In This Issue:
  • World Bee Day
  • Happy 20th Anniversary to the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club
  • Partnership Grants Available
  • Friends of Southwick's Zoo ZOOmathon - Saturday, May 23
  • National Bike Month
  • National Photography Month
  • Storm Drain Awareness Month
  • GearHeads Junior Ranger Program

We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter and that you stay connected with us on social media.
Find our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube channel links at the bottom.
Take the Pollinator Pledge for World Bee Day, Wednesday, May 20
Help Protect Our Pollinators
Pollinators provide significant environmental benefits that are necessary for maintaining healthy, biodiverse ecosystems and play an important role in our food supply.

Help us spread awareness and take steps to protect them.
Blackstone River Watershed Council Adds Bees to Its Property
In celebration of World Bee Day (May 20), the Blackstone River Watershed Council/Friends of the Blackstone (BRWC/FOB) added a beehive this week to its 12-acre property known as Sycamore Landing at 100 New River Road in Manville, Rhode Island.

The hive and installation was a gift from Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor volunteer Chris Combs, also a volunteer and friend of BRWC/FOB.

The beehive adds to John Marsland's vision of including a vibrant pollinator garden on the property. Marsland is president of BRWC/FOB and has been a volunteer with the Corridor for 30 years.

BRWC/FOB made front page news in The Valley Breeze Newspapers last week for their work improving the former dump, removing years of debris, building a garage and meeting space, blazing new walking trails, and more. Read the article here.
Make a Bee's Knees Cocktail with BHC's Devon Kurtz
During the 1920's, if you referred to someone as the Bee’s Knees, that would mean that they were the “absolute best.” Well, this cocktail is just that, the absolute best. Like many prohibition-era cocktails, the Bee’s Knees was invented as a way to hide the scent and flavor of poor quality, homemade spirits, in this case bathtub gin. The addition of honey was considered odd at the time, since sugar was much more usual. The honey sweetens the drink and the flavor and the smell masked the alcohol.
Get Creative with ValleyCAST
Cross-Pollinating with ValleyCAST
for World Bee Day

Let’s create art together! Virtually.

Each week, ValleyCAST will announce a theme to inspire your creativity and invite to you draw, paint, photograph, make a collage or mosaic, use your graphic design skills, and more. Use what supplies you have and don’t forget to check your recycling bin for reuse ideas.

Share your art with ValleyCAST on their Facebook and Instagram pages. They'd love to build a virtual gallery show with your creations!

This week’s creative prompt is BEES, in celebration of World Bee Day. Bees are prolific right now out in the landscape doing their important job of pollinating. Sit and observe and let them lead you into a creative art experience.

Gallery Night Providence is also celebrating bees this week! Follow them on Facebook and Instagram !
Happy 20th Anniversary to the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club
May 19 would have been the 20th anniversary kickoff for the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club, but due to social distancing requirements, the Paddle Club season is on hold.

Thanks to Zoom, volunteers gathered virtually to celebrate, share stories, and watch a special tribute video reflecting on their 20 years of paddling together. Watch for that soon!

We thank the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club volunteers for their many years of service showcasing the Valley's beautiful natural resources. Stay safe and be well.
Partnership Grants Available
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor (BRVNHC) is pleased to announce a round of partnership grants for nonprofit organizations within the Corridor that are striving to keep up or advance their mission during these difficult times.

BRVNHC will provide grants up to $2,000.00 for equipment, services and training to improve remote communications (i.e. virtual meeting or e-newsletter subscriptions, cloud-based software, website upgrades, etc.), or provide alternative means of engaging the public (i.e. video/audio equipment for virtual tours or podcasts, equipment to photograph, scan, and digitize collections, etc.)
Friends of Southwick's Zoo Host a ZOOmathon Fundraiser
on Saturday, May 23
OUR FAVORITE ZOO NEEDS OUR HELP!

Like many businesses and organizations, COVID-19 has had a drastic impact on Southwick's Zoo. The delay in opening for its regular season has resulted in a loss of the income it relies on to operate.

Your zoo needs your support more than ever.

On Saturday, May 23rd from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. , the Friends of Southwick's Zoo all come together to help support our favorite local zoo, Southwick's Zoo, More than a Zoo! The virtual fundraiser will be held on Facebook Live (see blue box for Facebook event page).

The 10-hour ZOOmathon will feature behind the scenes videos of your favorite animals and zoo operations (including feeding time), special (celebrity) guests, local musical guests, as well as great stories of your favorite zoo from zookeepers and caring members of our community. You won't want to miss it!
Learn more about Southwick's Zoo Emergency Fund, click here.

