How is Climate Change Affecting Us?

Concerns over climate change are growing each day. Impacts to our future are becoming more evident. Many are concerned about our coastlines, wildlife and loss of land. Increased storms and drought challenges are also gaining attention. We are just learning about the potential effects to our health, housing and communities. To learn more about this topic and ways to mitigate the impacts, join TRWA as we host a free discussion with local panelist experts in their fields on 9/28th. There will be a question and answer period as well.  Details and registration.

Festival Schedule of Events

 We are pleased to share the following Taunton River Festival Schedule of Events to be held June 9th, 11am-4pm at the Weir Village Riverfront Park on East Water Street in Taunton. Enjoy live music, wildlife exhibits, great food, dancing, crafts, a historic walking tour, vendors and more!  Free with convenient parking at 391 West Water St and shuttle service.  

Free Fishing Lessons for Children

 

 

Join us on Saturday, June 1st at the North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery Open House!

Enjoy fishing on a stocked pond, fishing lessons for children, guided hikes on their woodland trails, and tours of their fascinating hatchery.  Stop by the TRWA table for children’s activities and visit other community organizations.

The Hatchery and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are in their third year of a five-year plan to release two million larval shad into the Taunton River each year to rebuild a self sustaining stock of this once plentiful fish. Tour the facilities to learn how shad and other fish are raised.

Cost:  FREE

Time: 10AM – 1PM

Address: 144 Bungay Road North Attleboro, MA 

 

 

 

Clean-Up Event, 4/20th

 

 

Time to clean our parks and trails!  Join TRWA, The Friends of Dighton Rock Museum and DCR to clean up the marsh shoreline at Dighton Rock State Park during low tide. We are looking for individuals, families, scout troops, school clubs, civic organizations, and corporate and church groups to come out on April 20th help remove as much trash as we can from over 1,000 feet of marsh shoreline during low tide.  We estimate there are at least 20 tires, 3 steel drums, and bags and bags of plastic, paper, and styrofoam trash that have washed down the river and gotten lodged in the marsh.  

DCR will have a limited amount of work gloves and litter grabbers on hand but if you have your own tools and equipment, it would help the effort greatly.  We especially recommend wearing rubber boots and work gloves.  Small hand held clippers are great to bring for removing fishing line.  Children are welcome to help, but must have parent/guardian supervision. There will be tick repellent at the meeting spot, but please take every precaution to protect yourself (wear light colored clothing & be vigilant checking yourself afterwards.)  Water and snacks will be available.

Meet at the main parking lot picnic tables at 11:00 a.m. We will have volunteers on hand to direct people to the different areas in the park.  There are jobs for everyone, but we are especially on the look out for a few adventurous people willing to haul tires/heavy metal from two areas in particular.  

Pre-registration is not required, but will help us plan, especially if you are coming with a group.  Call the TRWA at (508) 828-1101 or email director@savethetaunton.org.  

Training for Water Quality Monitoring Volunteers 3/23rd

 
 

Help protect the water quality of the Taunton River and its tributaries by becoming one of our river guardians. 

No technical training or education is required just a desire to be part of an important effort with good people who want to improve local water quality. We provide the training, pair new people with folks who are veterans, and explain what the results mean and why they are important. Read here for more details.

Next Training Session:
March 23, 2022, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
TRWA’s Watershed Center, Sweets Knoll State Park in Dighton, MA
(on Rt 138 just South of the Bristol Aggie traffic light – 1387 Somerset Avenue, Dighton)

 

Big Welcome to Samantha Meagher!

 

We are excited to introduce Sam, our new Communications Intern, who has joined our team through June. Her skills are wide-ranging and a perfect match for our program planning, outreach, and marketing needs. You will be sure to meet Sam in person at our upcoming events, whether greeting attendees or sharing information. A recent UMass Amherst December graduate in English and Communications, Sam is currently enrolled in the Isenberg School of Management graduate program studying Business Analytics. Her interest in environmental activism developed over the last two years.  When not studying, Sam can be found reading a good book or walking the beach.

Annual Meeting, November 4th

Join us for the TRWA Annual Meeting Saturday, November 4th, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the Bristol County Agricultural High School Student Commons Building, 135 Center Street, Dighton.

Our Featured Speaker will be Steve Hurley, Southeast District Fisheries Manager for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Steve will speak on the Fisheries Resources of The Taunton River Watershed: Changes and Challenges over the Past 30+ years

Steve Hurley has been the Southeast District Fisheries Manager for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife since 1990. He is responsible for the management of the freshwater aquatic resources of Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Plymouth and Nantucket Counties including the Taunton River watershed.  He has extensive experience surveying the ponds and streams of Southeastern Massachusetts and served on management committees for the Assawompset Pond Complex and Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve. He manages the district’s trout stocking program, investigates fish kills, and provides technical assistance on aquatic habitat management and the many issues affecting fisheries resources. Protection, management and enhancement of coastal wild brook trout resources has become one of his major areas of expertise.

