The Providential Gardener

The Story of Bottled Water

World Water Day was March 22, but really, every day is Water Day, isn't it?

I love it when people send links to good resources ~ there's so much out there, it's hard to follow all the websites worth watching. This week a friend sent me a link to a video on The Story of Stuff about one of my particular causes ~ decreasing demand for bottled water. The Story of Bottled Water is a well-done presentation on why bottled water is not only unnecessary for the most part, but also extremely wasteful of natural resources and our own hard-earned money.

One point in the video is that many cities are not investing in the public water supply. Fortunately for Rhode Islanders, that's not the case here in the nation's smallest state. And our drinking water is almost the best in the whole USA. 

Providence tap water ranks with the nation’s best
Dec 15, 2009 - Providence tap water ranks with the nation’s best.   By Lynn Arditi Journal Staff Writer. ...

$76 million in drinking-water projects launched in RI
Dec 19, 2009 - $76 million in drinking-water projects launched in RI. 

Nevertheless, there is plenty to do still, and of course for something so essential to life as water, there must be eternal vigilance...

Opportunities to care for our local water supplies abound. Most cities and towns have boards and commissions devoted to maintaining high quality water resources in Rhode Island. See What Grows On in RI for public meetings, many of which concern water. Watershed Watch could use help from 350 Rhode Islanders also:

Volunteers needed for Watershed Watch program
Mar 23, 2010 - ... According to watershed watch director Linda Green, overall water quality in Rhode Island has been fairly good. She and Herron credit ...

We can cooperate with efforts to detect distribution systems water leaks:

March 2010: Providence Water embarks on ambitious leak detection system installation

Federal Stimulus funds are powering the latest Providence Water Supply Board initiative to equip its drinking water distribution system with thousands of leak detection devices. This system, called MLOG, will enable Providence Water to monitor the entire distribution system for water leaks. To accomplish this, leak detection devices will ultimately be installed in approximately 11,000 strategically-selected homes (about 15% of total customer homes throughout the entire Providence Water distribution system). The first phase of the program will see about 8,250 devices, purchased with special incentive bonds as part of the American Recovery Reinvestment Act, with debt service on the bonds being paid from existing water rates...

....Starting the week of March 15, 2010, Providence Water employees will begin the project in
North Providence neighborhoods requesting access to selected homes. Once North Providence installations are complete, Providence Water customers in Providence, Cranston and Johnston will be systematically contacted as the progress of the installation program continues. It is expected to take 2 years to completely install MLOG devices throughout the system...[read more]

[The photo above is of a holding pond outside the offices of the Scituate Reservoir.]

For further background, check out these stories that Peter Lord wrote in the Providence Journal:

RI to utilize stimulus money for water, sewer projects
Sep 03, 2009 -
... By Peter B. Lord Journal Environment ... announced that the state plans to begin
distributing about $135 million in loans for local drinking water and sewer ...

Passage likely for water supply bill
Jun 08, 2009 -
... By Peter B. Lord Journal Environment Writer. PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island’s drinking
water supplies should become more dependable over time, thanks to a ...

$150 million in stimulus loans to go to sewer, water projects
Mar 24, 2009 -
... By Peter B. Lord Journal Environment Writer. Sen. ... into communities across Rhode Island
for water and sewer ... loans will be available for drinking water and sewer ...

Trees 2020 Initiative ~ Training Date September 24, 2008

Please pass the word, those of you who live and/or work in Providence

Trees 2020 is a new tree planting initiative that aims to initiate the planting of 40,000 trees in Providence by the year 2020 to improve our environment.  Our tree purchase program offers trees at a sharp discount to Providence property owners to encourage them to plant a tree in their own yards.  A training date for volunteers with or without tree knowledge is planned for Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 5pm. See below for brief invitation or the flyer and signup form.

From Doug Still, Providence City Forester:

Come be a part of the Tree Team!  Volunteers are needed for Trees 2020, a new program to increase tree cover and improve the environment in Providence by encouraging homeowners and property owners to plant trees.  Whether or not you have experience with trees, we need you!  To learn more and get involved, please read the attached flyer.

