Late August, early September, last chance to savor the fruits of summer one more time before diving into autumn.
“No Mow” A few people have puzzled over three-foot-high stakes in the grassy areas by York Pond, and at Irving and Loring avenues, which say: “No Mow: Ecology Study.” In partnership with the Providence Parks Department, the Blackstone Parks Conservancy (BPC) is experimenting with a way to protect the vulnerable edges of the woods in the Conservation District. In past years, stripping mulch from the soil at the edges with leaf blowers and mowing the already sparse grass close to the ground has opened them to a number of troublesome invasive plant species capable of eventually taking over the woodland. Bare soil also encourages erosion.
A model for the “no-mow” approach is Parkside in the center section, where not mowing the past three years has been highly successful. Sedge and other grasses as well as flowering “weeds” have seeded in so well that the once significant erosion down toward Angell Avenue has effectively ended.
Behind the Scenes Two BPC volunteers, Carrie Drake and Elena Riverstone, became recertified by the University of Rhode Island (URI) this summer as managers of invasive plant removal. With members of the Park Committee and the help of the Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Coastal Resource Management Council, they are planning a frontal assault on particularly intense concentrations of three invaders in the north section: Japanese knotweed, green briar, and Asiatic bittersweet. Known as the “snarls,” several patches entwine well up into the trees behind and are capable of eventually killing them.
Stormwater Management Rresearch in Blackstone field opposite the Narragansett Boat Club (NBC). For a brief time in late summer or early fall, an engineering firm hired by NBC will be boring some holes in the field to assess drainage capacity. Signs will be posted as needed.
Blowing Our Horn. Recently a stranger from New Bedford approached a rower at NBC to ask about the boat club. In the course of conversation he told the rower that he used to work as a driver for Lincoln School and in his free time he would walk in the woods of the Blackstone Park Conservation District. “Have you seen what they done!?” he asked. “It’s really great now! Did you see it before?”
Jane Peterson
