Blackstone River Valley

A National Park for the Blackstone Valley

The National Park Service has determined that the resources and stories of the Blackstone Valley are so important that a National Park should be established here.

Legislation Introduced

Legislation that adopts this recommendation was introduced in Congress in 2011 and reintroduced in 2013 by Senator Reed in the Senate and Congressman Cicilline in the House, co-sponsored by their colleagues from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The bill was recently reported out of the Senate Energy and Environment Committee, following a favorable hearing before a subcommittee, where the NPS testified in favor. Members of the House delegation have asked for a similarly expedited hearing in their Chamber.

"As the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, this area is a national treasure and includes thousands of acres of beautiful, undeveloped land and waterways that are home to diverse wildlife. Turning this area into a national historical park is a smart way to preserve our nation’s history and invest in Rhode Island’s future. Designating this multisite area as a national historical park has important economic, environmental, historical, cultural,  and educational benefits for Rhode Island and the region."

— U.S. Senator Jack Reed

Why the National Park Service supports the park proposal:

“We want the most important sites. You have the most important site, in terms of the creation of the Industrial Revolution, in the country."

— Jonathan B. Jarvis, Director the National Park Service

 Read more: Creating America's Next National Park in the Blackstone Corridor (PDF)

 

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell Gives Words Of Support For A New National Park

During a visit to the Blackstone Valley in May 2013, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said, “Tourism and outdoor recreation are huge economic engines for local communities across the nation. The Blackstone River Valley is a great confluence of history, culture and opportunities for outdoor activities."

Her invitation to the paddle the Blackstone River was helping her to understand the work that went into making such access possible, the secretary offered.

“I am here on a river in an urban area that I know has been cleaned up by a lot of people's hard work, and it really takes a community connection to do that,” Jewell said. “I think that taking and improving a river like this is a joint effort,” she said. “It’s about the community caring about it, and it’s about the community coming out to do volunteer work,” she said.

The Secretary said there will never be enough funding to go around for such improvements, “certainly not at the federal government level and that's true at the state and local levels.

“But, when you think about a river like this, it is in people's backyards and when you introduce them to it they recognize it is their river and then they are committed to taking care of it,” she said. “So I think it is everyone's responsibility to take care of it, I think there is a little bit the federal government and the state of Rhode Island can do to help, but really it is the citizens that are going to make the difference,” Jewell said.

 Read more about the Secretary's visit on our In the News page (scroll to news from May 2013).

 

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