Narrow River Preservation Association Kicks Off 50th Anniversary

On Sunday afternoon, January 26, 2020 there was a full house at Narragansett’s Maury Loontjens Memorial Library to attend the first “On Pettaquamscutt: Presentations on the Environment and the History of the Narrow River Watershed” of the 2020 winter season. This winter speaker series, organized by Rosemary and David Smith of Narragansett and co-hosted by Narrow River Preservation Association, Friends of Canonchet Farm, and South County Museum, has been taking place since 2012. This was the first talk to discuss one of the host organizations, for good reason: Narrow River Preservation Association (NRPA) is celebrating its 50th year this year. Moderated by NRPA’s Vice President, Veronica M. Berounsky, Ph.D. who noted the mission of NRPA is “to preserve, protect, and restore the natural environment and the quality of life for all communities within the Narrow River (Pettaquamscutt Estuary) and Watershed”.

She also noted “What has kept NRPA vibrant all these years is having caring individuals with dogged determination to identify problems and find ways to address them and eventually solve them, sometimes using innovative techniques, for the good of our river, so we are making an impact locally”.

The presentation featured three speakers who covered the accomplishments and activities of the organization. First was NRPA President Richard B. Grant, who has been involved with the organization for 48 of its 50 years, and became involved when the second NRPA president, Robert O’Neill, asked him to organize the first fundraiser, a canoe race. Last year Richard received a national lifetime achievement award for his longevity and efforts from the Environmental Law Institute. Richard spoke about the first two decades, 1970-1990, from its beginning as a group of 20 local people concerned about development of the 225 acre Kelgrant property bordering the river in North Kingstown, through its first Narrow River watershed plan, early water quality studies which convinced the state to close the river to shellfishing due to high bacteria levels, to NRPA’s first road race. Richard summed up the beginning and continuation of NRPA by quoting Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

Annette DeSilva, NRPA River Watch Coordinator and Board member for over 25 years, mentioned moving to a home on the River and wanting to get involved in protecting it. She spoke about the next twenty years, 1991-2000, an era that saw the start of the River Watch water quality monitoring program at ten stations with volunteers who take measurements and bring samples for processing to the Watershed Watch Lab at the University of Rhode Island. This program continues, 29 years later. During these years, the NRPA’s Turnaround Swim and Pettaquamscutt Paddle fundraisers started, and several educational opportunities such as the AWEsome (Active Watershed Education) class for teachers and scholarships for college-bound high school seniors began. Sarah Gaines, who joined the NRPA Board in 2016 and is the third generation of her family to be involved with NRPA, covered the most recent decade, 2001-present, which saw the initiation of “hands on” river exploration and art activities for families at the Narragansett Town-owned property at Middlebridge, bringing in trained canines to detect human sources of contamination, partnering with US Fish and Wildlife to restore the marshes near Middlebridge, the osprey classroom program, and the present fundraising effort to add a live webcam to view the osprey nest on a pole on the river’s edge.

Sarah also looked towards the future and noted NRPA will continue to:

• Examine development proposals and plans in the watershed for sustainability
• Educate and share the science of Narrow River with children and adults
• Keep the river and watershed clean
• Monitor water quality
• Advocate for the health of the river
• Connect everyone who loves the area
• Continue collaborations and research partnerships in the watershed

But we will have to keep an eye on sea level rise and climate change. As NRPA President Grant remarked “NRPA will be asking the question: How will the rising tide and increasing water temperatures affect every issue on the NRPA's Water, Land and Education programs?”

In addition to the people involved in giving the presentation, NRPA Board members Erin Chille and Paula Santos, NRPA Intern Danielle Perry, NRPA Program Coordinator Alison Kates and local historian Richard Vangermeersch also helped compile and organize it.

After the presentation, about 50 NRPA members and friends gathered at nearby Trio Restaurant at 15 Kingstown Rd. for appetizers, compliments of Trio. Representative Carol Hagan McEntee presented NRPA with a citation from the RI House of Representatives congratulating NRPA on its 50th Anniversary and its “commitment to preserve, protect, and restore the natural environment and the quality of life for all communities within the Narrow River Estuary and Watershed”. NRPA President Grant thanked Rep. Hagan McEntee for the citation and her strong support of NRPA through the years.

~ by Dr. Veronica Berounsky