Westport River Watershed Alliance

April 2023

Dear Members and Friends:

As springtime settles in, we are entering our busiest time of year, with lots of activities going on at WRWA.

We have updated and redesigned our website. to Big thanks to Roberta and Kim for all their hard work making it happen.

We will hold our spring electronics recycling on Saturday, April 29, from 9 to 12 noon, rain or shine! This has become a significant event, and we have collected over 42,000 pounds of old, unused electronic equipment over the years, thanks to our partner IndieCycle.

Coming up on May 13, we will be gathering for our annual spring cleanup of the Town Beach and Cherry & Webb Conservation Area - volunteers are welcome!

WRWA will again be hosting several guided outdoor events in June for National Rivers Month. More information for WOW (Wonders of the Watershed) events is on our newly upgraded web page. We hope you will get outdoors and get active with WRWA in June.

River Day is back! We will be hosting the event at the Head of Westport on June 24. Along with the Westport Land Conservation Trust we will be hosting the Wampanoag Experience, highlighting Native history in the South Coast area and sharing the deep traditional knowledge and life ways of Wampanoag culture. Beginning on May 13, Wampanoag members will be camping out at the Westport Town Farm, a Trustees property, and performing the traditional burning of a “Mishoon,” the act of making a canoe by burning out the interior of a large log. The process takes 7-10 days and all-day monitoring by an experienced group of Wampanoag.

The public will be welcome daily from noon to 2 pm, to view the ongoing burn and interact with the native teachers. Upon completion of the burning, the dugout canoe will be rowed north to the Westport Head Town Landing to be featured at the Westport River Watershed River Day celebration on June 24 and remain at the Head for viewing all summer.

We are happy to announce our artist for this year's summer concert at Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery will be Darrell Scott on Saturday, July 8 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Boston area singer/songwriter Mark Erelli will open up the show.

Thanks for your continuing support for WRWA and all our programs and initiatives. It's time to renew your yearly membership with WRWA, so if you have not yet received a letter in your mailbox, you can donate online. Thanks for your membership and for following us by reading River News each month.

Sincerely,

Deborah

Electronics Recycling Will Be on April 29th

The Westport River Watershed Alliance will host the very popular Electronics Recycling collection day on Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Town Hall parking lot at 816 Main Road in Westport. WRWA partners with Indie Cycle twice a year to provide this service to the community. Indie Cycle accepts most electronic materials at no charge, with the exceptions listed below.

Now is the time to register for Watershed Summer Programs

Our summer Watershed Discovery Programs offer children the opportunity to learn science through play and exploration, have up-close encounters with local wildlife, make friendships, build self-confidence, and much more. Your enrollment also includes a free family membership to WRWA!

New Grant Funded Work on Westport Farms

Lowers Nitrogen Loads to the Westport River

Roberta Carvalho, Science Director

A 2023 report from the Mass Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) describes the results of implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs) on six farms in Westport. This work was financed with Federal Funds from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) under a § 319 competitive grant.

This is great news for the improving the ecological health of the Westport River. Despite high nitrogen loads demonstrated by the Massachusetts Estuaries Report (MEP), nitrogen concentrations in the River have gone down over the recent years. Many local farmers are playing an important role in helping clean up the Westport River. They are applying conservation to their farm operations and using a variety of tools that are collectively known as “agricultural best management practices,” or Ag BMP’s. Best management practices are a range of actions, and sometimes structures that are used to stop land based pollution from entering streams and rivers. Scientific studies have documented the effectiveness of these BMP’s in agricultural settings in preventing sedimentation, animal waste, and nitrogen from polluting our waterways.

WRWA Annual Meeting

Environmental Award Presented To Board of Health

Welcome to New Board Members

WRWA held its 2023 Annual Meeting on Sunday, March 27. This was a live, in-person meeting, with a presentation by Tanja Ryden and Phil Weinberg (pictured at right) of the Westport Board of Health. They gave an interesting talk, entitled Current and Future Actions to Address Nitrogen Pollution in Westport. The video of the meeting and their lecture is posted on our YouTube channel.

