News – Page 51 – Narrabay

NARRAGANSETT BAY COMMISSION NAMES PAWTUCKET’S HEON “ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR”

The Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) has selected Kimberly Heon, a second-grade teacher at Agnes Little Elementary School, as its 2020-2021 NBC Watershed Explorer Environmental Educator of the Year. The NBC’s Watershed Explorers program provides hands-on water quality education to students in grades 2-5 and has won numerous national awards for excellence.

Heon, a thirty-year veteran of the Pawtucket system, has participated in the NBC’s Watershed Explorer program for over fifteen years, engaging her students in hands-on water quality science and weaving important environmental lessons into other parts of her curriculum to reinforce her students’ knowledge of key environmental science concepts.

NBC Environmental Education Coordinator Cynthia Morissette presented Heon with inaugural award during Teacher Appreciation Week. “I am extremely proud to present the first NBC Watershed Explorer Educator of the Year Award to Mrs. Heon,” Morissette said. “She is an exceptional educator who works tirelessly to create the most comprehensive educational experiences for her students. Her compassion and dedication, ensuring that all students love learning is what makes her so special.”

Over the last year, even with all the difficulties and challenges of distance learning, Heon continued to support the Watershed Explorer Program. Her students’ involvement with NBC remained strong through virtual lessons, conducting water testing, building models of a watershed, learning about macroinvertebrates, and creating informational posters about a variety of water-dependent critters.

“I am a proud graduate of Pawtucket Schools- attending Baldwin Elementary, Slater Junior High School and Shea Senior High School,” remarked Heon. The University of Rhode Island graduate says her favorite subject to teach is Science, and over the past year she and her students have virtually followed the progress of a Robin family, from nest-making to fledgling and completed a virtual dissection of owl pellets in conjunction with the Audubon Society.

“Mrs. Heon is a shining example of what every educator should strive to be,” said Morissette as she delivered the award.

Week of August 28 – September 3, 2022

The boat crew conducted benthic video surveys along the Bullock Reach, Edgewood, and Sabin transects on September 1, 2022. Scale lasers were used in the footage, separated by 29 cm. Visibility through the water column was poor this week at all transects making fine observations difficult. The bottom of all sites was characterized by sands and muds. Sabin hosted dense patches of shell hash and rubble, as well as occasional boulders and cobbles. Bullock Reach and Edgewood both had sporadic patches of shell hash and rubble (more so at Edgewood). Algal coverage was limited this week. Sabin featured large mats of branching red algae (dominant, Ulva, and red sheet-like algae. General biotic activity was high at all sites as noted by extensive tracks and trails. Rare benthic video sights included many small schools of juvenile black sea bass (all sites), mantis shrimp Squilla (Bullock Reach and Edgewood), and flat fish (Edgewood). Infaunal activity was moderate; large burrows, likely from Squilla, and many small burrows were present. Common observations were spider crabs (Bullock Reach), boring sponges (all sites), hermit crabs (Sabin), and large colonies of mermaid’s glove sponges (photo below) and red bearded sponges (Sabin). Amphipod tube mats were not observed.

Please note: this blog publication has been post-dated to retain chronological order as a backlog of video footage is reviewed.

Week of June 12 – 18, 2022

The boat crew conducted a benthic video survey along Bullock Reach, Edgewood, and Sabin transects on June 14, 2022. Scale lasers were used in the footage, separated by 29 cm. Visibility through the water column varied at each site from poor to fair. The bottom of all sites was characterized by sands and muds, with a few boulders and cobbles. Dense patches of shell hash and rubble were also observed frequently at Bullock Reach and Sabin. Algal coverage was diverse this week. Sabin experienced particularly dense coverage by Ulva, red sheet-like algae, and branching algae. Bullock Reach was dominated by sparse filamentous algae, while Edgewood was also dominated by Ulva and branching species. Infaunal activity was moderate (higher activity at Edgewood); large burrows, likely from mantis shrimp (Squilla), and some small burrows were present. Assemblages of small tube-building fauna were also common at all sites but more frequent at Edgewood. General biotic activity was moderate as noted by frequent tracks and trails (especially at Edgewood and Bullock Reach). Rare benthic video sights included horseshoe crabs spotted at Sabin and Edgewood, as well as moon snail eggs at Sabin, and a winter flounder at Bullock Reach. Common observations consisted of Nassariid mudsnails (Bullock Reach), slipper snail Crepidula (all sites), spider crabs (all sites, photo below), hermit crabs (all sites), boring sponges (all sites), channeled whelk (Bullock Reach and Sabin), soft-shell clam mya (Bullock Reach and Edgewood), blue crab (Edgewood), and egg masses produced by the lugworm Arenicola (all sites). Edgewood had what appeared to be amphipod tubes, though not at mat-like densities.

