News & Events

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Groundhog Greeting

Date: February 2, 2020
Time: 10am-12pm
Price: $5 Suggested donation
Location: River Center, 493 Old County Road

Groundhog Greetings is the second event in WRWA’s new Education Explorers Series. Enjoy an event centered around learning about the cute and fury groundhog. Its fitting that this event takes place on Groundhog Day. 

Enjoy a story get to know these creatures. Follow up with games and make a craft to take home. Find out how groundhogs live throughout the entire year, from stuffing their faces in the garden all summer to falling into a deep sleep in the winter. 

This event is a great way to learn about a special critter with its own American holiday. Stop in any time during the event to go through the different learning stations. Even if the groundhog does see its shadow, this will still be a fun time for all.

RSVP to outreach@wrwa.com

Horseshoe Crab Brown Bag Lunch Talk

Date: February 6, 2020
Time: 12pm-1pm
Location: River Center, 493 Old County Road

Curious About Horseshoe Crabs? Dr. Dan Gibson will enlighten you with an illustrated presentation on these mythic, mystical, and misunderstood throwbacks to the earliest of sea creatures. 

 His own fascination with these legendary animals dates from 1975, when he began his Ph.D. research on them at Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. Today he is still studying their development, natural history, and neurobiology at MBL, after retiring from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.  As a member of the Horseshoe Crab Conservation Association, Dr. Gibson is an active advocate for the mindful use and preservation of this irreplaceable resource.  

His talk will feature their biomedical contributions, their role in Nobel Prize-winning vision research, their development from eggs to adulthood, and their critical role in food webs. 

Bring a lunch or snack and come learn about these amazing creatures. RSVP by emailing outreach@wrwa.com.

River Center Opening

WRWA’s River Center Commemorative Booklet. This booklet is a chronicle of the construction and renovation project, transforming the old Head Garage to the new River Center, with a brief history of the building dating back to the early 18th century.

Winter Art Show

Date: February 22-March 7, 2020
(gallery hours noon-4pm, closed Mondays and Tuesdays)
Location: Dedee Shattuck Gallery

Our seventh annual  Winter Art Show will take place during the week of February 22- March 7 at the Dedee Shattuck Gallery in Westport.  This year, our contributing artists will transform old wooden parts of boats into works of art.  Over 50 works of art were donated.

This event is a fun distraction from the winter doldrums, and also an important fundraiser for WRWA.  The silent auction will conclude on Saturday, March 7, with the reception from 5 to 7.

Brushes and Brews

Date: February 22, 2020
Time: 4:30 to 7 pm
Location: Dedee Shattuck Gallery 
Cost: $40

Enjoy some beer from Buzzards Bay Brewing, and take an art lesson from local artists Pam Clarkson and Barbara Healy at the Shattuck Gallery on February  22,  4:30 to 7 p.m. The fee is $40, or become a new WRWA member for $50 and get in for no additional charge. Fee covers the cost of all materials, food and refreshments.
Space is limited to 15.

 

Electronics Recycling Event

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Time: 9 – 11 AM
Location: Town Hall parking lot on Main Road in Westport

Items accepted: Computers, laptops, monitors, televisions, routers, PDA’s, cell phones, mice, keyboards, inkjet printers, plastic speakers, toner cartridges, CD/DVD players, radios, network equipment, wires, stereos, telephones, microwaves, small household appliances, and auto/marine batteries, and battery back-ups.

A $10 disposal fee applies to each TV, monitor, large wooden-boxed speaker ($5 for small), laser-jet printer, air conditioner, dehumidifier, and other coolant containing device.

Not accepted: Light bulbs, household batteries, fire/carbon monoxide detectors, tapes/disks, glass, broken TV tubes, Styrofoam or any hazardous waste materials.
Indie Cycle, LLC, has a zero landfill policy. We do not remarket any hard drives or data storage devices. All electronic materials are transferred to ORS a local, R2 certified recycler for processing.

For more information visit: www.indiecycle.com or email: indiecycle@gmail.com

Or contact WRWA at 508-636-3016, outreach@wrwa.com

Auction Item Preview – WRWA Gala

We are so excited about the August 8th Summer Gala, we couldn’t wait to share more! Check out this preview of live and silent auction items to be featured at the Summer Gala, Saturday, August 8, 2015.  Online registration has closed, please pay at the door on the night of the event.

Auction Items will be updated as more items come in. Hope to see you for a Midsummer Night’s Dream on August 8. Click the text to view the items.

