February 26, 2017: Amphibians and Reptiles in the Narrow River Watershed

Dr. Nancy Karraker, URI Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources Science (shown on the left examining a turtle with grade school children during a guided walk on Canonchet Farm), will describe the wide variety of amphibians and reptiles that thrive in the Narrow River Watershed.

Dr. Karraker’s research has examined the impacts of habitat loss, pollution, climate change, invasive species and disease on biodiversity in North America and Southeast Asia. That research has included field studies with her students at Canonchet Farm.

Click here to see Dr. Karraker’s presentation.

March 26, 2017: Industry along the Mettatuxett and Pettaquamscutt

That is: Industry at “the well-wooded stream place” and the “Great Round Rock”.

Local historian, preservation advocate and columnist Tim Cranston took us on a virtual tour of the north end of the watershed and shared stories about the historic mills at Silver Spring, Shady Lea and Gilbert Stuart and how the Narragansett people organized use of the waters for fertilizer and food production.

Click here to see Tim’s presentation.

As with On Pettaquamscutt’s first five very successful seasons, the presentations are on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 to 3:00 at the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library, 35 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. The series is free and open to the public. Preregistration is strongly recommended.

After each talk, all are invited to continue the conversation next door at Trio Restaurant, 15 Kingstown Road.

2018 Winter Speaker Series “On Pettaquamscutt: Presentations on the Environment and the History of the Narrow River Watershed”

The Friends of Canonchet Farm, Narrow River Preservation Association, South County Museum and the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library along with generous support from Trio Restaurant, are collaborating for the seventh year to sponsor the Winter Speaker Series On Pettaquamscutt: Presentations on the Environment and the History of the Narrow River Watershed.

The presentations will take place on selected Sundays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library, 35 Kingstown Road, Narragansett.   After each event, participants are encouraged to continue the conversation at Trio Restaurant, 15 Kingstown Road, Narragansett.

January: South County Museum Associate Director Blaire O. Gagnon started things off with “The Sampler – A Young Lady’s Education in the 18th & 19th Centuries.” Blaire explained how young girls learned to cross-stitch and demonstrate their proficiency with letters, numbers and even poetry with traditional “samplers.” Blaire brought several 200 year-old examples of the art work, as did Peggy O’Connor from the holdings at the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum.

Visit the Sampler Archive for more information on samplers, including examples from the Rhode Island Historical Society collection. See also the Sampler Consortium.

Read Phil Cozzolino’s review in the January 31 Narragansett Times.

February: Gary Casabona, the R.I. State Biologist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services, presented “Habitat Management for Pollinators.” Gary talked about the importance of planting a wide variety of species that support wildlife to ensure that there are pollen and nectar resources available for all seasons. Download a pamphlet describing the work of NRCS with the Xerces Society to protect native pollinators.

March: URI Watershed Watch Program Director Linda Green explained the work of some 250 volunteer monitors who test water in the lakes, rivers and estuaries throughout Rhode Island, and then focused on conditions and trends in Narrow River based on 25 years of testing by the NRPA River Watch program.
View Linda’s slide presentation.

Read Phil Cozzolino’s review in the March 28 Narragansett Times.

These events are free and open to the public. Participants must register at OnPettaquamscutt.org or at the calendar page of the library website (http://www.narlib.org/) to reserve a seat as the capacity of the room is 90 guests. For more information, call 401-783-5344 or email info@onpettaquamscutt.org.

Annually, the Friends of Canonchet Farm, Narrow River Preservation Association, and the South County Museum, with generous support from Trio Restaurant, sponsor the winter speaker series On Pettaquamscutt: Presentations on the Environment and the History of the Narrow River Watershed.

Winter 2019 presentations:

Sunday, March 31, 2019 1-3pm Narrow River Preservation Association will present: “Waves of Blue, Waves of Green” by Jane Hennedy, Site Manager of Historic New England’s Casey Farm

Casey Farm stretches from Narragansett Bay to the Narrow River. The talk traces centuries of changes to the land and compares it to its sister, Watson Farm. Their shared mission of historic preservation, landscape conservation, producing local food, and innovative educational programs comes through when following the seasonal rhythms of the farms in pictures and stories.

The presentations take place on selected Sundays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library, 35 Kingstown Road, Narragansett.

After each event, participants are encouraged to continue the conversation at Trio Restaurant, 15 Kingstown Road, Narragansett.

More information available at onpettaquamscutt.org, by calling (401) 783-5344 or by emailing info@onpettaquamscutt.org.