Please note: this blog publication has been post-dated to retain chronological order as a backlog of video footage is reviewed.

Week of May 22 – 28, 2022

The boat crew conducted benthic video surveys along the Bullock Reach and Edgewood transects on May 26^th. Scale lasers were used in the footage, separated by 29 cm. Visibility through the water column ranged from poor to good.

Both transects were characterized by extensive mud flats, with Bullock Reach also having sparse to dense shell rubble and sporadic boulders. Algal coverage ranged from sparse to dense, Edgewood being categorized by filamentous algae, and Bullock dominated by rafting Ulva; sparse to dense areas of diatom felt were also present. Edgewood’s central observations were large assemblages of egg masses produced by the lugworm Arenicola. Bullock Reach exhibited high biodiversity, featuring rare observations of striped bass, sea robins (photo below), small fish, Arenicola egg masses, and a horseshoe crab. Both transects demonstrated high infaunal activity; large, freshly excavated burrows (most likely mantis shrimp, Squilla) as well as smaller burrows, tubes, and fecal mounds were frequent sights. Additionally, both sites housed sponges, whelks, and boring sponges. Amphipod tube mats were not observed.

Please note: this blog publication has been post-dated to retain chronological order as a backlog of video footage is reviewed.

Week of April 10 – 16, 2022

The boat crew conducted a benthic video survey along the Edgewood transect on April 13^th. Scale lasers were used in the footage, separated by 29 cm. Visibility through the water column was poor. The bottom was characterized by sands and muds, with a few boulders and cobbles observed sporadically. Algal coverage ranged from sparse to dense, composed of Ulva as well as other filamentous and branching algae; sparse to dense areas of diatom felt were also present. Rare benthic video sights included a whelk trap, mantis shrimp Squilla (photo below), a horseshoe crab, and two moon jellies swimming among a swarm of ctenophores. Infaunal activity was high; large burrows, likely from Squilla, and many small burrows and associated fecal mounds were present. Common observations include channeled whelks, parchment tubes, Nassariid mudsnails, hermit crabs, sponges, boring sponges, small fish, and shrimp. Amphipod tube mats were not observed.

Please note: this blog publication has been post-dated to retain chronological order as a backlog of video footage is reviewed.

Another R/V Monitor post

On Wednesday, July 7th, the crew of the R/V Monitor was out on the upper Bay collecting bacteria samples, taking Secchi Disk water clarity measurements, and conducting water column profiles using the Seabird instrument, all in an effort to document water quality improvements associated with NBC construction projects. Real-time surface mapping of water quality parameters and Par sensor water clarity measurements were not collected this day due to a computer malfunction. Jeff captained the boat while monitoring professionals Gerard, Justin, and Steve collected the samples and data. It was a warm, humid and partly sunny day. There was no breeze early on, but one picked up as the day progressed. The featured photo is of some swans enjoying the fine summer weather.

