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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="fontstyle01"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">BLACKSTONE RIVER COMMONS HIGHLIGHTS WATERSHED NEEDS THROUGH 60-MILE PADDLE EXPEDITION AND PUBLIC EVENTS<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Calibri-Bold;color:black"><br>
<span class="fontstyle01">WORCESTER MA - PROVIDENCE RI AUGUST 1, 2022</span></span></b><span class="fontstyle21">: The Blackstone River is a commons – a resource shared by the community, to be kept open and protected for future generations. This is an exciting
year for the Blackstone River – it marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the primary driver of our cleaner water today, as well as
</span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1">ZAP the Blackstone</span>, the largest one-day regional environmental cleanup in U.S. history, where 10,000 volunteers removed 10,000 tons of debris from the river. Recently, the
</span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1">Blackstone Watershed Collaborative
</span>was created at </span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1">Clark University
</span>to bring partners together and solve water quality and climate resilience challenges in the region, as identified in the recently published
</span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1">Blackstone Needs Assessment Report</span>. Designers and faculty from
</span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1">the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
</span>and </span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1">Counterform Studio
</span>are working with the Collaborative and other water and community advocates, including the
</span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1">Friends of the Blackstone</span>,
</span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1">Save the Bay</span>, and others to find creative ways to connect people to the river. The goal is to acknowledge and celebrate the work that has been done in the past and identify the work that remains
to create a vibrant, resilient and diverse future for the river.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="fontstyle21">Current challenges such as climate impacts, stormwater runoff, invasive species, equitable river access, and fish passage require varied strategies to solve, but they also count on public support, active</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">stewardship, and engaged decision makers. To bring attention to these challenges as well as opportunities to work together to solve them, the group is organizing a
</span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1">60-mile paddle </span>
from the</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">headwaters of the Blackstone in Worcester, MA through its connection to the Seekonk River and on to the Narragansett Bay in Providence, RI from
</span><span class="fontstyle01"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">August 11 - August 14, 2022</span></span><span class="fontstyle21">. Each day will offer new</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">perspectives, stops to discuss specific issues, and an opportunity to highlight the diverse voices and issues along the river.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle01"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Thursday, August 11</span></span><span class="fontstyle21">: The group will kick off the paddle at 9am with a press event at the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Visitor Center (3 Paul Clancy Way Worcester,
MA 01607). Several speakers, including</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">MA State Representative Dan Donahue, Representative Mary Keefe, Worcester Department of Public Works Commissioner Jay Fink, and Save the Bay Advocacy Director Topher Hamblett will give remarks</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">on the challenges of climate change and impervious surfaces in flooding, the need for nature-based solutions, and how integrated water management can improve watershed conditions. The group will</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">then launch their expedition, paddling from Worcester to Grafton, MA.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="fontstyle01"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="fontstyle01"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Friday, August 12</span></span><span class="fontstyle21">: The paddlers will make their way to Uxbridge, MA for a free, family-friendly public RiverFest from 3-7pm at River Bend Farm
Visitor Center (287 Oak St, Uxbridge, MA 01569), held in</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. All are invited to this festival featuring food trucks, craft beer, live music, games and interactive community activities to</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">discuss access to the river. This event will draw attention to the issues facing the Blackstone River and provide ways to get involved with ongoing community initiatives, as well as an opportunity to recreate</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">along this accessible stretch of river. >From Uxbridge, the team will continue to Blackstone, MA.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle01"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Saturday, August 13</span></span><span class="fontstyle21">: On Saturday, the paddle will highlight water quality issues on the river. The group will meet with the Blackstone River Coalition’s
Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program that</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">collects and analyzes water samples from the Blackstone River and its tributaries the second Saturday of each month. They will also meet with 18 wastewater treatment plant operators to paddle from</span><br>
<span class="fontstyle21">Woonsocket to Manville. Operators will paddle a portion of the river and discuss shared goals of promoting healthy water quality for people and wildlife.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle01"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Sunday, August 14</span></span><span class="fontstyle21">: On the final day, the group will begin with a discussion about aging dams and fish passage at Slater Mills at 10:00. Following that, the
public is invited to join the last leg of the paddle</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">from Pawtucket to Providence. Canoes are available on a first come-first serve basis or bring your own boat; sign up at
</span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://blackstonecollaborative.org__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!Nh-K5YrxhSS2DRjl5aUF6dmTVKFwxkGuJH3ZKRp3Ysayc_0dF-XJeZ3uigybSk7P5myZL_stltayBFmigWAJbrsb1_Y$">blackstonecollaborative.org [blackstonecollaborative.org]</a>
</span>by August 9. All are welcome at the final celebration hosted</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">by Narragansett Brewing (271 Tockwotton St, Providence, RI 02903) at 4pm, with a screening of the short film
</span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1">Kittacuck Speaks</span>. Speakers at 4:30 will commemorate the expedition and set the stage for the</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">work to come, including RI Senator Jack Reed, EPA Regional Administrator David Cash, RI Department of Environmental Management Director Terry Gray, and Narragansett Bay Estuary Program’s Executive</span><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">Director Mike Gerel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br>
</span><span class="fontstyle21">For more information, contact Stefanie Covino at
</span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1"><a href="mailto:scovino@clarku.edu">scovino@clarku.edu</a>
</span>or visit </span><span class="fontstyle21"><span style="color:#0563C1"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.blackstonecollaborative.org/commons__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!Nh-K5YrxhSS2DRjl5aUF6dmTVKFwxkGuJH3ZKRp3Ysayc_0dF-XJeZ3uigybSk7P5myZL_stltayBFmigWAJkWW7tIA$">https://www.blackstonecollaborative.org/commons [blackstonecollaborative.org]</a></span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Stefanie Covino<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.blackstonecollaborative.org/__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!Nh-K5YrxhSS2DRjl5aUF6dmTVKFwxkGuJH3ZKRp3Ysayc_0dF-XJeZ3uigybSk7P5myZL_stltayBFmigWAJEYvcG98$"><span style="color:#0563C1">Blackstone Watershed Collaborative</span> [blackstonecollaborative.org]</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Program Manager/Research Scientist<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>George Perkins Marsh Institute at Clark University<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pronouns: she/her<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:scovino@clarku.edu"><span style="color:#0563C1">scovino@clarku.edu</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Office: 508-751-4629<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cell: 443-863-0930<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.blackstonecollaborative.org/__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!Nh-K5YrxhSS2DRjl5aUF6dmTVKFwxkGuJH3ZKRp3Ysayc_0dF-XJeZ3uigybSk7P5myZL_stltayBFmigWAJjQ0gHE8$"><span style="color:#0563C1">blackstonecollaborative.org</span> [blackstonecollaborative.org]</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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