WRWA Board of Directors: from left, Mark Luttmann, Nancy Mobley, Deborah Weaver (executive director), Katharine Rosenfeld, Joop Nagtegaal, Cindy Wilson, Mike Sullivan, Sean Mullaney, Wendy Nicholson Dorsey, Paul Mooney, Ken Short, Gigi Priebe, and Don Swift. Missing from photo: Harold Cooper and Joann Leary.

Join WRWA for Spring Beach Clean Up May 13

The Watershed Alliance is seeking volunteers to help with the annual spring beach cleanup at the Cherry & Webb conservation area. This year’s activity will take place on Saturday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to noon.

All participants are asked to register in advance, to allow WRWA to manage the number of volunteers. We will gather at the Town Beach parking area on Cherry and Webb Lane. All ages are welcome, and gloves and bags will be provided. Those interested in helping out can sign up by calling WRWA at 508-636-3016, or email [email protected].

And More About Trash!

Close to 180 volunteers picked up trash along the roads in our area as part of the Team COW (Clean Our Westport) Spring Trash Pick Up on April 9, and they filled a 40-yard dumpster with litter that had been along the roads around Westport. WRWA is a partner agency and sponsor of Clean Our Westport.

COW volunteers at the spring cleanup: from left: Donna Amaral, Richard Ilgen, Cindy Wilson, Deborah Weaver, Norma Pineault, Susan Sherman, Martin Costa and Jim Burgess.

River Day is Back!

This June, we are bringing back our River Day festival at the Head of Westport. In collaboration with the Westport Land Conservation Trust, we will host The Wampanoag Experience, who will be making a canoe at Town Farm in May, then bring it to the Head for display.

Funding for the residency and River Day comes from the Westport Cultural Council and the L. Knife & Son, LLC., a division of Sheehan Family Companies.

The Wampanoag Experience members will take an active part in WRWA’s River Day festival on June 24 at the Head of Westport, with demonstrations, exhibits and native dance and cooking. The Watershed Alliance will then keep the mishoon at the Head Landing for public education and viewing during the summer. More info next month!

Big thanks to Lees Market and Westport Fifth Graders

Each year, Westport Community Schools fifth graders help with dune restoration at the Cherry & Webb Conservation Area by planting dune grass as part of WRWA's Watershed Education Program. Lees Market very generously provides colorful T-shirts for all the students.

The unique Beachcomber T-shirt design was created by Megan Madara several years ago when she was a summer intern at WRWA. These shirts can be purchased on our web page or at the River Center.

Call for Photo Entries

2024 WRWA Calendar Contest

Deadline is July 1

The Watershed Alliance is calling for entries for the annual photo contest for the 2024 calendar. We are accepting landscape and nature photos that show the unique beauty and diversity of the Westport River watershed (i.e. the river, streams, wildlife, plants, etc.). Photos from all seasons are being sought, limit 5 photos per person.

Darrell Scott to perform at WRWA Summer Concert July 8

Mark your calendars! Our 7th Annual Summer Concert at Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery will be happening on Saturday, July 8, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. We are so pleased to be hosting singer/songwriter Darrell Scott to entertain us all with songs and stories. This will be a must-see concert with one of Nashville's premiere musicians and songwriters. Local favorite Mark Erelli will open the show.

More information contact [email protected].

To purchase tickets, call 508-636-3016 x 1003, or visit our web page,

WRWA & WLCT Hosting Great American Rain Barrel Program

To find out more about the barrels and to participate in The Great American Rain Barrel Program, please visit: www.greatamericanrainbarrel.com/community/ and select Westport. Barrels are offered from $80-$89 and will be available for pickup on Saturday, July 22nd 10:00-12:0 noon, at the Westport Land Conservation Trust Workshop 573 Adamsville Road, Westport, MA 02790. Deadline for ordering is July 9th, 2023.