Category: What Lives In the River

What Lives in the River

  By , , , ,
Come explore what lives in Narrow River! Photos by John McNamara

Join us Saturday, June 7, 2025

9-11am at Middlebridge Preserve, 95 Middlebridge Road, Narragansett, RI

This popular family science and exploration event is held annually on a Saturday morning in June and a Saturday morning in September at 95 Middlebridge Road, Narragansett.

Online registration will be available a few weeks prior to the event.

About What Lives in the River:

All ages are invited to join Narrow River Preservation Association for this hands-on exploration of fish, shellfish, crabs and other inhabitants of Narrow (Pettaquamscutt) River. We will use nets large and small to catch river creatures and examine them in touch tanks and under microscopes. Experts and guide books will be on hand.

FREE and open to the public – FUN for all ages!  Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.  All young children and youth should be supervised closely at all times.

Participants are welcome to get into the water, please dress appropriately.  Because this is a natural environment, there are sharp objects in the water. Boots, sandals or shoes that can get wet are recommended.  The gathering area is a field with grass and dirt surfaces. Wheelchairs are welcome.

Clinging jellies have been found in Narrow River. Click here to learn more about clinging jellyfish.

We will also host What Lives in the River on a Saturday in September 2025 from 9-11 at the same location (check back for details).

What Lives in the River

  By , ,
Come explore what lives in Narrow River! Photos by John McNamara

Thank you to all who joined us on Saturday, June 1 to discover What lives in the River!

9-11am at Middlebridge Preserve, 95 Middlebridge Road, Narragansett, RI

This popular family science and exploration event is held annually on a Saturday morning in June and a Saturday morning in September at 95 Middlebridge Road, Narragansett.

About What Lives in the River:

All ages are invited to join Narrow River Preservation Association for this hands-on exploration of fish, shellfish, crabs and other inhabitants of Narrow (Pettaquamscutt) River. We will use nets large and small to catch river creatures and examine them in touch tanks and under microscopes. Experts and guide books will be on hand.

FREE and open to the public- FUN for all ages!  Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.  All young children and youth should be supervised closely at all times.

Participants are welcome to get into the water, please dress appropriately.  Because this is a natural environment, there are sharp objects in the water. Boots, sandals or shoes that can get wet are recommended.  The gathering area is a field with grass and dirt surfaces. Wheelchairs are welcome.

Clinging jellies have been found in Narrow River. Click here to learn more about clinging jellyfish.

We will also host What Lives in the River on Saturday, September 21, 2024 from 9-11 at the same location (rain date September 22). Read more about that event here.

Thanks to all who joined up in June 2023 for What Lives in the River.

Here is a list of what was discovered living in the Narrow (Pettaquamscutt) River at our event!

Organisms visible to the unaided eye:

  • Quahog
  • Baby American eel
  • Horse Mussel
  • Glass shrimp
  • Sand shrimp
  • Hermit crabs
  • Green crab
  • Blue Crab
  • Stickleback
  • Sea cucumber
  • Ctenophore (comb jellyfish)
  • Oyster
  • Egg cases
  • Flounder
  • Mummichog
  • Silverside
  • Crepidula fornicate (boat shell)
  • Tunicked
  • Whelk
  • Periwinkle
  • Unidentified small yellow crab with black shield

Organisms visible with microscopes:

  • Zoo plankton
  • Larval oyster
  • Very small whitish worm
  • Very very small snail

What Lives in the River video

  By , , , ,

Because COVID-19 is preventing us from coming together in person to learn What Lives in the River, join us virtually! Join NRPA board members Veronica Berounsky, Erin Chille, and Sally Sutherland, along with Jake Pietrzak explore What Lives in the River!

Our September 2020 What Lives in the River event has been cancelled. The Salt Marsh Walk hosted by Narrow River Land Trust is limited to 10 participants and is now full.

Many thanks to Erin Chille for creating and producing the video!

Filmed at Middlebridge Marina, Narragansett, RI

You can learn more about What Lives in the River here: https://narrowriver.org/whatlivesinriver/

What Lives in the River June 2020

  By

** Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, we have cancelled our What Lives in the River event in June 2020.**

Twice a year, NRPA hosts What Lives in the River, a hands-on, all-ages introduction to fish, shellfish, crabs and other inhabitants of Narrow River featuring:

~ Seining with experts to catch river creatures,

~ Guided walks along the intertidal zone and salt marsh to observe the inhabitants,

~ River-water tanks and microscopes to examine river creatures and guidebooks to help identify them, and

~ Experts to discuss the importance of estuaries as nurseries for fish & shellfish, the fascinating migration of river herring, and the role of river plants in the food web.

Participants are welcome to get into the water, please dress appropriately.

Please note that there are Clinging Jellyfish in Narrow River. Participants are advised to not touch them. Waders are a great way to be sure to not come in contact with them. Read more about clinging jellies here. 

FREE and open to the public. At Middlebridge Marina, 95 Middlebridge Road, Narragansett, RI.