R/V Monitor on the Upper Bay

Bullock Reach, Week of June 27-July 3 2021

Sondes at Bullock Reach were changed out for routine maintenance in the morning on June 29^th. As noted last week, the bottom sonde deployed June 15-29, 2021 did not record data, so the summary below includes bottom data only from the partial week. Water quality at Bullock Reach was good-to-fair this week. Salinity at the surface averaged 24.2 ppt and ranged from 19.5 ppt to 27.7 ppt. Salinity at the mid depth averaged 27.4 ppt and ranged from 22.1 ppt to 30.8 ppt. Salinity in bottom waters averaged 30.3 ppt and ranged from 28.3 ppt to 31.8 ppt. Temperatures averaged 24.3°C, 23.0°C, and 20.0°C at the surface, mid, and bottom, respectively. Surface temperatures ranged from 20.0°C to 27.8°C, mid temperatures ranged from 19.7°C to 25.8°C, and bottom temperatures ranged 18.4°C to 21.9°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) data this week should be interpreted with caution due to a calibration issue with the sondes retrieved June 29^th that resulted in the data biasing high. These data will be reviewed in detail at the end of the season and adjusted as necessary by the Narragansett Bay Fixed Site Monitoring Network. This week surface DO averaged 8.4 mg/L, while mid DO averaged 6.4 mg/L, and bottom DO averaged 4.4 mg/L. The minimum DO was recorded at the mid-depth as 2.9 mg/L on July 3^rd. Chlorophyll concentrations remained slightly elevated, averaging 11.4 ug/L at the surface, 10.1 ug/L in mid-depth waters, and 4.1 ug/L at the bottom. The maximum water column chlorophyll concentration was 50.4 ug/L, measured in bottom waters on June 30^th.

Phillipsdale Landing, Week of June 27-July 3 2021

Water quality at Phillipsdale was fair-to-poor this week. Moderate rainfall of 0.56 inches was recorded at TF Green on July 1^st, and sporadic pop-up showers throughout the watershed also occurred. Blackstone River flows remained elevated over historical median levels. Salinity at the surface averaged 11.3 ppt and ranged from 2.2 ppt to 18.5 ppt, while bottom salinity averaged 19.1 ppt and ranged from 2.5 ppt to 28.6 ppt. Surface water temperatures warmed compared to the previous week, averaging 24.6°C and ranging from 19.9°C to 30.2°C. Bottom water temperatures also warmed, averaging 23.0°C and ranging from 19.5°C to 25.4°C.

Surface DO averaged 7.9 mg/L, with a minimum of 3.6 mg/L, while bottom DO averaged 4.0 mg/L, with a minimum of 1.0 mg/L. Intermittent hypoxic conditions (DO <2.9 mg/L) were observed in bottom waters during the latter half of the week, with a maximum duration of 8 hours, occurring overnight from July 1^stto 2^nd. Surface chlorophyll concentrations were elevated, averaging 39.0 ug/L with a maximum result of 125.1 ug/L on June 29^th. Bottom chlorophyll averaged 30.8 ug/L with an isolated spike in the data most likely due to particulate or macroalgae interference. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flow greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen at this location.

View Post

NARRAGANSETT BAY COMMISSION ELECTS MESOLELLA FOR 30TH TERM AS CHAIRMAN

At the April 2021 meeting of the Narragansett Bay Commission, the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to reaffirm its current slate of officers: Chairman Vincent Mesolella, Vice Chairman Angelo Rotella, and Treasurer Robert Andrade. 2021 marks Mesolella’s thirtieth year at the helm of the internationally-recognized clean water agency.

“The accomplishments of the Narragansett Bay Commission and this Board is an extreme source of pride for me, as I know it is for all of us,” Mesolella said upon the vote. “I thank you, for the thirtieth time, for the confidence you have bestowed upon me. Together, this Board and this Commission has made Rhode Island a better place and we will continue on that mission.”

Under Mesolella’s leadership, the NBC has been named twice a Utility of the Future and received numerous national and regional awards for operational, managerial, and fiscal excellence as well as for community engagement and environmental education. The NBC has established itself as a leader in renewable energy, with approximately 80% of its annual energy needs met by NBC-owned renewable sources, such as wind, solar, and biogas. In the 1990s, as Mesolella assumed the Chairmanship, the NBC embarked on a comprehensive three-phase plan to deal with Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), which has resulted in significant improvements in water quality in Narragansett Bay and great enhancements in both bathing beaches and the shellfishing industry. The final phase of the CSO project starts construction in 2021.