Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council

09/03/2026

WRWC joined the City of Providence Office of Sustainability to co-host a Spanish-language community review of Providence’s Climate Justice Plan Five-Year Update. Around 60 participants, including members of Nuevas Voces and Campeones and their friends and families, shared their experiences with flooding, extreme heat, air quality, access to green space, and the financial impacts of climate change. Participants identified climate justice priorities, evaluated the city’s progress, and shared big ideas for building a more equitable and resilient Providence.

Providence residents shared priorities and ideas for the Climate Justice Plan Five-Year Update during a Spanish-language community review.

09/02/2026

Camp Woonasquatucket returned to the Leo Bouchard Conservation Center for a bigger and wilder second summer! Over four weeks, 45 young people from across the Woonasquatucket River watershed explored forests, investigated Stump Pond, tested water quality, searched for microplastics, dissected owl pellets, paddled, created nature-inspired art, and met plenty of wildlife along the way. We also welcomed high school students through our partnership with Onward We Learn for four days of environmental science and environmental justice programming. With support from Rhode Island College, SimCoast, our RIC interns Elizabeth and Judy, the WRWC Recreation Team, and our wonderful camp families, Leo B became a living laboratory where young people could explore, experiment, and build a deeper connection to the natural world.

Camp Woonasquatucket welcomed 45 young people for four weeks of outdoor science, wildlife, paddling, art, and exploration at Leo B.

09/01/2026

WRWC Executive Director Alicia Lehrer recently joined the Rhode Island Foundation's Climate Action and Sustainability Donor Convening to discuss how building community trust strengthens climate resilience. Alicia shared lessons from six years of Nuevas Voces, highlighting how long-term investment in community leadership helps residents in neighborhoods facing flooding, extreme heat, and other climate risks participate in the decisions that shape their communities.

Alicia Lehrer joins RI climate leaders to share how Nuevas Voces builds community trust, leadership, and climate resilience.

09/01/2026

Another amazing season of Red Shed Bike Camp is in the books! More than 90 campers spent seven weeks riding the Greenway, building bike skills, paddling the river, and growing their confidence, including kids learning to ride for the very first time. A huge thank you to camp leads Phil, Abraham, and Dom, our entire WRWC Recreation Team, Pip for keeping Pizza Fridays going, our Providence Parks Department and River Rangers for keeping Riverside Park and the Greenway beautiful, and Hannah, a former camper who returned as a volunteer counselor. We’re also incredibly grateful to Cleverhood for keeping our campers dry during a very rainy summer, Rhode Island Department of Transportation for its longstanding support of Red Shed and our bike education programs, and JBI.Bike for providing locks, patch kits, and tire levers for our campers. Most of all, thank you to every camper and family who made this another summer to remember at the Red Shed!

More than 90 campers spent seven weeks riding, learning, exploring, and building confidence at Red Shed Bike Camp this summer.

08/24/2026

We’re hiring! WRWC is seeking an experienced, collaborative leader to serve as the Health Equity Zone Director for Central Providence Unidos. This position will help advance the Central Providence Roadmap, strengthen partnerships, and support community-driven health equity work across the nine neighborhoods of 02908 and 02909. Applications are open through September 14, 2026.

Join WRWC as the CPU Health Equity Zone Director and help advance health equity and community power across Central Providence.

08/20/2026

Let’s party, Smithfield! The Leo B-BQ is happening tonight from 4–7 PM at the Leo Bouchard Conservation Center.

Come on down for a free, family-friendly End of Summer Celebration and Open House. We’ll have BBQ, snacks, games, activities, bandana decorating, science and nature exhibits, Camp Woonasquatucket highlights, and plenty of opportunities to explore the Conservation Center and meet the WRWC team.

Whether you joined us for camp this summer, have been curious about what we’re up to in Smithfield, or are just looking for a fun way to spend your Thursday evening, we’d love to see you.

The event is free and open to everyone, so bring the whole family, come hungry, and help us celebrate the end of another great summer at the Leo!

We’ll be at 5 Waterview Drive in Smithfield tonight, Thursday, August 20, from 4–7 PM.

https://ow.ly/A0m850ZC4aa

08/18/2026

Gardeners and volunteers came together at Joslin Community Garden for a Sustainable Gardening Workshop and work day with Charlotte Canner of Earth Ally! Fifteen participants learned the basics of integrated pest management, discussed challenges like spotted lanternflies, and then rolled up their sleeves to w**d, mulch, and care for communal garden spaces. The group also helped tend nearly 20 Saskatoon serviceberry saplings being cared for through Providence Neighborhood Planting Program Sapling Stewards, helping grow a greener and healthier Providence.

Gardeners gathered at Joslin Community Garden for a sustainable gardening workshop, pest management tips, and a community work day.

08/18/2026

We were happy to join our friends and partners at Revive the Roots for their Annual Donor Appreciation Gala at Mowry Commons! From hikes and cleanups to Earth Day, Rootstock, and this year’s new Nature is Gay celebration, we’re grateful for all the ways we get to work together. Cheers to Revive the Roots and to many more years of bringing people, nature, and community together in the Woonasquatucket River watershed!

Celebrating our partnership with Revive the Roots and their work bringing people, nature, and community together in Smithfield.

08/18/2026

An exciting new project at The Groden Network's Groden Center on Manton Avenue will strengthen its connection to the Woonasquatucket River Greenway while bringing important environmental improvements to the site. Recently, members of WRWC’s Campeones team toured The Groden Center and surrounding area with Alisa Diaz Richardson, P.E., PMP, Administrator of RIDOT’s Environmental Division, and Alicia Lehrer, Executive Director of WRWC, to get a firsthand look at the plans. Through a partnership between the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and WRWC, the Stormwater Retrofits to Green the Greenway project will add a new storm drainage culvert, water-quality swale, and riprap sediment catcher to better manage stormwater, while also removing invasive species and contaminated soils and adding new landscaping. Just as importantly, the project will improve access to the Greenway. Although The Groden Center sits right alongside the trail, its staff and clients currently do not have an easy way to reach it. A new sidewalk and nature path will create a safe, direct connection to the bike path, opening up the Greenway as a resource The Groden Center community can enjoy for years to come.

New green infrastructure will improve stormwater management and connect The Groden Center to the Woonasquatucket River Greenway.

08/17/2026

Ricardo and Kuno are showing us how it’s done with some top-notch tree mulching techniques! Proper mulching helps trees retain moisture, protect their roots, regulate soil temperature, and stay healthy for the long haul.

Check out the video to learn a few simple ways to give the trees in your neighborhood a little extra TLC. Healthy trees = a healthier, more resilient watershed.