Get outdoors and help WRWA cleanup our town beach at Cherry and Webb.  WRWA will supply bags and trash pickers.  All are welcome.

The annual Community Candidates Night will be held on Tuesday, April 3, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Westport High School auditorium, located at 19 Main Road.  The moderator for the evening will be Carlos Costa.

A representative from each of the following sponsors will assist the moderator:  Westport Business to Business, WES-MAC PTO, WMSA, PAWHS, Westport Friends of Council on Aging and the Westport River Watershed Alliance. Mark your calendars to attend this informative evening.

Speaking at the Westport River Watershed Alliance

Annual Meeting,

March 17th, 1 PM at the Westport Grange

Dr. Nick Ashbolt has graciously agreed to speak at our Annual Meeting this coming Saint Patrick’s day.  Dr. Ashbolt is one of the most forward thinking experts in waste-water of our time.  Dr. Ashbolt would most likely object to our using “waste” in front of water because, as he says, there is no “waste”.  There are only poorly used natural resources that society must harness.  “It’s all about money, residuals and resource recovery.”  That’s why we invited him to speak.

To put this in context, Westport recently received the Massachusetts Estuary Program (MEP) report from the SMast program at UMass, Dartmouth.  The MEP is our blueprint for cleaning up our waters, preventing further degradation and restoring them to their former health and vitality.  There are old, expensive ways and there are simpler, inexpensive ways to do this.  Dr. Ashbolt will talk about these simpler methods and why we should use them for the good of ourselves, our children and the planet.

Dr Ashbolt has stated that water conservation measures could ‘easily’ reduce household demand in developed countries by 70 per cent.  He cited examples of water-saving devices included dry composting toilets with urine-diversion systems for capture of fertilizer nutrients and compost garden mulch and diverted yellow-water from communities providing nutrients for local agriculture. Alternatively, toilet and food residuals could be transported via a vacuum/pressure (blackwater-only) sewer, maximizing energy recovery potential via anaerobic digestion (to methane then electricity) with residuals providing a rich fertilizer.  ‘These techniques can be used safely, even in fairly dense urban settings,’ said Dr. Ashbolt. Nicholas J. Ashbolt, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Microbiologist at the National Exposure Research Laboratory for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Cost: $8 members/ $10 nonmembers
Time: 10AM to 11AM
Dates:   Tuesdays (at Cherry and Webb Beach)-       7/3        8/14        8/21
Thursdays (at Gooseberry Island) -             7/5        8/16       8/23

Discover the wildlife in our coastal waters in this hands-on, science day program. We’ll use a seine net to catch critters, complete scavenger hunts, hike through the dunes, play some nature games on the beach, and create crafts from natural objects.

Cost: $160 members/$200 nonmembers
Time: Monday through Friday 9am to 1pm
Dates:             7/9 – 7/13                 7/30 - 8/3

Head out on WRWA’s Skiff Water watcher to explore the Westport River by boat. We will tow a plankton net, pull up crab pots and observe osprey nests. Participant will also have the chance to look inside a skate to find out how they survive this marine habitat.

Cost: $180members and $220nonmembers
Time: Monday through Friday 9am to 1pm
Dates:             7/16 – 7/20              8/6 – 8/10

Your child will explore the Westport River watershed and beyond in this program specially designed for the young outdoor enthusiasts. Through hikes on land and kayaking on the water, we will see many sections of our local rivers. We will spend 3 days kayaking with Osprey Sea Kayak Adventures.

Cost: $360 members and $400 nonmembers
Time:  Monday through Thursday 9am-2pm , Friday 9am-3pm
Date:                     7/23 – 7/27

• promote the environmental integrity of the watershed and its coastal environs.
• to advocate the wise use and preservation of natural resources in the watershed for the aesthetic, recreational, and economic benefit of the citizens of the area.
• to educate the general public about the interrelationship of our waters, soils, plants, animals, and people.