Woonsocket, RI (April 21, 2016) – Blackstone Heritage Corridor, Inc. (BHC) has continued its 30-year commitment to tourism in the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor by awarding $20,000 grants awarded to both the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center in Pawtucket, RI, and the Rhode Island Historical Society which operates a visitor center at the Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket, RI.
Strategically positioned across the street from the Slater Mill Historic Site, the Pawtucket visitor center serves more than 65,000 annually who come to the city to learn about the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. It features a hands-on relief map of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, two art galleries and a state-of-the-art theater which shows “Hidden in the Blackstone,” an award-winning film depicting the rise and evolution of American industrialization. The Center also runs a gift shop featuring food and gift items from a variety of local artists.

“The support from Blackstone Heritage Corridor is critical,” explained Barney S. Heath, Director, Department of Planning & Redevelopment for the City of Pawtucket. “It allows the Visitor Center to function seven days a week and service visitors who have come to learn about the Blackstone Valley. With the advent of the new National Park, a buzz is in the air and being able to sustain the Visitor Center has never been more important.”

Visitors to the National Heritage Corridor also benefit from the rich learning experience at the Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket, RI. The Museum shares the stories of the men, women, and children who came to find a better life in Rhode Island’s mill towns in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The two-story museum, conveniently located on Main Street and adjacent to the Blackstone River, features replicas of a Quebec farm house, a mill floor with looms, a triple decker mill house and a 1929 classroom.
“The Blackstone Heritage Corridor partnership program grant made it possible for the Museum of Work & Culture to complete the conceptual design phase for a new permanent, interactive, digital exhibit called The Mills of Woonsocket,” explained Anne Conway, director of the Museum of Work & Culture. “The funds allowed us to engage the expertise of an exhibit design firm who worked with the Museum to develop the exhibit’s approach and produced interface layouts, exhibit sketches, and a sample animation and promotion video.”

“We are pleased to continue investing resources into these important tourist destinations,” explained Charlene Perkins Cutler, executive director of BHC. “Pawtucket and Woonsocket are two important stops along the 48-mile Blackstone River where visitors learn about the rich history of the National Heritage Corridor. The sites in Pawtucket and Woonsocket take on added significance as they host new visitors drawn by the new Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park.”

About Blackstone Heritage Corridor, Inc.:
An energetic nonprofit, the Blackstone Heritage Corridor, Inc. partners with organizations, local communities, businesses and residents to ensure the long term vitality of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. Learn more at BlackstoneHeritageCorridor.org.

WOONSOCKET (April 11, 2016) – With the arrival of spring in the National Heritage Corridor comes a multitude of migrating birds, and to celebrate, Blackstone Heritage Corridor, Inc. (BHC) is presenting a new program for bird enthusiasts, “Birding on the Blackstone.”

Beginning Sunday, April 24, Rosanne Sherry, a member of BHC’s Volunteers-in-Parks Program, will lead casual walks throughout the Blackstone River on the Blackstone River Bikeway to search for returning migrant birds. Rosanne will lead hour-long walks on Sunday and Thursday mornings at 8:00 a.m. as follows: April 24 and 28, May 19, 22, 26 and 29, and June 2 and 5. The walks will depart from the Captain Wilbur Kelly House in Lincoln, RI.

BHC’s Volunteer Coordinator, Suzanne Buchanan, is especially pleased with this new program. “Roseanne recently reached out to us about our Volunteers-in-Parks Program and had some great experiences to share,” she explained. “It turns out, Roseanne is a lifelong birdwatcher and naturalist and her horticultural career has spanned three decades in Rhode Island. Over that time, she has worked in garden centers, written for local newspapers and magazines and appeared on radio and television as a horticultural educator. She is also the former Cooperative Extension Rhode Island State Master Gardener Coordinator. She is a long time member of RI Audubon and founding member of the Ocean State Bird Club.”

“Some birds we are likely to see include the Eastern Phoebe, Red Wing Blackbird, Downy Woodpecker, Red Bellied Woodpecker, Chipping Sparrow and Song Sparrow,” Roseanne shared. “The Eastern Phoebes like to nest under the footbridge.”

The first event on April 24 will also mark the end of National Parks Week, so it is appropriately taking place in one of the nodes of the new Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park.

“The event is also a great opportunity for photographers,” notes Charlene Perkins Cutler, BHC’s Executive Director. “Over the years, we have received many submissions of stunning bird photos taken in the National Heritage Corridor for our calendar photo contest. Now they can also be submitted for our Photo of the Week contest on our website.” Cutler also noted that she has used bird photos submitted by Merrilyn Parry of Providence for several of BHC’s marketing materials including BHC’s 2015 annual report. “We regularly search through those precious photo submissions given to us by local photographers. For the ‘Birding on the Blackstone’ event flyer, we featured a picture from Allan J. Siuzdak of Cumberland.”

To register for one of the Birding on the Blackstone walks, send an email to BlackstoneBirds@gmail.com or call 401-765-2211. A complimentary Blackstone Valley Adventure Pack will be given to those who register. Participants must be 14 years of age or older and are encouraged to bring binoculars and field guides. The walk will be cancelled if it is raining at the time of the walk. To learn about the Volunteers-in-Program and other BHC events, visit BlackstoneHeritageCorridor.org.

About Blackstone Heritage Corridor, Inc.:
An energetic nonprofit, the Blackstone Heritage Corridor, Inc. partners with organizations, local communities, businesses and residents to ensure the long term vitality of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. Learn more at BlackstoneHeritageCorridor.org.