Southwick’s Zoo is privately owned, open seasonally, and does not receive any state or federal funding. Admission proceeds go directly towards veterinary care, diets, enrichment, heating, exhibit maintenance, the design of new exhibits, paying our dedicated staff, and the many other expenses involved in housing and caring for animals year-round.
The National Bike Month Celebration Continues!
Bonnie and Suzanne met up for a socially-distanced bike ride last week to check out the progress being made to connect the Blackstone River Greenway in Blackstone, MA, to the state line in Rhode Island at North Smithfield and on to Woonsocket. Join them for a short ride and check out the view in the video below.
Explore the Progress Connecting the
Blackstone River Greenway to the Blackstone River Bikeway
Due to COVID-19 and social distancing requirements, the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Bikeway Ambassadors volunteer program is on hold, as is the "Rides of Discovery" guided bike ride series.

Stay tuned for future announcements if conditions allow the return of safe programming.
Join the Bikeway Ambassadors for a Ride to Celebrate National Bike Month
Hitting the Road During the Pandemic
a blog by Marjorie Turner Hollman
Join Marjorie for a Ride Along the SNETT

Marjorie Turner Hollman, a Blackstone River Valley Volunteers-In-Parks volunteer and author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts and others, explored a new-to-her section of the Southern New England Trunkline Trail in Uxbridge, MA, during the pandemic and shares her experience on her blog.

Hop on a High Wheel to Celebrate National Bike Month
with BHC's Devon Kurtz
Blackstone River Bikeway in Rhode Island is Under Construction
Repairs to a portion of Blackstone River Bikeway started in early April and some sections may experience daytime closures. Learn more about that here .

The pictures below were submitted by John Newell.
John Street Bridge in Cumberland, RI, on May 2, 2020.
John Street Bridge in Cumberland, RI, on May 10, 2020.
Please Support our Bikeway Map Advertisers
During this time of COVID-19, bicycle shops are considered an essential business and are operating with curbside drop off and pick up. Please call ahead for instruction. Click on each ad to be directed to their website.
May is National Photography Month
With May being National Photography Month we proudly celebrate the volunteers of the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Photography Ambassadors who work behind the scenes to capture the beauty and history of the Blackstone River Valley.

Due to the pandemic and social distancing requirements, we embarked on adventure to bring you virtual field trips to historic homes, museums, and special places in the Blackstone River Valley.
Using the photographs taken by our volunteer Photography Ambassadors, and interpretive narration by our staff, we created "Field Trip Fridays" videos so that you can visit from the comfort of your home.

Enjoy our first one below!
Field Trip Fridays: A Trip to the Pettingell-Mason House
Enjoy virtual visits to historic homes, museums, and more throughout the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. Get inside those hard-to-visit places and learn their unique stories.

In our debut virtual field trip we visit the Pettingell-Mason House in Glocester, Rhode Island.

Photos provided by Blackstone Heritage Corridor Photography Ambassadors.
Follow us on Instagram!

@bhc_inc

In celebration of National Photography Month, our Instagram page will feature pictures taken by our BHC Photography Ambassadors at locations throughout the Blackstone River Valley. Start following us today so that you don't miss out on this special virtual tour!

If you're an Instagram user, be sure to tag us in your photos!
Go Find a Picture for the 2021 Calendar Photo Contest!
During this "down time" through COVID-19, consider going through your photos looking for "Historical Landmarks & Artifacts" in the Blackstone River Valley for the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Calendar Photo Contest.

Explore our website for ideas of places to visit to capture new photos. See link below for details and submit them electronically.

Got questions? Reach out to Bonnie at BCombs@BlackstoneHeritageCorridor.org.
May Is Storm Drain Awareness Month
Due to COVID-19, many community cleanups were canceled or postponed, which is leaving a lot of litter on roadways and is destined to reach storm drains.

To help prevent litter from getting in the drains, which lead to our local waterways, here is something you can do to help. Keep an eye on storm drains near your house. If you notice litter, grab a pair of rubber gloves and using a shovel or a rake or litter grabbers, carefully remove the debris and sweep it into a trash bag. Look along roadsides for any other small debris, like nips, that could easily wash down after a rainstorm. It is best to wear bright colored clothing and watch for traffic. Place the trash bag in a barrel and carefully remove gloves and wash your hands.

If you do decide to "Adopt a Storm Drain" in May, let us know and share pictures with us. If you post to social media, please use the hashtag #BHCTrashResponsibly. Thank you!

Picture colored by Carly McKay from Uxbridge, MA, from the Dwayne the Storm Drain coloring book.
Meet Dwayne the Storm Drain!
Looking to teach children about storm drains? Enter Dwayne the Storm Drain, an award-winning coloring and activity book from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

Dwayne the Storm Drain introduces readers to storm sewer systems. Lessons include how to identify storm drains, how they work, and how they affect the environment.

Learn more here .
Become a Gearhead Junior Ranger
Explore, Discover, Protect, and GO!
Junior Rangers in the Blackstone River Valley are called GearHeads.

GearHead (n.): a kid, powered by the Gears in their brain; who explores nature, discovers history, protects the environment, and goes on adventures through the Blackstone River Valley.

Click through the GearHeads website and claim your Junior Ranger status today!
Submit a completed activity and we'll send you a Junior Ranger badge!

From all of us at BHC, we wish you well and look forward to seeing you soon!