Greenfield, MA, March 22, 2013.  – The Connecticut River Watershed Council (CWRC) is proud to highlight a number of local events throughout the Connecticut River watershed celebrating World Water Day. March 22nd was designated World Water Day by the United Nations in 1993 as a day to highlight water issues around the world. The theme for the 2013 World Water Day is Water Cooperation.

CRC hopes World Water Day will raise awareness about the fact that 11% of the world’s population does not have access to safe water. Every year, five million people die from preventable water-related diseases. We are fortunate in New England to be blessed with an abundance of extraordinary and beautiful rivers – the Connecticut River being the largest. But we need to know what a gift it is to have clean water available to us with the turn of a faucet.

“The Connecticut River watershed enriches our lives, communities, and economies – locally, regionally and beyond,” says Andrew Fisk, CRC’s executive director. “In just decades, the Connecticut went from a maligned waterway to a symbol of renewal and most recently the nation’s first ‘Blueway’ thanks to the cooperative efforts of many local organizations. However, there is more work to be done and you can help!”

Participate in any of these events to support your local rivers and raise awareness in your community about water issues around the world.

  • Visit www.CleanWaterFuture.org to make an investment in any of five crowd-funding river restoration projects. Three projects are located on the White River in Vermont, while two others are in New Hampshire. The Vermont projects, located in the towns of Sharon, South Royalton and Stockbridge, are sponsored by the White River Partnership and focus on restoring streamside vegetation and fish passage at sites damaged during flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. The New Hampshire projects, located on Mink Brook in Etna and on the main stem of the Connecticut River in Piermont, are sponsored by CRC and focus on improving water quality and controlling invasive species.
  • Art for Water is hosting an enchanting evening of music, stories, and poetry intended to delight, provoke, and provide inspiration – all about water. WaterJam is taking place Friday, in the heart of downtown Keene, NH at Colonial Corner next to Colonial Theatre from 7:00 to 9:00pm. The show is free but donations will be accepted and given to local and global charities Pure Water for the World, Monadnock Conservancy, Friends of the Ashuelot River, and Harris Center for Conservation Education. WaterJam is part of an international symposium and will be live-streamed to a global audience through a virtual community platform, WATERWHEEL. For more information about Art for Water check out www.artforwater.org.
  • WATERWHEEL World Water Day Symposium (#3WDS13 on Twitter) was organized in partnership with the Five Colleges in Massachusetts. The symposium will be a 24-hour non-stop event, on 22-23 March 2013, with more than 100 scientists, artists and activists from five continents presenting and interacting with people online and in nodes in Australia, Hong Kong, Tunisia, USA and Argentina. It is free to attend; you just need access to the internet. Visit http://water-wheel.net/tap and click the top-most Symposium link.
  • Jacqueline Talbot, CRC’s CT river steward, will join other local water leaders at “Passionate Waters,” a local World Water Day celebration held Friday at MAC650 Gallery, 650 Main Street, Middletown, CT. The event begins at 6:30pm and you are encouraged to visit Jacqueline to learn more about her work locally and recently in Costa Rica, where she participated in an educational and cultural exchange program. “Passionate Waters” is an exhibit of visual and performance art that has been inspired by water. For details about “Passionate Waters” visit http://www.mac650.com/passionatewaters.html.

CRC advocates for the entire, four-state Connecticut River watershed, working to protect water—the river, its tributaries, lakes, fish—and the land, plants, and creatures connected to that water to keep them safe now and for future generations. To learn more about CRC, or to make a contribution to support the Connecticut River, visit ctriver.org.

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CONTACT:                                                                      

Andrew Fisk, Executive Director, afisk@ctriver.org, 413-772-2020 ext.208, 413-210-9207 (cell)

Angela Mrozinski, Outreach & Events Director, amrozinski@ctriver.org, 413-772-2020 ext.204