The Scoop
rhody pets | calendar | the public’s radio | so & so | rhody gem
The Gilbert Stuart Museum is the site of the herring run getting an update
SPRING FORWARD Nature Conservancy and DEM project keeps thousands of fish from taking a wrong turn at Gilbert Stuart Museum The Nature Conservancy (TNC) recently teamed up with the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and other partners on a project to strengthen the herring run at the Gilbert Stuart Museum in North Kingstown. The goal is to prevent returning river herring from making a wrong turn and getting stranded in the mill race out in front of the museum. The Gilbert Stuart Brook, which runs alongside the Gilbert Stuart Museum, serves as a key passageway for migrating river herring traveling upstream to spawn in Carr Pond. In spring, however, elevated water levels result in river herring taking a wrong turn toward a mid-1700s mill race canal – ultimately getting trapped at the base of the Gilbert Stuart dam. For many years, the DEM relied on temporary plastic fencing to help mitigate this issue, until recently teaming up with TNC to find a more effective solution, a wood and fiberglass structure called a picket weir. Photos courtesy of Tim Mooney/The Nature Conservancy SORhodeIsland.com • March 2022
7
