Kayak Tour with the Tomaquag Museum

203B Arcadia Road,Hopkinton RI 02832

11 May, 2022

Description

Traditional Ecological Knowledge Tour by Lorén Spears, Director of Tomaquag Museum on the Wild and Scenic Wood River. Kayaks included! Lorén Spears is the Executive Director of Tomaquag Museum. Lorén aspires to empower Native youth and to educate the public on Native history, culture, environment and the arts. Lorén shares her cultural knowledge and traditional arts learned through her family. Explore indigenous plants and discover their uses in the traditional life ways of the Narragansett People. This is an easy, up and back paddle on a wide river. Kayaks can requested upon reservation. Kayak Guides will be present for safety and to provide paddling tips. Group will paddle from WPWA Headquarters at Barberville Dam on the Wood River up to Frying Pan Pond to see an open marsh, which is prime habitat for many wildlife and plant species. The upper Wood River is an exceptional river ecosystem which supports the highest biodiversity of any river in New England. From the headwaters in Sterling CT to Frying Pan Pond in Richmond and Hopkinton RI, over 94% of the immediate land use surrounding the river is undeveloped and primarily forested. The river in the upper section (above Barberville Dam) runs through several thousands of acres of protected properties, including Arcadia and Wickaboxet State Management Areas, TNC’s Tillinghast Pond Management Area, URI’s Alton Jones Campus in RI, and the Pachaug State Forest in CT. Wednesday, May 11th, 3:30-6pm Rain Date: Friday, May 13th, 3:30-6pm Skill level required: Beginner. Life jacket and shoes required. Paddle up and back from the same parking and launching location. 3 miles round trip. Bring your own boat, or reserve a kayak, canoe or two person kayak for free during registration, paddle and life jacket included. Waiver included in registration. Registration is required, space is limited for this free event. This event is part of a series hosted by the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council to promote the outstandingly remarkable values for which the watershed earned its prestigious national Wild and Scenic Rivers designation. Pictured above is Lorén Spears, Director of the Tomaquag Museum. Below is a photograph from a recent tour led by The Stewardship Council.