TRWA Board Member and Bristol County Agricultural High School NRM Chairman, Brian Bastarache, and project technician Jessie Power, will present results from the 2023 Taunton River Diamondback Terrapin Population Assessment field season.  This is TRWA’s eight season studying the Diamondback Terrapin population in the Taunton River and the fourth season of a small pilot nest protection program.

                   

Steve Silva, TRWA’s Water Quality Monitoring Program Coordinator and Board Secretary, will share the 2023 monitoring results.  There will also be a brief treasurer’s report, as well as updates on the Bruce Spooner Education Center programs, our advocacy work and volunteer recognition awards. The TRWA membership will be publicly voting to fill Board of Director seats and select 2024 officers.  Please contact the office if you are a member and have any questions on who is running for officers (or if you wish to join the board.)  

Limited copies of the 2024 TRWA Tide Calendar will be available for $15, featuring the work of local photographers who captured the beauty of the Taunton River Watershed and its wildlife.    

 

 

 

The meeting is hosted by the Natural Resource Management Department and will be held in the Student Commons Building.  Light refreshments will be served.  

This is an in person meeting, all are welcome. 

The Student Commons Building is on the north side of Center Street.  Parking is located to the rear of the building .   The building is fully accessible from all entrances.

 

Announcing the Winners of our 2024 Tide Calendar

 

Thank you to all the photographers who entered TRWA’s 2024 Tide Calendar Contest! 

With so many extraordinary entries, the judging was quite difficult.

We are pleased to share the following winners:

Cover:

“Pollinators – Zabulon Skipper,” Sweets Knoll State Park, Dighton, MA – David Ennis

January:

“Finding Water,” Norton, MA – Alison Kidder

February:

“Carver’s Pond in Winter,” Bridgewater, MA – Mike McLaughlin

March:

“Great Blue Heron Handoff,” Lakeville, MA – Mohamad Ojjeh

April:

“Sandhill Crane,” Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area, Halifax/Hanson, MA – Bart Devine

May:
“Banding Six Week Old Bald Eagles,” Dighton, MA – David Ennis

June:

“Turtle Yoga,” Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area, Halifax/Hanson, MA – Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett

July:

“Battleship Cove,” Fall River, MA – William Gibson

August:

“Teach Children to Inhale the World’s Beauty,” Fall River, MA – Kat Tasca

September:

“Autumn Beauty,” Lakeville, MA – Jonathan Huggon

October:

“Harbor Seal,” Berkley, MA – Jenn & Elyse Shallow

November:

“Looking for the Ladies,” Lakeville, MA – Mohamad Ojjeh

December:

“Male Cardinal in Tree,” Berkley, MA – Barbara Tomawski

 

 

Reserve your calendar today by emailing director@savethetaunton.org.

Starting November 1st, calendars will be available for $20 at TRWA’s Watershed Center at Sweets Knoll State Park.  Please call ahead at 508-828-1101 for times when the Center will be open.  A limited number of calendars will be available for a discounted price of $15 at the TRWA’s Annual Meeting on November 4th at Bristol County Agricultural High School from 4PM-7PM.

Calendars are always available print-on-demand. The TRWA is excited to use all the options of this new technology. The print-on-demand calendars can be printed from any month of the year with the tide data from the Taunton River or any other of the 3,500 NOAA tide stations. Or, if you like to write appointments onto your calendar, you can order a calendar printed without the tide data. People purchasing the calendar can even customize their calendar with their own photographs. Half the proceeds from the online $19.95 purchase price goes directly to the TRWA to support its ongoing mission protecting and restoring the Taunton River watershed, its tributaries, wetlands, floodplains, river corridors and wildlife.

To order our TIDE calendar, follow this link: http://www.calendarlink.org/trwa/home.html.

For a step by step guide on navigating the customizations of the order form, click on this link.  how_to_order_online_flier

Since 1988 TRWA has been a voice for the river as an advocate for environmental protection, sustainable development and responsible stewardship of our precious natural resources.  

Your purchase of our calendar helps to support our work.  Thank you!

                          

Communications Internship

 

Exciting opportunity for a college student.

Are you a budding social media manager or event planner? Do you want to use these skills to help an
organization communicate and plan effectively with its audience and partners? Then apply today!

We are seeking an energetic student (undergraduate or graduate) to assist with our 2024 educational programs and other events from 1/15/2024 – 6/30/2024.  Flexible hours. Partially remote work with some event attendance required.

For details visit https://savethetaunton.org/communications-internship-opportunity-1-15-24-6-30-24/

Successful Taunton River Festival

  

Thank you everyone for helping to make our festival a great success! We couldn’t have done it without the tremendous support of our volunteers, sponsors, vendors and fellow non-profit organizations who joined us for a fun-filled day. Complete list of photos can be found here.