Many thanks to all who joined us on the Juneteenth Holiday to celebrate the emancipation of African captives in America, and as we honor all those enslaved in this region and on Casey Farm. Learn more about the lives of enslaved people here.
We gathered on Sunday, June 19 from noon – 4pm at Casey Farm, 2325 Boston Neck Road, Saunderstown, R.I. Admission was free, with food for sale.
At this family-friendly day, guests explored the farm on foot and by hayride. All enjoyed music by the Nettukkusqk Singers, the URI African Drummers and Dancers, and Sidy Maiga & Afrimanding.
The highlight of the day was the unveiling of a R.I. Slave History Medallion on the front lawn. The medallion includes a QR code linking to the RISHM website where visitors are invited to learn more about enslaved people in this area.
Sarcastic Sweets sold cupcakes, cookies, brownies, cake bites, gluten-free and vegan desserts.
Incred-a-bowl food truck, a multicultural food company that serves delicious and healthy food with bowled (bold) flavors, such as Cuban chili mango bowl, Spicy kimchi noodles, Liberian bowls, and Korean BBQ beef, was a huge hit with our guests!
Historic records indicate that Southern RI is the site of the largest African slave holdings in New England. For many years, the ‘Narragansett Plantations’ were home to African and Indigenous captives on appropriated land. Learn more about the history of slavery in the area at the event and at RISHM.org.
15th Annual Pettaquamscutt Paddle – Friday July 29, 2022
Thanks to all who joined us on Friday July 29, for a guided sunset paddle hosted by Narrow River Kayaks in support of Narrow River Preservation Association.
When: Friday, July 29 @ 5 pm (Rain date Friday, August 5)
What: Guided Sunset Paddle
5-5:30pm: Check in and outfitting
5:30-6pm: Safety Briefing, Welcome from NRPA Vice President Veronica Berounsky Lee
6-8pm: Guided Sunset Paddle
8-9pm: Refreshments and cleanup
Cost: $25 per person
All proceeds benefit Narrow River Preservation Association
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Space is limited and RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.
Walk-ins cannot be guaranteed a spot.
Limit of 4 participants per reservation.
Your registration fee of $25 per person includes your choice of solo or tandem kayak and all related equipment including pfd (personal flotation device) and paddle. Participants will also receive a souvenir commemorating the 15th year of the Pettaquamscutt Paddle. 100% of the proceeds go directly to NRPA!
All participants must complete and sign our waiver form.
Laminated maps with paddle routes and basic paddle and safety instruction will be provided with each launch.
Narrow River Kayaks Staff, Guides and NRPA Board Members will join us on the river to answer your questions and inform participants on various topics concerning the watershed, including wildlife and marine life that inhabit the estuary, environmental projects in the wildlife refuge, geology, ecology, history and more.
We will have exhibits highlighting Narrow River, Narrow River Preservation Association, live footage of NRPA’s Osprey cam and more!
Participants will also have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for NRPA’s Annual Kayak Raffle (drawing in October).
Each year in late September or early October, NRPA plans our river and watershed cleanups in sync or on as close a date as possible, with both the International Coastal Cleanup and World Rivers Day movements.
We are happy to share that on Saturday September 24, 2022, NRPA will once again partner with Narrow River Kayaks and the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Society club for an extensive river and watershed cleanup by paddlecraft and by land!
Upwards of 30 Coastal Society members will be picking up trash and wayward debris along the Narrow River 🙌 This is another shining example of local interest groups collaborating with NRPA to give back to an incredible watershed we receive many benefits from.
Saturday September 24, cleanup anytime you choose!
NRPA is encouraging all other folks who are also interested in cleaning up that same day, to coordinate smaller cleanup groups, and to choose a public access site or land trust trail that is in the Narrow River watershed and distant from the Middlebridge Road region of the river and watershed, as there will be many folks from URI’s Coastal Society on paddle and on foot, in that region.
We ask that you select your own publicly accessible cleanup site and we recommend public parking lots at trail heads and popular fishing areas. The trails to and from the parking lots and water frontage will generally have trash available for pick up 😉
Also please Bring Your Own (BYO) gloves, trash bags, and collection containers and have a plan for safe disposal of sharp objects as well as the bagged rubbish you collect.