Live Auction Items

Art Pieces

Trips and Excursions

Merchandise and Services

WRWA Seeking Volunteers for River Day in June, Organizing Meeting February 2, 2013

To celebrate Rivers Month and the summer solstice in June the Westport River Watershed Alliance is hosting their annual River Day festival on Saturday June 22 and new this year a bike ride on Saturday June 8. WRWA is looking for volunteers to help with either event. We invite you to join us for the first volunteer meeting at the Watershed Alliance’s office located at 1151 Main Rd. in Westport on Saturday, February 2nd from 9am to 10:30am. Refreshments will be provided.

River Day is WRWA’s family friend-raiser where the public can enjoy children’s activities, learn from interesting exhibitors, hear fun entertainment and appreciate the beauty of our river and watershed. On June 8th volunteers are needed for the bike ride registration and ride-related tasks. On June 22nd at River Day for set-up and take-down, children’s activities that include fish printing, stilt building, mini boat building, and food. Volunteers are also needed to help with registration for the non-competitive family paddle that leaves from the Hix Bridge Landing and new this year the bicycle ride where riders will circumnavigate the watershed. Both events offer volunteers a fun-filled day and the reward of supporting an organization whose mission is to protect the natural resources of the river and watershed.

WRWA Appeals Conservation Commission’s Decision

On Friday, December 28, 2012, the Westport River Watershed Alliance (WRWA) requested that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issue a Superseding Order of Resource Area Delineation based on the wetland boundaries accepted by the Westport Conservation Commissions in response to an Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation at the Prestige Auto Mart property at 1058 State Road, Westport, MA (DEP File # 80-2029). 

WRWA is appealing the Westport Conservation Commission approved Order of Resource Area Delineation.  WRWA believes the order did not adequately address filled wetlands on the property.  Fill has been placed on the property in the past, and the location of filled wetlands has a bearing on proposed activities on the site and the application of state wetland laws and regulations.

Matt Patrick, the WRWA’s Executive Director, said, “The Prestige Auto project sets a bad precedent for this area which recharges Bread and Cheese Brook, a major tributary to the East Branch of the Westport River.  The Mass Estuaries Report attributes 33% of the East Branch’s total nitrogen to sub watershed 3.  Eventually, the tax payer is going to get a bill for cleaning up the River so we don’t want the nitrogen pollution to get any worse than it is already.  Any development in this area will get a great deal of scrutiny from us.”

Lisabeth White, WRWA’s Director of Advocacy, in a letter to the town of Westport’s Planning Board, Conservation Commission and Board of Health, added, “…there already exists numerous flooding and stormwater problems in that vicinity along Rt. 6 due to lack of adequate stormwater controls. Property on Bower Avenue in particular has been severely impacted by storm waters entering and flooding the property, including the house.”

Local Students Help with Dune Restoration Project

November 5, 2012

Five local schools fromFall River,Westport, and Dartmouth have participated in a field study exploring the dunes at Cherry & Webb Beach in partnership with the Westport River Watershed Alliance.  The field study was part of the Dune Restoration Project, which was run for the twelfth time this year.

Students learned about the unique plants of the dune ecosystem and planted approximately 2,000 American beach grass seedlings in an ongoing effort to restore an eroded section of the dunes.  Participants were able to observe the results of the work classes did in year’s past.  More than half the plants survived and have grown and taken root in the sand.  The beach grass planting builds on a dune restoration effort that was begun by local Westport resident Mr. Ben Guy over 30 years ago.

The students traveled to four different teaching stations led by Watershed Alliance staff and volunteers, where they learned about dune ecology and the unique plants found there.  The goal of the project is to not only teach students natural science, but also to build a sense of stewardship among the students for the special natural communities found inWestport.   

The Dune Restoration Project is part of the Westport River Watershed Alliance’s (WRWA) Watershed Education Program (WEP).  Classes from Pre- K through High School participate in the WEP program.  Each year students learn about different aspects of their watershed.  The Westport River Watershed Alliance provides the program as a compliment to the science curriculum each grade is covering for the year. It provides a hands-on way for students to not only learn science, but also about the habitats that are in their own backyards. 

Funding for the Dune Restoration Project was made possible from a Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  B-WET is an environmental education program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment.  Special thanks are also extended to foundations that support our WEP program:  Helen Ellis Charitable Trust, Van Sloun Family Foundation, Elizabeth Atwood Lawrence Trust, and BayCoast Bank.

WRWA’s mission is to restore, protect, celebrate, and sustain the natural resources of the WestportRiverand its watershed which encompasses six towns:  Dartmouth, Fall River, Freetown, and Westportin Massachusetts, and Little Compton and Tiverton in Rhode Island.  WRWA accomplishes its goal of protecting the watershed through education, advocacy, community outreach and direct investment in watershed improvement projects.   For further information on WRWA, please contact the office staff at (508) 636-3016 or visit www.westportwatershed.org.

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