TRAINING DATE for Site Assessment volunteers:

When:     Wednesday, September 24, 2008 from 5:00 - 6:30 pm.
Where:    Chamber of Commerce auditorium, 30 Exchange Terrace (downtown)
Given by:    Doug Still, Providence City Forester

Send us your volunteer signup form, or contact Ray Perrault at 351-6440 x14 or by email.    Our website www.trees2020.org will be on-line in late September.

T-Shirts and much appreciation for all volunteers!

This is a joint effort of the City of Providence and Groundwork Providence, funded by the Helen Walker Raleigh Tree Care Trust and the Rhode Island Foundation.

Vanilla Beans, Learning Landscape, and the Garden Guys

I couldn't resist calling in to the Garden Guys show this morning (January 27, 2008) on WHJJ 920AM because I knew the answer to the last question for listeners: From what plant do we get vanilla? Not only did I know vanilla comes from an orchid, but also I had actually SEEN the Vanilla Orchid plant four days ago right in Providence! It's native to Mexico, actually, but Madagascar is said to be the largest producer. So how can I have seen it here in the city? It's snowing out as I write this.

Well, the short answer is, I was at Roger Williams Park Botanical Center on Wednesday for training I describe below, and there was the vanilla orchid, a vine growing on trees in the orchid display. The Botanical Center opened about a year ago, a tropical oasis in New England, open Tuesday through Sunday, 11-4, for a very nominal fee. You don't need a passport or an airline ticket to get to the tropics this afternoon. Just get in the car and go to the Park. The Botanical Center is across the road from the Mounted Command.

Last year, I finally had the time to take the URI Master Gardener course, which is about 12-14 weeks long and involves a serious volunteer commitment of 50 hours to earn the title, Master Gardener (MG). It's a continuing commitment: each year to maintain "certified active Extension Master Gardener" status, MGs must attend at least 15 hours of continuing education workshops and volunteer at least 20 hours. Many MGs have hundreds and even thousands of volunteer hours. I've heard that the URI MG Association is the largest volunteer organization in the state.

The URI Master Gardeners are part of the Cooperative Extension, with a mission to provide reliable information about all things growing in Rhode Island to the public. One program I volunteered on is the Learning Landscape: a morning of hands-on exploration and discovery classes in grades K-5 at URI (outside, during the spring and early fall) and

now also in February & March at the RWP Botanical Center!

Special rates are available for Providence School Groups!

School groups from Northern RI and greater Providence can more easily participate in the Learning Landscape ~ no long bus trip to South County. Three schools have signed up so far, but if other schools want to take advantage of this program, contact the Learning Landscape Program Coordinator, Cathi Cote. It's such fun for us who lead the groups of children around the various stations, and the children love it.

Marion Gold, who oversees all of URI College of Environment & Life Sciences Outreach Programs, described the new RWPBC Learning Landscape Program recently on Channel 10, WJAR. Volunteering for programs such as this gives many opportunities to learn; and of course, explaining and sharing knowledge with others helps the memory and further deepens one's understanding of the natural world. The photo is from the Learning Landscape training this week ~ Cathi explaining how to show the specimens of animals native to Rhode Island (all of which had died naturally, by the way, and were found in time to preserve them).

The Botanical Center has a culinary area where you can see bananas growing right now, as well as cacao (chocolate), lemon, guava, avocado, Mandarin orange, and fig trees. You'll also find a carnivorous plant bog maintained by the New England Carnivorous Plant Society, which meets at RWPBC every second Saturday at 12:30. AND...

they just posted the schedule for the SPRING GARDENING SCHOOL at RWPBC, which will be Monday afternoons, 2:00   pm to 4:00 pm, April 2nd  through May 21st at the RWP Botanical   Center Mediterranean Room.

You wouldn't believe all that's Growing On in Rhode Island! This is just a little sample of what there is to do and see in Little Rhody.