We’d love to receive photos of you and your cleanup friends picking up trash in the Narrow River Watershed and share your cleanup successes through our website and media outlets! Send any questions to nrpa@narrowriver.org.
Many thanks to all who volunteered at our Spring Narrow River and watershed cleanup on Saturday April 30, 2022!
~~~2021 Cleanup Gratitude~~~
Thanks to everyone who helped us clean up in and around Narrow (Pettaquamscutt) River in 2021!! May you enjoy this photo gallery (below) showing highlights from our Spring and Fall 2021 River Cleanup groups.
Many thanks to the Rhody Fly Rodders, RI Trout Unlimited, and RI Saltwater Anglers Association who cleaned up around Sprague Bridge on April 17, 2021.
NEXT CLEANUP: Fall 2021 – date TBD
Cleanup details for volunteers:
NRPA is committed to the safety and health of our volunteers. To minimize the risk of COVID transmission, we are inviting small groups (of family and/or friends) to clean up areas along the river. We ask that you bring a mask to wear when appropriate.
Before the cleanup, NRPA will provide you with a kit including gloves, trash bags and containers for sharp items.
Each small group will have its own location, so it will be easy to maintain social distance. We welcome you to clean up your own neighborhood or to clean the marshes by boat. Just indicate your preference on our form!
Thanks to volunteer and NRPA Board Member Catalina Martinez and friends, none of this trash is in Narrow River any more!
We’re flexible! Although we have set a date for our cleanup, please choose the time and day that is most convenient for your small group.
Please send us photos of your group cleaning up! People love to see what trash is no longer in our river.
NRPA will supply everything you need for the cleanup including trash bags, containers for sharp items and gloves. Please supply your own masks and drinking water.
Cleanup locations will not have restrooms, so please plan accordingly.
We are also planning a cleanup for the Fall of 2021. The date has not yet been set.
Narrow River Preservation Association (NRPA) has created to an endowment in honor of Richard Barker Grant, long time NRPA President and Friend of Narrow River. The permanent endowment is managed by The Rhode Island Foundation and provide yearly grants for the benefit of the Narrow River Watershed.
The Richard Barker Grant Endowment was created in honor of Grant’s decades of serving on the board of directors of NRPA, including serving as President since the 1990s.
We welcome additional donations to this endowment fund. Checks made out to “NRPA” may be sent to Narrow River Preservation Association, PO Box 8, Saunderstown, RI 02874. Please indicate ‘Richard Grant endowment’ in the not eon your check. Online donations are welcome by clicking here.
More information about Richard Grant’s excellent and sustained service to NRPA is available here.
For more information about starting an endowment for NRPA (initial donation minimum $10,000) please email us at nrpa@narrowriver.org.
ABOUT US:
Narrow River Preservation Association is a 501 (c) 3 certified non-profit organization based in Saunderstown, RI. NRPA was founded in 1970.
NRPA’s contribution was ‘2021 Osprey Nest Battle’ a compilation of footage from NRPA’s live, 24 hour webcam on an osprey nest along the Narrow (Pettaquamscutt) River. The 6 1/2 minute video shows the battle between a new female who made the nest her home a few days before the prior year’s female returned to claim her nest. The new female wanted to keep her new position, while the prior year’s female, bonded to the nest site for life, fought to return.
The Festival was held online on Sunday, February 13 at 3pm. This free, fun, entertaining, and informative nature showcase featured 70 minutes of video footage recorded in Rhode Island.
Great swimming today the 6 mile/10K length of Narrow River for our second Source to Sea Swim! Left to right: Lorena Pugh, Veronica Berounsky, Mary Phelan.
On Friday, September 3, 2021, Lori Pugh, Mary Phelan and Veronica Berounsky swam the 6 mile length of Narrow River for the second year in a row! More great photos are included below!
Check out this essay by swimmer and Narrow River enthusiast Veronica Berounsky about this swim!
Veronica Berounsky swam to raise awareness for the improving water quality conditions in the Narrow River, celebrating the enjoyable place it is for swimming. She also swam to support “Donate Life” which encourages people to sign up to be an organ donor, because she donated a kidney 6 years ago and knows firsthand how that decision to donate saves lives. Even with one kidney, Veronica is physically fit to swim the length of Narrow River!
