Friends of the Pawtuxet Home Page

Welcome

Pawtuxet River Sign Friends of the Pawtuxet is a group of concerned citizens who promote the health of the Pawtuxet River as a valuable resource and encourage its responsible recreational use.

Friends of the Pawtuxet accepts donations to pay for our newsletter and tree planting? Checks made out to "Friends of the Pawtuxet" should be mailed to 37 Ferncrest Avenue, Cranston, RI 02905.

The Pawtuxet River courses through Rhode Island, starting at the Scituate Reservoir and ending at the falls in Pawtuxet Village, where it empties into Narragansett Bay. Friends of the Pawtuxet helps to maintain trails in this lower Pawtuxet River and it organizes canoe days for family enjoyment of the river. On canoe days, you can bring your own canoe or rent one. You can also take a guided nature tour through the mature red maple forest. Learn about the wonders of native plants along the way

STOP & SHOP

This spring, Stop & Shop will build a supermarket near the Pawtuxet River on Warwick Avenue in Cranston. The project will be uglier than the property’s current occupant, Warwick Nurseries, but its environmental impact will be less thanks to suggestions from Friends of the Pawtuxet and the Cranston City Planning Department.
Developer Churchill & Banks agreed to give the Pawtuxet River Authority a river access easement through a narrow triangle of land between the Phillips Plumbing and Yard Works properties. Walkers may now travel from Park View Boulevard to Rhodes on the Pawtuxet.
Unfortunately, the store and parking will cover almost all the rest of the property. City ordinances require 249 parking spaces for the property, but the developer proposed 320. Friends of the Pawtuxet objected and the developer reduced the parking spaces to 316
In addition, as a condition of operation, the store must daily pick up litter on the property. Friends of the Pawtuxet and neighbors suggested banning plastic bags at the site, but Stop & Shop ignored the idea.
Over the objections of neighbors and environmentalists, the Cranston City Council approved a zone change to allow the store. That move drastically reduced the city’s bargaining power with the developer, most notably on the extra parking issue. The key council vote was 6-3, with the three council representatives from the eastern part of the city opposing the zone change.
Thanks to Tim & Melissa Kearns, Ginny Leslie, Rita Holahan, Annemarie Bruun, Steve Stycos and others for attending the hearings.
Trail extension description: Go west (upriver) from the DEM Supply Depot on the Cranston side of Warwick Avenue, then north of the liquor store and Phillips Plumbing, then head south over dumped debris to the river. Next turn upriver between the river and the fence (this section is rough walking and impassible at high water) to the city pumping station driveway on Mayflower Drive. From there, head up Mayflower Drive away from the river. Turn left (west) onto Lyndon Road until the old Ciba Geigy office building parking lot. Cross the lot to Mill Street. Then turn south toward the river, and take a quick right onto the railroad tracks to see Bellefont Pond. Pass the pond to the terminus at Park View Boulevard.
June 5 Friends of the Pawtuxet will lead a walk along the trail. See the Green Calendar.

EXPLORE CRANSTON

Canoeing, sailing, fishing and tree planting will be the featured activities in ExploreCranston’s second year..
Several Saturdays this summer, participants will sail on Narragansett Bay, canoe on the Pawtuxet River and fish and plant trees at Meschanticut Lake State Park. September 11, those who participate in all ExploreCranston events will be recognized at the farmers market by Cranston Mayor Alan Fung. The Adams, Narvaez, Maytum and Eaton families completed all events in 2009.
The free program encourages children and their families to enjoy Cranston’s natural areas. It is also open to single people, but children must be accompanied by an adult.
To sign up for the program, go to www.explorecranston.org or pick up a registration form at the farmers market. ExploreCranston is a cooperative venture of Friends of the Pawtuxet, the Edgewood Sailing School and the West Bay Land Trust.

Fireflies are one of the most spectacular features of the Pawtuxet River Reservation. In mid-June their performance is best observed in the high grass field between Rhodes on the Pawtuxet and Fay Field.
Although scientific knowledge is incomplete, researchers at Tufts University and Fitchburg State College think firefly populations may be shrinking because lawn chemicals kill fireflies during their larval stage and outdoor lighting hinders their ability to mate. The grassy field next to the river suffers from neither problem
Fireflies spend most of their two year life cycle underground as a grubs. For the final two weeks of their lives, however, fireflies mate using their shining lights. The United States has more than 150 firefly species and each has its own blinking pattern. In the mating ritual, the males fly above the grassy field, while the females are perched on the grass. When a female sees an attractive blink from her species, she responds, so the male can find her and they can mate. The female then deposits the eggs in the ground.
One firefly species, Photuris, is a predator that waits in the grass and imitates a female flash. When the excited male appears to mate, the Photuris devours him.
To see the firefly ritual, walk to the grassy field as the sun sets. Bring a flashlight. Also wear long sleeves and pants in case the mosquitoes are hungry. You may also join our firefly walk June 16 (see the Green Calendar). Please do not try to catch fireflies.
The Museum of Science in Boston gathers information on fireflies and needs volunteers to monitor local firefly populations. Their web site has flash charts to identify different firefly species. Contact www.mos.org/fireflywatch/ for more information.

