- If you care about the Blackstone Parks and you haven’t already done so, look at our website: blackstoneparksconservancy.org.
- If you walk, run, or drive by the Blackstone Boulevard Park and the Blackstone Park Conservation District by the Seekonk River– and you like what you see–consider joining the Blackstone Parks Conservancy (BPC).
- These heavily used parks don’t look as lovely as they do by magic—they are maintained by the Conservancy in partnership with the Providence Parks and Recreation Department.
- If you enjoy the Blackstone Parks, send us your observations, suggestions, complaints, whatever.
- We can’t always do what people want, but we do take note and, if necessary, we follow through with the Parks Department.
For example, we can’t get rid of all the poison ivy in the woods as one member requested (in the Conservation District, only minimal interventions are allowed). But as soon as the resources become available, we plan to remove poison ivy from the edges of the trails where people are most likely to come in contact with it.
- If you want the Blackstone Parks to stay as they are or to become even better, get involved – volunteer for a committee or the Board. Volunteers are essential to our work.
- The committees are the engines of the Conservancy, where the work gets organized and done. The Board meets once a month for an hour (a limit strictly observed) to review finances and discuss major questions that come up.
- Pick an activity that you enjoy. Come observe a meeting to see if it aligns with your interests.
- The Boulevard Committee has accomplished much in recent years: raising money for new roofs for the Trolley Shelter and small shelter, for summer concerts, and for the first major pruning of park trees in decades. It helped create the gardens, in the north and south, at the Witherby Statue, and at the Trolley Shelter and maintains them. Ongoing maintenance is essential to keep the Boulevard looking good. Current goal: to see the path repaired.
- The Park Committee helps manage the Blackstone Park Conservation District. It plans and organizes improvements based on the best scientific advice available. The University of Rhode Island is one of many sources of useful information. The recent trail upgrade project with installation of native plants and the new signs resulted from considerable study and consultation with experts.
- The Education Committee brings families with children into the Park for education and entertainment. In two years it has delighted many children and adults with numerous programs, ranging from building fairy houses, bird banding, and the Not so Spooky Trail Walk at Halloween to a jazz concert.
- If you care about the Blackstone parks and you can’t volunteer, tell a friend what the BPC is doing. The ranks of volunteers are thin these days but are needed more than ever as funding for city services declines.
- If you care about the environment, join the BPC. We collaborate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Save the Bay, the Green Infrastructure Coalition, and other environmental groups. We also work with—and benefit greatly from–the Partnership for Providence Parks.
Jane Peterson