Which reminds me ~ If you have school-aged children in Rhode Island and love gardening, be sure to get your school involved ASAP in The Children's Garden Network! They aim to help establish gardens at every school in the state. Their website just went live, and there are advantages to registering your child's school garden as soon as you can. See their website for details, and also this post from What Grows On in Rhode Island.

The Providential Gardener is working on a comprehensive online Union Calendar of RI environment-related events called WHAT GROWS ON IN RHODE ISLAND. Any and every organization planning relevant meetings is welcome to add their events to the Calendar. As the Calendar itself grows, it will be easier for folks to find out about opportunities to learn about and tend our wonderful shared Garden aka Rhode Island.

Volunteers Sought for Rhode Island's Wildlife Refuges

On October 9, 2007, the Providence Journal highlighted the problems Trustom Pond Refuge in Charlestown, RI, is facing due to serious funding cuts. Two articles worth reading were in the paper on page B1:

• Cutbacks at refuges puts staff, volunteers on endangered list ~ by Peter B. Lord
• Reed wants children to get out there ~ by Natalie Garcia (No Child Left Inside)

"...People willing to volunteer at the refuges should contact volunteer coordinator Janna Greenhalgh at 364-9124, ext 29, or Janna_greenhalgh@fws.gov. For more information on the refuges, go to www.fws.gov/refuges."

There is some hope that the new legislation Jack Reed has sponsored, No Child Left Inside, may eventually provide financing for wildlife refuge programs, but meanwhile the staff is trying to recruit retired school teachers or others with expertise in education and with nature. Defenders of Wildlife, a national environmental organization, has reported that "Rhode Island's refuges were among 10 around the country 'that are feeling the effects of years of inadequate funding and a failure to uphold core refuge values.'" (See www.defenders.org/refugesatrisk). I don't think this means the actual staff in Rhode Island, but rather the results of the current administration's lack of financial support for the refuges. The staff is doing all it can to find grant money and teachers to keep their extensive educational program going. If you can help, this is a fine opportunity.

Note the Defenders of Wildlife's press release on Rhode Island's refuges, and also the one-page summary about Rhode Island's 5 refuges from the report.

A Garden Club for Donigan Park

More news from the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council:

Just received word that this meeting has been postponed to August 8, 6:30 pm.

Donigian Park Garden Club First Meeting: July 24th, 6:00pm, Donigian Park (Valley St. in Providence - next to Rising Sun Mills)   The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council is hosting the first meeting of the Donigian Park Garden Club, which will be a group of residents who help maintain the gardens and landscaping of this important Olneyville neighborhood park.  Donigian Park is one of the few green spaces in Providence with public access to the Woonasquatucket River.  Join the Garden Club and help beautify this green space for the community, whether you live in the neighborhood or not!  For more information, contact Lisa at lisa@woonasquatucket.org or (401) 861-9046.

[N.B.: The Providential Gardener would like to publicize your garden/park/farm/watershed workday and/or event. Add The Providential Gardener to your distribution list via email.]

Clean the Bay Cleanup Day, Wednesday, July 25

From Clean the Bay (www.cleanthebay.org):

Our next cleanup is scheduled in partnership with the Buckeye Brook Watershed Association for:

Wednesday July 25, 2007
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Brush Neck Cove
Suburban Pkwy. Warwick, RI 02889

Please wear closed-toed shoes and bring water, and sun protection.  We will provide gloves and bags.

Directions to Brush Neck Cove:

From the North- Take 95 S to exit 14B-A to merge onto RI-37 E toward US-1/Warwick.  Take the Post Rd South exit, merge onto Post Rd. Turn left onto Airport Rd.  Take a right onto Warwick Ave.  Follow Warwick Ave, and bear right onto Oakland Beach Ave.  Take a right onto Suburban Parkway.  Park in one of the lots along the dunes.

From the South- Take 95 N to Exit 10 for RI-117 E.  Continue to follow 117 (West Shore Rd). Turn right onto Oakland Beach Ave and a right onto Suburban Parkway.  Park in one of the lots along the dunes.
      
