Please Join WRWA and Friends for Upcoming Events

Thursday, May 16: South Coast Stroll at Gooseberry Island

Saturday, May 18: Pamela Lowell's My Summer with Ospreys

Join us at the River Center Saturday, May 18 from 1-5 p.m. for the release of Pamela Lowell's new book, My Summer with Ospreys. The book includes original watercolor paintings and describes her experience monitoring osprey nests and chicks with Mass Audubon and WRWA.

The book will be available in paperback at the event. A percentage of sales from all Pam's works is donated to support Ospreys and their habitats.

There will be music, refreshments, and video presentations at 2 and 4 p.m.

Website: www.pamelalowell.com Instagram: @palwrites email:palwrites@aol.com

Let The Rivers Run

Spring Concert by Greater Tiverton Community Chorus

Friday, May 10, 2024 @ 7:30 pm

Westport High School

400 Old County Rd, Westport, MA

Sunday, May 12, 2024 @ 2:00 pm Tickets $20

Tiverton High School

100 N Brayton Rd., Tiverton, RI

Sunday, May 19: Pollinator Party with Butterfly Effect Farm

WRWA 8th Annual Summer Concert with Martin Sexton

Hosted by Westport Rivers Vineyard on Saturday, July 13, 5:30- 8 p.m.

The Westport River Watershed Alliance will present singer/songwriter Martin Sexton on July 13, at our eighth annual Summer Concert at Westport Rivers Vineyard.

Guests at the annual Summer Concert always enjoy a first-rate show with professional stage and sound, in an intimate and relaxed setting. They have the option of bringing a lawn chair and/or blanket, or to sit in the row seating and picnic tables that are provided. 

The sloping lawn of the Westport Rivers Vineyard provides a great view for everyone. Beer, wine and other beverages will be on sale, and food trucks will be selling hot food. The wide-open space provides great viewing from every angle, and the vineyard staff has streamlined its system of serving beverages for quick service. No food or drinks can be brought into the venue.

Martin Sexton is a musician originally from the Syracuse, New York area. Sexton migrated to Boston in the ‘90’s where he built a following singing around Harvard Square and gradually working his way into the club scene. Guitarist John Mayer, who has recently toured with Sexton called him “the best live performer I’ve ever seen. I may just quit my job and go follow Martin and make a fuss everywhere I go, just to make sure that people don’t go their lives without hearing this man sing to them.”

The Summer Concert hosted by Westport Rivers Vineyard is sponsored by DSK|Dewing Schmid Kearns Architects, Westport Rivers Vineyard, Mid City Steel, and Lees Oil Service. Tickets are on sale online at www.westportwatershed.org. Member price $50, non-members $60. Gates open at 5:00 pm on Saturday. Rain date Sunday, July 14.   Phone orders: 508-636-3016.   As with WRWA’s previous summer concerts, this one is expected to sell out before the concert date.

How to have a healthy lawn AND protect summer fun on the water? Skip the spring fertilizer completely!

Even if you live miles away from the Westport River, you play an important role in its health, because you live in its watershed. A watershed is an area of land where groundwater, rain, and melting snow flow into a body of water, such as a river, salt pond, estuary or ocean. The Westport River watershed extends as far north as Freetown, Mass. and flows southward to Buzzards Bay.



• Skip the spring fertilizer, especially if your lawn is healthy.
• Instead, spread a thin layer of compost and leave grass clippings on the lawn. Grass clippings will break down and naturally fertilize your lawn.
• Sharpen lawnmower blades. A dull blade tears and weakens the grass, opening it up to disease. Many local hardware stores or garden shops can sharpen your blade for you.
• Raise the cutting height of the mower. Taller grass shades out weeds and needs less water. A three-inch cut length is ideal for most lawns.
• Leave grass clippings on the lawn. They provide free fertilizer all season long.
• If you need to fertilize, choose a slow-release organic fertilizer and apply it in the fall.
• Get your soil tested to see if your grass will benefit from additional nutrients or lime.

The University of Mass Amherst has testing available. More information here: https://ag.umass.edu/services/soil-plant-nutrient-testing-laboratory

For more tips on lawn care, read this Lawn Care Brochure produced by the Buzzards Bay Action Committee.

T-shirt Sales to Support Dune Restoration - Only $10 each!

On Monday, April 19, Westport's 5th graders joined WRWA at Cherry & Webb Beach for field study focused on dune structure and benefits, impacts of rising seas on coastal birds, and climate resilience. Students planted beach grass to help the dunes.

Thanks to Lee's Market, each 5th grader received a t-shirt commemorating their efforts to protect Westport's dunes. Now you can help support this program and other community service activities by purchasing a t-shirt for just $10. We have limited sizes available including: Youth Small, Youth Medium, Adult Small, Medium, Large, X-Large and XX-Large.

Stay tuned for more details on the CEE Change Fellowship that inspired new lessons for 5th graders. This year, WRWA is providing two new classroom programs that integrate climate resilience, civic engagement and complement the annual dune field study.

Announcing 2025 Calendar Photo Contest Deadline for Entries is July 1

The Watershed Alliance is calling for entries for the annual photo contest for the 2025 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 will be accepted, limit 5 photos per person. To submit an image, send photos to Steve at outreach@wrwa.com. 

Pictures should be submitted as JPGs.  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.  Photos are more likely to be accepted if they are in landscape orientation. Deadline for image submission is July 1, 2024. 

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. Questions about criteria and image submissions can be emailed to Steve Connors at outreach@wrwa.com or call 508-636-3016 x1003.

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.

WRWA members will vote to select their favorite photos. There will be a slideshow of all entries posted, available for viewing in late July. Winners will be announced in August.

We are proud to be a partner of Science Near Me.

Want to learn more about local and regional science opportunities for your family?

Follow Science Near Me on FaceBook or visit sciencenearme.org

Spring Electronics Recycling Collected 6,000 Pounds

Thanks to all our volunteers who helped out at our recent Electronics Recycling event. Local residents brought in about 6,000 lbs. of old computer and electronic equipment. Our next recycling event will take place in October.