Plan Your Event For The 7 Rivers Festival

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When: June 25 and 26, 2022
Why: Celebrating the Wild and Scenic Status of the Wood-Pawcatuck Waterways
Where: The Wild and Scenic Pawcatuck, Wood, Beaver, Green Fall-Ashaway, Chipuxet, Queen-Usquepaugh and Shunock Rivers in the towns of Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, North Kingstown, Richmond, South Kingstown, West Greenwich and Westerly, RI and North Stonington, Stonington, Sterling and Voluntown, CT.

The Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council (Stewardship Council) presents the 1st annual 7 Rivers Festival during National Rivers Month.

“All community members and organizations are encouraged to plan free events – whether family friendly, recreational or restorative. Events can range from ecological, educational, cultural, musical, historical or artistic activities to hiking, cycling, canoe and kayak outings or even picnics and social gatherings,” states Kassi Donnelly, Coordinator of the Stewardship Council. “Whether on a river bank, the water or in your community, your events will highlight special rivers in your 12 towns.”

The Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association (WPWA) will serve as headquarters for the 7 Rivers Festival coordinating support of a wide range of community events within the twelve towns and 7 rivers.

Early event commitments include programs or activities by:

  • The Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association,
  • The Rhode Island Canoe and Kayak Association and Southern New England Paddlers,
  • Audubon Society of RI,
  • RI Department of Environmental Management,
  • Avalonia Land Conservancy,
  • South Kingstown Land Trust,
  • Westerly Land Trust,
  • The Mushroom Hunting Foundation,
  • Milltown Arts Association,
  • Public libraries in Exeter, Charlestown and West Greenwich, RI and Stonington, CT.

To plan or schedule an event to celebrate our Wild and Scenic Rivers, call 401-539-9017 or email wildevents@wpwa.org

In March 2019, after thousands of hours of community effort, spanning 10 years and led by the WPWA, Rhode Island and Connecticut residents received word that their waterways within the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed received a National Wild and Scenic designation by the Federal Government. This special care and protection status is held by less than 1% of the 3.6 million miles of waterways in the United States.

For more information on the 7 Rivers Festival go to https://wpwildrivers.org/7-rivers-festival/

The Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic River Stewardship Council was established in early 2019 with representatives from the twelve towns in the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed along with environmental state agencies and non-profit conservation organizations. The Council’s mission is to help preserve, protect and enhance the special environmental, cultural and recreational values of the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed and its Wild and Scenic Rivers and tributaries in Rhode Island and Connecticut for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.

The Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers program employs a collaborative model to manage federally protected rivers. These rivers are managed through long-term partnerships between the National Park Service and local, regional, and state stakeholders. This locally-driven, collaborative planning and management approach to river conservation is an effective alternative to direct federal management and administration.