A taste from home: The Kingfisher
Written a few months ago…But an everlasting important message.
Like any typical spring New England weekend, Saturday was 41 degrees and gloomy, and today was a beautiful, sunny 70 degree Sunday. I visited the local park, situated along the Blackstone River, in hopes to catch a glimpse of any of the resident critters. I visit the park often, and regularly see the Great Blue Heron, muskrat family, and if I am really lucky — the Belted Kingfisher. Nature was on my side today, and not one, but two Belted Kingfishers graced me with their presence.
The excitement of being in the presence of a kingfisher comes far before I actually see the bird. First I hear an impressive chatter approaching in the distance. The sound creeps up the river, and if I listen closely I can hear it taking turns, as the bird follows the winding river. Then, when the chatter is booming across the river and the anticipation is becoming nearly anxiety inducing, I spot the fisher! He comes straight down the middle of the river, just inches above the water, hunting for a fishy snack. He’s fast — really fast. A glimpse is typically all I get, but even that is plenty to keep me coming back! Today, though, I got a real treat. The resident fisher seems to have found a mate, and the pair were chattering and flying all around the park. I even got to observe them in the trees for a while, which is a very rare opportunity for me. The best news, though, is that sightings like this are becoming more common, thanks to the cleanup of the Blackstone River.
I’ve grown up in the same home my whole life, which overlooks the Blackstone. When I was younger, in the 90’s, the river was dead. There were no fish, no birds, just dirty water. But the start of the pollution of the Blackstone goes all the way back to the industrial revolution. Blackstone Valley is known as the “Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution” (National Park Service). Locally, in Northbridge, the most common industry along the river at that time was textile mills. It was said that the river flowed whatever color the mills were dyeing clothes that day. Thankfully, the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972 and with that, along with other restoration efforts, the river has been cleaned up. Today is it a National Heritage River.
With the expulsion of pollution came the return of wildlife to the Blackstone. Where there used to be nothing but murky water, there is now a flourishing ecosystem. From as small as minnows to as large as Bald Eagles, the ecosystem supports a vast community. While it still has a long way to go, the Blackstone river ecosystem is a great example of how restoration and conservation supports important ecosystems. In light of today’s administration and Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement, we should continue to push for ecosystem restoration and conservation.