Make sure to check www.cleanthebay.org for pictures of past cleanups. If anyone knows of a beach or shoreline in need of cleaning in the Warwick, Cranston, Providence, East Providence or Portsmouth areas let me know!

See you at the beach,

Vanessa Venturini 
Clean The Bay Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street
Providence, RI 02903
vanessa.venturini@dem.ri.gov
(401) 222-3434 ext 4401
visit our website www.cleanthebay.org

Clean Up the Bay in July!

Reminder from Clean the Bay:

Cleanup this Saturday the 14th of July at Bold Point Park in East Providence 11-3.  Note that after taking the Riverside exit off of 195, Mauran Ave is the first right off of the exit.  Follow that to the end and take a left onto Pier Rd- Bold Pt. Park is at the end of the road. If you have boots please wear them as there are a few marshy areas. Full info about this cleanup is in this earlier post and at Clean the Bay's volunteer page.

News of the next cleanup on July 25th will post soon, so stay tuned to The Providential Gardener. I don't want to confuse things by putting info on both of these cleanups in the same post! If you want to know more about July 25th right now, contact www.cleanthebay.org for those details.

Be a River Ranger!

Some news from the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council:

Woonasquatucket River Rangers Need Volunteers!  The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council is currently running its River Rangers summer program, which employs a small team of Providence youth to be stewards for the parks and public spaces along the Woonasquatucket River.  Volunteers are needed to do gardening, landscaping, carpentry, painting, etc.  Get involved in making your community a better place by helping the Woonasquatucket River Rangers! For more information, contact Lisa at lisa@woonasquatucket.org or (401) 861-9046.

Volunteers needed for Worksite Partners Summer Program

From the West Warwick Jaycees:

Worksite Partners Summer Program

JAYCEES and volunteers will be interacting with selected recruits (special needs young adults) from the J. Arthur Trudeau Memorial Center {The Kent County  ARC} for a six(6) week period, to facilitate their pre-employment skill development. Basically, patience, close supervisory attention and kindly instructions with modest oversight for a few hours [i.e. 9:30 am ~ 12 pm] is needed. These outdoor sessions will be held every Wednesday morning staring on July 11th through August 8th and conducted at the award-winning JAYCEE Corridor & Arboretum.

Ongoing landscape projects and horticultural activities are always welcome!

Contact Information (401) 828-9191

(e-mail) wwjayceeskc@aol.com

http://www.kentcountyjaycees.org/

 

Directions: Riverpoint COMMUNITY Park in W. Warwick

Intersection of Providence & Hay Streets (Rts. 115w / 33)   

Wildlife at Work

A couple of days ago on Saturday, I posted news of Fidelity Investments' participation in National Pollinator Week, June 24-30, through the Wildlife at Work program. Now that it's the work week again, I want to remind readers of this and give a little more info about Wildlife at Work. Maybe another company in Rhode Island would like to become certified.

Fidelity went through the 2-year process to become certified in the Wildlife at Work project recently at their 500-acre Smithfield, Rhode Island campus. The formal Widlife at Work certification process is a big undertaking, and not every company can devote the staff time to it. The only other company in Rhode Island with this certification is Raytheon, as far as I have heard. [The Providential Gardener always welcomes corrections if I get the facts wrong ~ Please advise if you know things to be otherwise.] But maybe smaller companies might want to explore this program and implement some segments of it informally.

The Wildlife Habitat Council encourages employees to get "Wild at Work" by participating in a wildlife management team at their place of employment. WHC's Habitat Opportunities Report and Team Kit are valuable step-by-step guides for employees and employers as they establish, develop and manage a wildlife program, leading up to WHC accreditation. When corporations, conservation groups, the community and WHC come together to plan a wildlife habitat enhancement program, Wildlife at Work is in action.

Wildlife at Work is the foundation of WHC, from which other programs spring, such as Corporate Lands for Learning and Wings of Wonder.

These strong community-based projects receive increased public recognition and environmental awards by related industry associations. WHC’s annual Registry of Certified Programs is recognized globally as a source for the press, general public and government representatives.