R Christopher Noonan

A wide range of landscapes – such as this rural road in Upton – contribute to the character of the Blackstone Valley.

Help Protect the Valley’s Special Places
The Corridor Commission is partnering with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Quinebaug–Shetucket National Heritage Corridor to bring the DCR’s Heritage Landscape Inventory program to south-central Massachusetts. Through this program, the DCR works with local communities and regional organizations to identify significant landscapes and plan for their preservation. Two informational sessions were held in October, attracting over 50 individuals with an interest in protecting these special places – the mill villages, cemeteries, farms, town commons, parks, village centers, river corridors and other landscapes that define the character of the Blackstone Valley.  

To participate in the Heritage Landscape Inventory program, communities must submit an application and provide a local project coordinator. In exchange, communities will receive free technical assistance from DCR staff, Heritage Corridor staff and a professional consulting team. No cash match is required. To learn more, see the DCR website or contact Joanna Doherty at the Corridor Commission, at 401-762-0250 or e-mail us.

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Corridor Commission to Host Workshop on Open Space Residential Design
The Corridor Commission will host a workshop on Open Space Residential Design on Thursday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m. at the Brigham Hill Community Barn in Grafton (note: pre-registration is required). The workshop is part of a series developed and presented by the Citizen Planner Training Collaborative, which offers training to local land use officials in Massachusetts. The workshop will address the preservation of open space through cluster developments or other, similar mechanisms, with an emphasis on how to ensure that the open space is permanently protected. Public access, stewardship and easement issues will also be addressed. Given the development pressures in the region, this workshop should be of particular interest to communities in the Blackstone Valley, though all Massachusetts municipalities are welcome to attend.

For more information or to register for the workshop, see www.umass.edu/ or contact Joanna Doherty at the Corridor Commission, at 401-762-0250 or e-mail us.

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Corridor Star Award recipients Michael Baril and Irene Blais

Two Standouts Receive Corridor Star Awards
Commission Chair Louise Redding presented two Corridor Star awards at the Corridor Commission meeting on September 22, 2006 in Woonsocket, RI. The non-profit organization Central Mass Public Safety Association (CMPSA) of Uxbridge, Massachusetts was recognized for its extensive contributions to the public safety of the residents and visitors who work and play in the Blackstone River Valley. The organization’s members have greatly assisted the commission during the 2000 and 2005 Blackstone River Expeditions as well as the last three Blackstone River Valley Greenway Challenges as well as with events with Corridor partners such as the Blackstone River Watershed Association. The organization works seamlessly with the corridor’s Park Rangers on the river and with police and rescue crews on the ground. President Michael Baril accepted the award on behalf of the Association.

The second Corridor Star was presented to Irene Blais of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Irene has developed and implemented a costumed interpretive program at the Slater Mill Living History Museum helping visitors understand what it was like for young woman to venture to work in our early textile mills. She has also brought the “New Coat for Anna” story hour to countless students in the Blackstone Valley. Indispensable at the Museum of Work and Culture where she greets visitors at the front desk, Irene also offers a “farm to factory” interpretive program there. Additionally, she serves on the Greenway Challenge Steering Committee and is a recent graduate of the Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) program offered by the commission in partnership with Rhode Island DEM.  Irene makes the Corridor’s stories come alive!

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Riverwalk in Downtown Pascoag
Construction of a ½-mile length of the Riverwalk along the ClearRiver in historic downtown Pascoag is nearing completion. The Riverwalk is Phase II of a multi-phase trail project the Town of Burrillville has been working on over the past five years. The Riverwalk will provide public access to the Clear River and contribute to the revitalization of the downtown Pascoag area as it winds through Burrillville’s retail core, once the center of vibrant commercial and industrial activity. Pascoag is an historic village in the Town of Burrillville with areas of historic mill buildings and associated resources that have been anchors in the current development of the village.

Tom Kravitz, Town Planner for Burrillville used $40,000 in Corridor Commission funding to hire Gates-Leighton and Associates to develop plans and complete permitting for this phase the Pascoag Riverwalk. The Town contributed $156,565 to the project and secured $175,000 in funding from Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the Levy Foundation to complete construction. Several recent improvements in the Village are changing the face of downtown Pascoag and will benefit not only local residents with new economic development, but also give visitors to the region better access to the Clear River, a tributary of the Blackstone. A ribbon-cutting will be planned for the end of November and plans are already underway for the next phase of the Riverwalk.

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2006 VIP Highlight for the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley NHC
Our volunteers contributed an amazing 41,980 hours for fiscal year 2006, a 38 % increase over last year! Much of this growth came from natural resource conservation programs as we extended our VIP umbrella to include several new groups. All of these efforts, from fish releases, water quality monitoring and river clean ups all helped to improve the quality of the Blackstone River, while at the same time cultivating new stewards throughout the Valley.

A program highlight for this past year was obtaining a grant from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Trail Education Fund. This unique new partnership provided funding for thirteen active VIPs to become Certified Interpretive Guides through the National Association of Interpretation. These new CIG guides can be found throughout the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor interpreting the resources of the Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution at sites that otherwise would not be able to provide a personal interaction with visitors. The success of this pilot program is demonstrated by RI DEM’s willingness to fund it again next year, and the interest of other VIPs to take advantage of this training opportunity. Visit our VIP scrapbooks to see what makes us so unique!

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