2026 On Pettaquamscutt Winter Speaker Series: 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 are collaborating for the thirteenth 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, 25 Pier Market Place, Narragansett.
Sunday, January 25
Sponsored by Narrow River Preservation Association
Jim Vogel and Craig Wood will present “Dredging the Mouth of the Estuary: History, Current Conditions, Future Plans.”
Sunday, February 22
Sponsored by The Friends of Canonchet Farm
URI’s Dr. Tom Mather, “The Tick Guy,” will be talking about tick behavior (and misbehavior).
Sunday, March 29
South County Museum Executive Director Rebecca Kelly presents “Treasured Possessions: Objects from the Museum Collection.”
These events are free and open to the public.
New Information – The presentations are advertised on the library calendar (narlib.org) and newsletter at least 5 weeks in advance. Registration opens 1 week before the event. Registrations for each of the past events ran between 50 to 92 participants, and 80 is the room capacity. We mention this just in case you have friends and family who would like to see your presentation.
For more information, call David and Rosemary Smith at 401-783-5344.
Additional information about On Pettaquamscutt is available at onpettaquamscutt.org
Mark your 2025 calendar for the twelfth season of On Pettaquamscutt, Presentations on the Environment and History of the Narrow River Watershed and join us for three great Sunday afternoon talks (all starting at 1:00) at the Narragansett Library at 25 Pier Marketplace:
January 26, Kate Venturini Hardesty:
Landscape Care with Climate Change Resilience in Mind
Kate, Educator and Program Administrator at the URI Cooperative Extension, says January is a great time to plan sustainable lawn and plant care practices for the coming spring and summer.
February 23, Rebecca Kelly:
Mending Matters, Historical Perspectives on Textiles and the Environment
Rebecca, the Deputy Director and Curator at the South County Museum, will explore what we can learn from the clothing and textile practices of our Colonial ancestors, such as natural dyeing, to better care for our environment.
March 30, Dr. Blaine Hymel:
Environmental Toxin Exposure in Rhode Island Wildlife
Blaine, Veterinarian at the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island, is a graduate of the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine. She will talk about what can be done to alter the impact of toxins on local wildlife.
On Pettaquamscutt is a collaboration between the Friends of Canonchet Farm, Narrow River Preservation Association, South County Museum, and the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library. All talks are free and open to the public. Participants can register at the library calendar page to reserve a seat. Registration will open at the beginning of the month for each presentation.
For more information, visit OnPettaquamscutt.org.
Thanks to all who joined us for the eleventh season of On Pettaquamscutt, Presentations on the Environment and History of the Narrow River Watershed.
This winter speaker series is a collaboration between the Friends of Canonchet Farm, Narrow River Preservation Association, South County Museum, and the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library. On Pettaquamscutt had a very successful ten-year run before going dark during COVID, but we’re back up and running for 2024 with three great Sunday afternoon talks (all starting at 1:00) at the new Narragansett Library.
March 24: History of the Watershed in Maps and Aerial Photos
Peter Stetson, President of Education Mapping Service, showed us interactive GIS mapping centered on the South County Museum and the Narrow River Watershed, and their history through aerial photography.
February 25: Restoring Salt Marsh in the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge
Many thanks to Nick Ernst, Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Ben Gaspar, Restoration Ecologist at Save the Bay, for their important update on efforts to stave off the threats from sea level rise to salt marshes in the watershed.
January 28: Dressed for Life and Leisure, 1870 to 1920
Rebecca Kelly, Deputy Director and Curator at the South County Museum, discussed nineteenth-century clothing from the museum’s collection highlighting both high fashion and leisure ware, as in what does the fashionable Narragansett visitor wear to the beach in 1900.
Click here to see the slideshow from Rebecca J. Kelly’s excellent presentation at On Pettaquamscutt January 2024.
On Pettaquamscutt is a collaboration between the Friends of Canonchet Farm, Narrow River Preservation Association, South County Museum, and the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library.
All talks are free and open to the public. Participants can register here at OnPettaquamscutt.org or at the calendar page of the library website to reserve a seat. Registration will open at the beginning of the month for each presentation. For more information, visit OnPettaquamscutt.org or call
401 783-5344.
Learn about On Pettaquamscutt presentations from previous years here:
