Explore Mastuxet Brook, a tributary of a Wild and Scenic River, with podcast host Hugh Markey and Lauren Bonatakis, the Wood Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers National Park Service Representative, as they search for dragonfly nymphs. Lauren shares her expertise in stream ecology and explains why monitoring our streams for water quantity and quality is so important.

In this episode, we discover the incredible “superpower” of dragonfly nymphs, their ability to help detect mercury in our waterways. This is the first year that the Stewardship Council has collected dragonfly nymphs for sampling and contributing to the Dragonfly Mercury Project. To learn more about the project, download data, and the site map, visit the link below:

(https://geonarrative.usgs.gov/dmpdatadashboard/)

This podcast is brought to you by the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council, and is hosted by Casey Merkle and Hugh Markey.

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Join Hugh Markey and Marc Doherty for a walking tour through the Champlin Farm Preserve with Dr. Thomas Boving, a hydrogeologist and professor at the University of Rhode Island. As we explore the landscape, Dr. Boving uncovers how glaciers, fault lines, and flowing water have shaped the land over millennia. From bedrock to boulders, we learn how geology and hydrology reveal the power of our rivers.
Dr. Boving is a professor in URI’s Department of Geosciences and an expert in groundwater protection, contaminant transport, and sustainable water management.

To learn more about Champlin Farm Preserve or plan your visit, go to westerlylandtrust.org.

This podcast is brought to you by the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council, and is hosted by Casey Merkle and Hugh Markey.

Follow us on:

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/WPWildScenic/⁠

Instagram: ⁠@wpwild_scenic_rivers⁠

You Tube: ⁠@Wood-PawcatuckWildandScenicRiv

Listen in as Vilma Gregoropoulos, landscape expert and historian with the North Stonington Historical Society, guides us through the story of water power, industry, and mill town life. Together, we explore how the Shunock River and its tributaries powered the mills that built North Stonington. Throughout the episode, Vilma weaves in local lore, bringing the past to life through rich detail and expert insight.

This podcast is brought to you by the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council, and is hosted by Casey Merkle and Hugh Markey.

Follow us on:

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/WPWildScenic/⁠

Instagram: ⁠@wpwild_scenic_rivers⁠

You Tube: ⁠@Wood-PawcatuckWildandScenicRiv

In this episode, Hugh Markey and Casey Merkle wade into the world of waterfowl monitoring with experts from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM). Jenny Kilburn, Principal Wildlife Biologist, explains how annual waterfowl counts help track species trends, inform conservation efforts, and guide regulations.

Whether you’re a birdwatcher, hunter, or conservationist, this episode provides valuable insights into how RI DEM works to protect waterfowl and their critical habitats across our Wild and Scenic Rivers watershed (and beyond).

Looking to volunteer with RI DEM as a wildlife monitor? Visit https://dem.ri.gov/node/19801 or contact Wildlife Outreach Coordinator Jennifer Brooks at dem.dfwvolunteer@dem.ri.gov.

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You Tube: ⁠@Wood-PawcatuckWildandScenicRiv

Join us in a late summer mini BioBlitz with the Westerly Land Trust! How many organisms can be found in just four hours of exploring?
Hugh Markey joined Marc Doherty, Land Stewardship Manager at the Westerly Land Trust, for a Mini BioBlitz at Avondale Preserve in Westerly, RI! From chatting with participants to going behind-the-scenes, Hugh got a firsthand look at the excitement and passion for biodiversity and exploration.
Curious about what they discovered? Check out the finds on WLT's page on iNaturalist, Avondale Mini BioBlitz 2024.

This podcast is brought to you by the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council, and is hosted by Casey Merkle and Hugh Markey.

Follow us on:

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/WPWildScenic/

⁠Instagram: ⁠@wpwild_scenic_rivers⁠

You Tube: ⁠@Wood-PawcatuckWildandScenicRiv

Come along on a virtual bat visit at Carolina Trout Hatchery in Richmond, Rhode Island. RI DEM bat biologist Jennifer Brooks and I talk about fascinating topics like where bats go in the winter, what they eat, and how Jen and her crew trap and tag bats so scientists can learn more about these mysterious little critters.
Photo: Little Brown Bat by Bat Conservation International.

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Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/WPWildScenic/

⁠Instagram: ⁠@wpwild_scenic_rivers⁠

You Tube: ⁠@Wood-PawcatuckWildandScenicRiv

This podcast is brought to you by the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council, and is hosted by Casey Merkle and Hugh Markey.

Join Casey Merkle and Hugh Markey as they follow odonate experts Ginger Brown and Nina Briggs on a dragonfly safari in the Great Swamp Management Area!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council, and is hosted by Casey Merkle and Hugh Markey.
Follow us on:

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/WPWildScenic/
Instagram: @wpwild_scenic_rivers
You Tube: @Wood-PawcatuckWildandScenicRiv

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"Good fences make good neighbors." So wrote Robert Frost in his poem, "The Mending Wall."
But what happens to those good fences when the neighbors have departed, either literally or metaphorically?
In this episode, Elliot Vosburg talks about his Master's project from the University of Rhode Island. Vosburg used LiDAR, combined with other technology and old-fashioned research, to map hundreds of miles of stone walls. Hear about what he learned and what he sees as the historical information that can be gleaned by locating them.
See his Power Point Slides
Episode Artwork: Stone wall at Winnapaug Farm Preserve. Courtesy of Westerly Land Trust.

This podcast is brought to you by the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Council, and is hosted by Casey Merkle and Hugh Markey.