Fort River Festival, Saturday, May 30th 2009!

Fun for the whole family! The Fort River Festival is an annual event dedicated to having the communities around the Fort River come out and enjoy this beautiful resource together.

The Fort River Festival is designed to be a day of river science, family fun, and a look into the history and function of the Fort River for the communities of Amherst, Hadley, and the surrounding towns. Special attention will be paid to watershed education, community use and river conservation opportunities, and the shared history that the entire community, particularly Amherst and Hadley, have with this beautiful resource.

Register (only for canoe or kayak):

Please register if you'd like to go on the canoe trip. Indicate whether you plan to bring your own canoe/kayak or if you will need to reserve one of ours. Register by calling the Rushing RIvers Office at (413) 461-3042 or writing Piotr@rushingrivers.org.

About the River Festival

For a second year, State Senator Rosenberg takes to a tippy canoe named “Never Sink” to paddle down the Fort River.  Dr. Boyd Kynard, world-renowned sturgeon expert back from China, will demonstrate amazing feats of fish where herculean male sea lampreys, one on either side, heft fist-sized rocks and move to please discriminating females.

This year there’ll be more happening, including the ever popular yellow duckie down river races.

This year the Festival will include:

10am-12pm A canoe ride up the Fort River from Kiwanas Park to Groff Park. FIRST 50 GUESTS ONLY, so come early and bring your canoe if you have one!

12:00pm-1:00pm Picnic Lunch and Live Music, we will be providing the entertainment, bring your favorite snacks and enjoy!

1:00pm-2:15pm Speakers will provide information on the Fort River, including its history, ecology, and ways that YOU can make the Fort even better!

2:15pm-3:15pm Family Fun- including a Rubber Ducky Derby, coloring, and a live model of the Fort River. Winner of the Ducky Derby will receive a gift certificate to Bart's Ice Cream in downtown Amherst. Please bring a "buck for a duck" if you plan to participate.

3:15pm River Cake and Fort River Hero Award Ceremony. Join us as we close the day with a tribute to a community member who has dedicated themselves to preserving and protecting the beautiful Fort River.

About the Fort River:

The Fort River is the longest free-flowing tributary of the Connecticut River in Massachusetts. Its watershed provides all the water supply for the town of Amherst. With heavily forested uplands and a relatively high degree of land protection in the watershed, water quality is sufficiently good that the Fort provides core habitat for native fish (including species of special concern such as bridle shiner), invertebrates such as the federally listed endangered dwarf wedgemussel, and at least four other state-listed mussels species (Ethan Nedeu, unpub. data). The river provides "habitat" for residents of Amherst and Hadley as well: several public recreation areas are situated along the river including swimming holes, the Groff Park playground, and the Norwottuck Rail Trail and bike path. Its accessibility and central location within the Five College area make it a prime resource for research, education, and public outreach.