Lori Pugh is an internationally recognized artist from North Kingstown, and Mary Phelan is a realtor with the Narragansett office for Residential Properties. Veronica Berounsky is a coastal ecologist staff member at the University of Rhode Island, Vice President of Narrow River Preservation Association, and Chair of the RI Rivers Council.
THANK YOU TO ALL who made the 2020 Source to Sea Swim a huge success!!
On Monday, September 14, 2020, Lori Pugh, Keith Ballard and Veronica Berounsky swam the 6 mile length of Narrow River! This “Source to Sea – the Narrow River Long Swim” was a great success.
Veronica Berounsky also swam to raise awareness for “Donate Life” which encourages people to sign up to be an organ donor, because she donated a kidney 5 years ago and she knows how that can save lives. And even with one kidney, Veronica is physically fit to swim the length of Narrow River.
Lori Pugh is an internationally recognized artist from North Kingstown, and Keith Ballard is the owner of Wakefield Running Company. Veronica Berounsky is a coastal ecologist, Vice President of Narrow River Preservation Association, and Chair of the RI Rivers Council.
The newsletter template is currently in Adobe InDesign, but any program is acceptable as long as the product is similar.
As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, we are seeking a cost effective way to produce our 8 page newsletter 3 times each year. Issues are sent to members in April, August, and December annually.
If interested, please email justmealison@gmail.com with an example of your work, two references, and your fee to produce our upcoming August issue (timing is to create the newsletter in July to send to printer by July 20.)
Thank you to all who made the tenth season of On Pettaquamscutt a huge success!
Thanks especially to Rosemary and David Smith, founders and organizers of the speaker series.
Ospreys of Narrow River
Originally presented March 28, 2021 at the On Pettaquamscutt Winter Speaker Series, Craig Wood, Ecologist and Board Member of Narrow River Preservation Association and Narrow River Land Trust, explores the natural history, adaptations, migration and identification of osprey. He also shares the history of NRPA’s osprey education program and shows the behind-the scenes of the osprey webcam.
Importantly, Craig also notes the near-disappearance of osprey in Rhode Island in the 1970s, largely due to the pesticide DDT, and the remarkable recovery of the species since DDT was banned.
Osprey family in the nest August 6, 2020.
Gun mount near the Point Judith Fisherman’s Memorial. (photo by Rosemary Smith)
On January 31, David Smith presented: Narragansett Coastal Defenses. Sponsored by Friends of Canonchet Farm
From the earth works of a Revolutionary fort to the concrete bunkers of World War II, military installations have been an important part of Narragansett history. CLICK HERE to see a recording of this presentation.
Sunday, February 28, Heather Kisilywicz presented: Stories of the South County Fisherman. Sponsored by South County Museum
Heather Pouliot Kisilywicz, new Executive Director of the South County Museum, discussed her research into the genealogy of South County’s first fishing families in Stories of the South County Fishermen.
Click here to see a recording of that presentation.
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 receive a Zoom invite. For more information, call 401-783-5344.
In 1972, Richard Barker Grant was invited to join the newly formed Narrow River Preservation Association (NRPA) to raise funds for the organization to protect the Narrow River. His first year on the Board of Directors, he planned two fundraising events: a canoe raffle and a canoe race. Grant smiles as he remembers that the NRPA Board of Directors wondered how to spend the $183 raised that year most wisely.
Since then, for more than 48 years, Grant has been the driving force behind all of NRPA’s many fundraisers, increasing NRPA membership, engaging local sponsors, connecting with benefactors and cultivating relationships with other stakeholders. Grant has been instrumental in organizing NRPA’s Annual Road Race, run for 31 consecutive years, the Narrow River Turnaround Swim, the Pettaquamscutt Paddle and all NRPA events.
Richard Grant (center) receives Lifetime Achievement Award in Washington, D.C., from Scott Fulton (left), President of the Environmental Law Institute and Ben Grumbles, Maryland’s Secretary of the Environment. Photo courtesy of Environmental Law Institute.
Grant says that he is proud of NRPA’s accomplishments in protecting the river. Involved in every residential development in the watershed since 1970, NRPA has fought for responsible building, proper sewage and septic infrastructure, and commitment from the towns of Narragansett, North Kingstown and South Kingstown in the health of the river. Grant regards the findings of improved water quality in Narrow River over the past 30 years of NRPA’s River Watch program as an indicator that the efforts of NRPA have been successful.
