A Message from Executive Director Deborah Weaver
Greetings from the beautiful River Center, right after we officially closed for business on March 16, 2020. I hope this letter finds you and your families healthy and strong. With the radical changes that have occurred this month, we are only going to send out River News electronically for this month and hope that you will read it eagerly. There are many questions that we have going forward, most especially what will have to be cancelled and what can occur in the coming months. We will keep you updated on that in a timely way.
We are all working to retain a sense of continuity with our important work and hope to resume normal operations as soon as possible. It has been necessary to cancel or postpone several programs and events that we had scheduled for March and April, and you will see a list of all changes in events below in this newsletter.
But in the meantime, I wanted to take a moment to reflect back and to share the many recent accomplishments of WRWA, and to celebrate the people who made it all possible:
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The River Center
WRWA moved in to the River Center in Oct 2019, to a beautiful building with an outstanding resource room on the first floor. We thank all the members and donors who contributed their support to make it happen. We benefited from the tireless work of Gay Gillespie and the Capitol Campaign Committee working for more than four years to raise the money, write the grants and solicit new donors. Our architectural team, DSK Architects & Planners and Page Building Construction worked seamlessly and completed the project under budget.
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The WRWA Board of Directors
The River Center would not have been possible without the dedication of two members, Tom Schmitt and Charley Appleton (pictured at right as construction began in December 2018), who worked almost full time for five years to make the River Center project possible. We would have celebrated them at the Annual Meeting, as their board service is completed, but we celebrate them here today.
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Our Members
Our membership is truly a pivotal part of our organization. With your support, volunteerism and engagement we have one of the more robust memberships for a watershed group in the state. Without you we wouldn't thrive.
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WRWA Staff
Five people and two Commonwealth Corps Service members kept it all happening: teaching in local schools, water testing, working on the oyster and salt marsh projects, communicating with you, and raising the funds to do all of this.
Come and see us when life returns to normal. Our seahorses will have given birth to a new brood by then! Be well and safe in these tough times.
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BOAT ARTIFACTS Winter Art Show Enjoyed by Hundreds
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Just in time to complete our 7
th
annual Winter Art show before health concerns keep us all at home, we had a spectacular show with over 45 donating artists at the beautiful Dedee Shattuck Gallery. We thank all the artists and Dedee for their extraordinary generosity.
You can view a PDF of most of the artwork
here.
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Electronics Recycling and Salt Marsh Talk Postponed to September
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Due to the coronavirus emergency, we are postponing our Electronics Recycling and Salt Marsh Study presentations to dates in September. We will publicize the dates for these events when we finalize the plans.
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WRWA Seeking Two Qualified Candidates
To Fill Summer Internship Positions
The summer intern position is 30 hrs/week at a rate of $12.75 / hr, from June until the middle of August (exact starting and ending dates flexible). The intern will work under the supervision of the Education Director, assisting with various projects. WRWA received a generous grant from
BayCoast Bank
to fund this position with preference given to students at Bristol Community College or UMass Dartmouth.
For complete list of responsibilities and desired qualifications, please visit our Facebook page. Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume and 3 references to:
Shelli Costa, Education Director ♦ Westport River Watershed Alliance ♦ PO Box 3427 ♦ Westport, MA 02790, or email materials to:
wep@wrwa.com
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WRWA Upcoming Events Postponed or Cancelled
•Saturday, March 28 •
Moth or Butterfly?
Cancelled
•Saturday, April 18 •
Climate Change: Past, Present & Future
Cancelled
•Wednesday, April 22 •
Electronics Recycling
Postponed
•
Saturday, April 25 •
Salt Marsh Talk
Postponed
Look for more information on these and other upcoming events at the River Center by visiting our web page at
www.westportwatershed.or
g
, on our
Facebook
page, and by subscribing to our monthly newsletter
.
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Registration is Open for Summer Coastal Ecology Program
Our summer programs offer children the opportunity to learn science, make friends, and build self-confidence, all while having fun in a relaxed, safe environment.
The
Coastal Explorers
Ages 7-9.