FRATANTUONO BOYS EDUCATION FUND

November 20, after attending the Pawtuxet Village Farmers Market, Peter Fratantuono of Moosup River Farm died suddenly of a heart attack at home. He was 55. Peter will be greatly missed at the market.
The Pawtuxet Village Farmers Market’s success can be largely credited to Peter. When the market began in 2003, Peyton Fleming invited every farmer in Rhode Island to participate. Only Peter and his son Bob came. The initial customer response was strong and other farmers quickly joined. Had no farmer come the first week, however, we may never have had a market.
Since then, Peter, Bob, Ingrid and Alan Fratantuono have been market mainstays offering fruit, vegetables, preserves, baked goods and enjoyable conversation. Peter also provided key advice as the market developed. Farming was his second career. He previously worked as a substance abuse counselor and University of Rhode Island professor.
Peter’s oldest son, Peter, works for the Coventry Fire Department. Alan is a sophomore at Wesleyan College in West Virginia. Bob, who is most often at the market, is a freshman at the University of Rhode Island. He and Ingrid will be at the market this summer to sell blueberries, tomatoes, raspberries and preserves.
The market established a fund to help pay for Alan’s and Bob’s college educations. All the proceeds from our June 19 used book sale will go the fund. After Memorial Day, used books and CDs for the sale may be dropped on porches at 25 Berwick Lane, 10 &18 Williams Avenue and 37 Ferncrest Avenue, Cranston. Please no damaged books or text books.
Also checks made to “The Fratantuono Boys Education Fund,” may be sent to Ingrid Fratantuono, 1640 Plainfield Pike, Greene, RI 02827.

ROGER WILLIAMS PARK PROJECT

Invasive Canada geese and European carp will be targets of an upcoming Roger Williams Park waterways restoration project. The City of Providence and the Narragansett Bay Estuary Project want to improve water quality in the park’s ponds, which drain into the Pawtuxet River upriver from the old Ciba Geigy chemical plant through Bellefont Brook.
The project hopes to reduce the large geese population by planting bushes along pond shorelines and educating the public not to feed the birds. Geese eat some plants along the shore, denuding large areas. Each goose also deposits a pound of excrement a day, harming water quality.
The carp, although not as harmful as the invasive Asian carp currently reeking havoc in Mississippi River ecosystems, damage wetlands. As bottom feeders, they disturb sediments, blocking sunlight that aquatic plants need to survive, and they eat other fish species’ eggs. Unlike some fish, bass do well in the park because they protect their eggs after spawning.
According to Tom Ardito of the Narragansett Bay Estuary Project, the project will also remove fish barriers to allow migratory herring, shad and American eel to reenter the 100 acres of park wetlands once the Pawtuxet River dam in the village is removed. In addition, other water quality problems, including stormwater runoff, will be addressed.
Friends of the Pawtuxet has long urged the City of Cranston to acquire Bellefont Pond, which sits on Bellefont Brook between the park and the river. The pond’s entire shoreline is owned by Ciba, a division of BASF, the world’s largest chemical company. Join our June 5 walk (see the Green Calendar) to tour the pond.
Public meetings will be held to explain the project, Ardito says.

ODS & ENDS

Starting June 5, the farmers market will offer free cooking demonstrations the first Saturday of the month. Former Morgan’s Fancy chef Maureen Morgan and caterer Zoey Spahn will team with farmers to provide interesting recipes and free samples using local ingredients. The program is funded by a $300 grant from the Rhode Island Rural Development Council and the market. Check the Green Calendar for dates.

The farmers market accepts EBT for the food stamp program, debit cards, WIC coupons and senior coupons.

Friends of the Pawtuxet is a member of the Environment Council of Rhode Island, ab coalition that lobbies for strong environmental laws. If you would like to represent Friends of the Pawtuxet at monthly ECRI meetings, please contact Steve Stycos (461-2618).