Ranger Chuck Arning leading Walkabout in Grafton

Rangers and Partners Announce 2008 Walkabout Schedule
The National Park Service Rangers of the Heritage Corridor are once again offering a series of Thursday Night Walkabouts this summer. Each Thursday evening the rangers or one of their volunteer partners will offer a free program somewhere in the Blackstone Valley. “The Walkabout gives participants an opportunity to explore parts of the history or natural beauty of the Valley with a knowledgeable guide at their side,” Ranger Kevin Klyberg explained. “As Park Rangers we really enjoy doing these Walkabouts because it gives us a chance to take people to some of the often overlooked treasures of the Blackstone Valley. Some of these tours are old favorites, but they give us a reason to do some more research and to learn new stories to share with those who come along.” 

All of the programs are free and begin at 6:30 p.m. For more information click here, or contact the Corridor office at (401) 762-0440.

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Corridor Receives Youth Partnership Program Funding
The Corridor and Roger Williams National Memorial recently received $23,900 in funding from the National Park Service Youth Partnership Program. In a new partnership with the non-profit environmental organization, Groundwork Providence, the funding will be used to involve youth from the city of Providence in park stewardship activities. The program includes four days of programming and work for approximately 25 participants during the summer of 2008. Activities will include canoeing the Blackstone River with National Park Service rangers to learn about how water quality in the River is being monitored and improved through water quality testing, river cleanup and access projects. Students will participate in the volunteer water quality testing program and assist in river cleanup and trail building in the communities of Lincoln and Central Falls, RI.

At Roger Williams National Memorial (ROWI), the students will learn about Roger Williams and religious freedom in America and will assist staff with completing a site inventory of the park, its landscape and built structures as part of an ongoing Cultural Landscape Report. Students will also be asked to think about how landscapes tell stories and how ROWI can better tell the story of religious freedom in America. Groundwork Providence students will be introduced to several different National Park Service careers along with the skill sets that are needed to manage National Park resources. The students will conclude the program with the presentation of a “rap” performance at Roger Williams as part of their own expression of “freedom of speech”. The National Heritage Corridor was one of 12 parks in the northeast region to receive funding for programs that engage young people. Contact Diane Keith or Hal Welch at 401-762-0520.

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Celebrate National Rivers Day at Central Falls Landing
The organizers of the National Rivers Day celebration at Central Falls Landing ask you to come and enjoy environmental exhibits, family activities, food and wonderful experiences they have planned along the banks of the Blackstone on Saturday, June 21st. There will be a walking tour of Valley Falls Heritage Park with National Park Service Ranger Peter Coffin at 10 a.m.; free kayak trips into Valley Falls Marsh provided by Blackstone Valley Outfitters 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.; free river boat tours aboard the Explorer with National Park Service Ranger Kevin Klyberg from noon to 2 p.m.; and the presentation of the John H. Chafee Rivers Day Awards at 11 a.m. to Curt Spalding, who is leaving Save the Bay as Executive Director, and to journalist and naturalist Ken Weber (posthumously). The Blackstone River Watershed Council Award will also be presented in the categories of business, environment and student leadership. For more information, contact the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council at 401-724-2200.

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Blackstone Valley Gets World Destination Award
The decades-long efforts of Commissioner Robert Billington, Ph.D., President of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, received world-wide recognition from the World Travel and Tourism Council in conjunction with Travelport on April 22, 2008 in Dubai, UAE, when the Blackstone Valley, USA received the organization’s Destination Award. The award was created to recognize and promote best practices in sustainable tourism development all over the world. Thanks to the dedication and perseverance of Commissioner Billington, his staff and others, the WTTC and its judges, chaired by world renown sustainable tourism expert Costas Christ, recognized that, “In developing a tourism system in the Blackstone Valley, the Council has succeeded in uniting a community, awakening it to its potential and the need to preserve its natural, cultural and historical features, along the way gaining international recognition and creating a sustainable, enjoyable visitor destination.” Congratulations to the Tourism Council and to the Blackstone Valley!

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