On May 7, 2019 at the National Wetlands Awards Ceremony in Washington D.C., the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) honored long time NRPA President Richard Grant with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
In honor of his 47 years of dedication to Narrow River and Narrow River Preservation Association, Richard Grant was awarded the 2020 Blueways Stewardship Award by the Rhode Island Blueways Alliance.
NRPA Treasurer Ken McShane notes that under Grant’s leadership, NRPA has become a resource for agencies and organizations who need information about Narrow River. Those include the US Fish and Wildlife Service, municipal governments, Coastal Resources Management Council and State and Federal entities.
From left, Rupert Friday and Meg Kerr present the 2020 Blueways Stewardship Award to Richard Grant with Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee. Photo Credit Veronica Berounsky.
Recently, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) was tasked with developing a watershed plan for each watershed in the state. Because there has been so much research and interest in the Narrow River Watershed, and because there is so much dedicated local involvement, RIDEM decided to develop the Narrow River Watershed Plan as one of their first plans. RIDEM and NRPA have collaborated on the plan, which is nearing completion. Once the Watershed Plan is published, NRPA will spearhead efforts to put the plan into action.
“It’s rewarding to see NRPA’s educational program. The Board [of Directors] and community contribute to having young children participate in learning about the environment at What Lives in the River [NRPA’s river exploration event]” says Grant. “Just seeing young scientists discovering and questioning is amazing.”
Educational initiatives including What Lives in the River, NRPA’s osprey education program, Lesa Meng College Scholarships and Science Fair Awards have all been developed during Grant’s tenure as NRPA President. Always open to new ideas, Grant has welcomed these and other programs, including Art on the River, the Narrow River Turnaround Swim and the Pettaquamscutt Paddle.
Experienced artist and NRPA Board President Richard Grant shows others how to draw perspective at Art on the River, August 2017.
Those who know Grant admire his unique ability to build bridges, even among opposing forces. Dr. Veronica Berounsky, Vice President of NRPA, remembers a very contentious meeting a few years ago that included irate comments and angry outbursts. As people were leaving the meeting, Grant approached a person who had expressed anger at NRPA’s actions and invited him to get coffee together the following day. They did go for coffee and have been partners since.
Grant’s leadership has shaped Narrow River Preservation Association. As President of the Board of Directors, Grant’s guiding philosophy is that each board member should have a project or two that they lead with the support of the other members of the board of directors. Board members are welcome to support any event or initiative that interests them. In this way, each member has a sense of ownership over their project and no single member is expected to carry the entire organization. Berounsky says, “Richard has been my mentor as a Board Chair. In my work as the Chair of the Rhode Island Rivers Council, I have used Richard’s model with great success.”
The only exception to Grant’s model is that he himself is involved in every aspect of NRPA. His leadership provides a consistent thread throughout NRPA activities and actions. Always considering how each initiative fits into NRPA’s mission, Grant keeps the organization focused and actively working on each initiative at all times.
Asked what has kept him going for 46 years, Grant reflects “Personally I just really feel great that I’m improving the environment by being part of NRPA. While it is a small contribution, my work through NRPA is paying back people who have had the same sense and contributed to the environment, making my life better.”
Born and raised in Cranston, RI, Grant earned a BA from Brown University. He developed the position of Art Director at Interlaken Mills, acquired a partial ownership in the Cambridge Paper Box Company, which led to his a successful founding of a packaging company, R. B. Grant and Associates, servicing national publishers until he retired in 2015. He has two children and three grandchildren. Grant and his wife Jan have lived in Kingston since 1968. In addition to his work with NRPA, Grant is a prolific artist working in watercolors and oils and his own creation of Mic-a-rt. He loves to ski and is active in the Kingston social clubs.
Richard Grant at the Pettaquamscutt Paddle, July 2018.
In 2018, NRPA created an Endowment in Grant’s name. The permanent endowment will be managed by The Rhode Island Foundation and provide yearly grants for the benefit of the Narrow River Watershed.
The Rhode Island Foundation manages four other endowments for NRPA, all started with generous donations from NRPA supporters and their friends and family. Each of the four funds is named for their benefactor: John Elder Dick, Carl Otto, John Gormley and Rob Leeson. Based on the growth of the investment, each fund provides an annual grant to NRPA and grows according to the market growth. The endowments are protected and can only be used to benefit the environment.