•Monday- Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
•Weeks of July 6-10 & July 20-24
Children discover wildlife in our coastal waters, create eco-crafts, learn about coastal habitats, hike the dunes, and enjoy nature games on the beach. The program fee is
$180
for WRWA members,
$220
for non-members.
River Edventures
-
Ages 9-11.
•Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
•Weeks of July 13-17, July 27-31, August 3 - 7.
Head out on WRWA’s Skiff Water Watcher to explore the Westport River by boat, tow a plankton net, pull up crab posts and observe osprey nests. The cost is
$200
for members and
$240
for
non-members.
River Rats -
Ages 3 – 6 (accompanied by adult). Each session will feature an hour at the beach during which participants will listen for shore birds, use nets to catch fish and crabs and explore the sand for hidden creatures. Hands-on investigations, games and crafts will help children learn about animals at the beach.
•July 1 &2, August 11,12 & 13.
Cost:
$10
members,
$12
Non-members.
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Announcing 2021 Calendar Photo Contest
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The Watershed Alliance is calling for entries for the annual photo contest for the 2021 calendar. We are looking for 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.
Pictures should be submitted as JPG's. Certain image criteria must be met in order for the image to be used in the calendar. Image size should be
no smaller
than 10 x 8 inches (pixel dimensions 3000 x 2400). Image resolution should be
300 dpi
or greater, file size 1MB or greater. Deadline for image submission is May 1, 2019.
Each image should be given a title by the artist, and the name of the image file should match the image title. The artist should also include their name, so that they can be credited in the calendar. Image criteria are also listed on our website:
www.westportwatershed.org
.
Image submissions can be emailed to
outreach@wrwa.com.
By sending in your pictures you are allowing WRWA to use your pictures to inspire the appreciation and celebration of Westport’s beautiful estuary. WRWA is grateful for the talents of local photographers who share their wonderful photographs annually for the popular calendar, which also features charts of the tides throughout the year.
Independent judges will review the submissions in early May.
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Creature Feature
Hummingbird Moths
by Jess Mattos, Commonwealth Corps Educator
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At first glance you may think you have just seen a hummingbird zipping by from flower to flower sipping nectar. It's easy to mistake hummingbirds with the similar looking hummingbird moth. Like hummingbirds and butterflies, this moth feeds on nectar and loves flowers. Hummingbird moths beat their wings so fast it appears as if their wings are invisible. They are also known as clearwing moths, as their wings are transparent wings with only a black or brown border surrounding them. When the hummingbird moth hums by, it sounds just like a hummingbird.
Hummingbird moths belong to the family of sphinx moths. Most other moths that belong to the sphinx moth family fly at night, however hummingbird moths fly during the day. They can be found in a variety of habitats, such as open meadows, forest edges, and gardens. One of the obvious differences between hummingbirds and the hummingbird moths is the size. A ruby-throated hummingbird is around 3 inches long, while hummingbird moths are much smaller measuring around 1-1½ inches long.
Hummingbird moths lay their eggs on plants. They mature into plump, yellowish-green caterpillars. These caterpillars tend to eat the leaves of honeysuckles, snowberry, blueberries, and members of the rose family. They make their cocoons in leaf litter and stay there for the cold winter months, they emerge in the late spring as beautiful hummingbird moths read to visit flowers.
Adult hummingbird moths, butterflies, and hummingbirds all feed on nectar, so filling your garden with native-nectar bearing plants is a great way to attract these helpful creatures.
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Amy Helm Band to Headline WRWA Summer Concert
July 11, 2020 at Westport Rivers Vineyard
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This summer's concert presented with the Narrows Center for the Arts will feature the Amy Helm Band. Opening act will be Brian Dunne. This is WRWA's 5th Annual summer concert, which has become a regional favorite. Tickets will be on sale soon on the WRWA website www.westportwatershed.org, and at the River Center office at 493 Old County Road, or by phone at 508-636-3016.
More information on the concert will be coming on our web page, on Facebook, and in upcoming issues of River News.
Tickets are $45 for WRWA members, $55 for non-members. This concert sells out every year! Great music at the lovely Westport Rivers Vineyard! Gates open at 5 p.m. for the evening concert.
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Thank You to our 2020 Corporate Sponsors
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