Fish have once again become a common sight in the tidal portions of the Woonasquatucket. The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council is working with NRCS and other partners to provide fish passage at the first five dams on the Woonasquatucket to allow fish such as shad and herring, which migrate from salt water to fresh to spawn, and eels, which migrate from fresh to salt to spawn, to move up and down the lower river. The fish ladder at the first dam, at Rising Sun Mill is complete (see photo at right) and we are moving forward on the other dams. The next dam, known as Paragon Dam, is slated for removal next summer.

Construction is underway on the fish ladder at Riverside Mills Park (Atlantic Mills Dam). This is the next dam up river from the dam that is slated for removal. Below are pictures of this fish ladder under construction. The first picture is an overview looking up river, with the existing dam on the left. The second is a detail showing the fishes' downstream entrance to the ladder. The third shows the temporary dam built to hold back the river above the Atlantic Mills Dam while the ladder is being built. All three pictures are by Dick Quinn of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

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A collaboration of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) and the University of Rhode Island Department of Natural Resources Science began in the summer of 1999 to identify and prioritize wetland sites for future restoration. This project is funded by the EPA and has two phases.

Phase I:

Phase II:

• Identification of sites in the entire watershed
• Prioritization of identified sites
• Feasibility studies at selected high-priority sites
• Feasibility study (ecological, economic, administrative)
  • e.g. cost estimates, logistical concerns
• Development of a Freshwater Wetland Restoration Plan for the entire watershed
  • Including site recommendations, potential funding sources, etc.
• Creation of a web site that focuses of freshwater wetland restoration in Rhode Island
• Collaboration with watershed residents, wetland restoration stakeholders, and other restoration programs throughout the project

A grant from the U.S. Forest Service and collaboration with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) made it possible for the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council to hire a consulting firm, Kleinschmidt Associates, to:

• Identify potential riparian sites along the river
• Inventory and prioritize riparian restoration opportunities
• Select appropriate demonstration site
• Implement demonstration site restoration

The results of this project are available on the RI DEM website. The Watershed Council is using the results of this report to select riparian buffer sites for restoration projects.