Superfund Research Program

Community Engagement Core

Project Leader: Scott Frickel
Grant Number: P42ES013660
Funding Period: 2005-2021

Project-Specific Links

Final Progress Reports

Year:   2020  2014  2008 

Activities and Results

Aim 1. Strengthen existing relationships and forge new partnerships with non-governmental community organizations.

The Community Outreach Core presented to U.S. EPA Region 1 and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) the results of its research regarding the Woonasquatucket River Oxbow located south of the Centredale Manor Superfund site in North Providence, Rhode Island. Led by Core Co-Leader Marcella Thompson, the research team conducted a study of the oxbow's microtopography using GIS data. This study was performed at the request of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, a nonprofit organization that represents residents of North Providence and Johnston who live adjacent to the Superfund site. The report addressed a number of the Council's concerns regarding EPA's Remedy Selection. Use of GIS technology empowered the community to express concerns adequately to regulators. A community presentation is scheduled for early 2015.

Core Leader Robert Vanderslice participated in meetings held by the EPA and RI DEM regarding the Petersen-Puritan Superfund site in Lincoln, Rhode Island. SRP community partner Blackstone River Watershed Council is advocating for a more comprehensive remediation of the JM Landfill portion of the Superfund site. Brown SRP submitted a letter of support on behalf of the Council.

Aim 2. Engage Tribal leaders, adults and youth.

The Core's work with the Narragansett Tribe was recognized by the Rhode Island Department of Health earlier this year. The Core and the Narragansett Tribe distributed emergency preparedness and planning information to members of Native American tribes throughout the Northeast at the Rhode Island Indian Council's annual powwow. This event presented an opportunity to reach urban dwelling Native Americans. For the second consecutive year, the Core distributed emergency preparedness and planning information to Narragansett Tribal members and families at their tribe's annual powwow in Charlestown, Rhode Island.

Lorén Spears, Executive Director of the Tomaquag Museum, introduced curriculum for the ECO-Youth Program that she and Julian Rodríguez-Drix (Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island) developed for Native American youth. The Core funded this project. The Rhode Island Indian Council will host this after-school program pending grant renewal.

The Core and the Narragansett Tribal Government distributed emergency planning and preparedness information at the Tribe's 12th Elders Day in Charlestown, Rhode Island. In the fall, the Narragansett Tribal Elders held two emergency-preparedness workshops facilitated by Core Co-Leader Marcella Thompson. Elders shared stories of their various encounters with Mother Nature. Thompson provided general information about disasters and disaster terminology and assisted attendees with creating personal evacuation plans. At the second workshop, the Elders discussed sheltering in place and emergency equipment and supplies to keep on hand.

Aim 3. Enhance long-term, mutually beneficial, bi-directional knowledge exchange.

The Core held quarterly Community Advisory Board meetings in which SRP community partners shared their accomplishments and coordinated their calendar of events.

The Core co-sponsored the 7th annual Urban Pond Procession (UPP) in Providence, Rhode Island. Big Nazo Puppets led 150 participants of all ages dressed in fish costumes, carrying signs and lanterns to light the way. The Extraordinary Rendition Band, the What Cheer? Brigade, and the Extraordinary Youth Ensemble provided marching music. For the first time, the procession was held in the evening on the banks of Mashapaug Pond, adjacent to the Gorham/Textron Brownfields site. There were many educational activities, including a shadow puppet show about the destruction of the residential neighborhood where an industrial park stands now. In addition, a poetry reading by a Narragansett Tribal Elder accompanied by teens, each reciting a line in their respective languages. While participants dined on pizza, vegetables and fruit, someone from RI DEM talked about storm water projects to capture and treat the runoff from the neighborhood, industrial park, and ball field. There were videos, including one created and performed by 3- to 5-year-old Montessori students: "...and then it rained, and all the dog poop in the world was washed into Mashapaug Pond...." The UPP announced a newly funded project wherein businesses in the industrial park would plant fruit trees. This project was inspired by someone who grew up in the neighborhood that no longer exists. He recalled, "You could eat your way through the neighborhood from all the fruit trees planted here." RI DEM will ensure that the trees will be planted in uncontaminated ground.

Aim 4. Build capacity for conducting Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) in Rhode Island.

The Core continued to meet with the Office of Statewide Planning. The office has committed to integrating health impact assessments into the RhodeMap RI long-term plan. Vanderslice and Thompson have been appointed to the state's Performance Measures Committee.

Aim 5. Advocate for environmental justice to reduce or eliminate environmental exposures and promote the public's health.

Earlier this year, the Core and UPP co-sponsored a Kick-Off Event for neighborhood residents of Mashapaug Pond, a 77-acre site adjacent to Gorham/Textron Brownfields in Providence, Rhode Island. UPP is a cadre of volunteer artists, scientists, educators and concerned citizens dedicated to promoting the health of urban ponds. This event focused on the Huntington Industrial Park, which sits on the west side of Mashapaug Pond. As part of urban renewal, the industrial park displaced one of the first racially integrated neighborhoods in Providence and has now created a large, impervious surface that contributes to storm water runoff and impacts the health of the pond. The program was attended by about 30 artists, community residents, and educators from New Urban Arts, DownCity Design, Everett Dance Theater, Big Nazo, Alvarez High School, Sophia Academy, Rhode Island College, Johnson & Wales University, and Brown University. The event began with a discussion of "What makes a healthy neighborhood?" A former resident, Ed Hooks, recalled the once ecologically diverse neighborhood which, along with other neighborhoods of color, was bulldozed in an effort to jump-start the Providence economy. The program then focused on the ecological impacts of storm water runoff from impervious surfaces into Mashapaug, Roger Williams, and Spectacle Ponds. Brown University graduate intern Stephanie Yin described how different surfaces around rivers and ponds lead to different peak flows after a rain event. Bob McMahon from the Providence Parks Department demonstrated where storm water retrofits could be installed in the industrial park, as well as the creation of bioswales to filter some of the nutrients from storm water before they enter the ponds. Amelia Rose from the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island described the importance of replacing impervious with pervious surfaces but cautioned about working in areas like the industrial park where asphalt has been used as a remedy for contaminated land. This workshop was a prelude to the annual UPP on May 17th (see Aim 3).

Significance

The SRP's synergy among its researchers and core key personnel has allowed the Community Outreach Core to pioneer democratic and informative approaches to community engagement. The team continues to provide leadership at the cutting edge of national efforts in this direction. The Core functions as a team, with one individual leading specific projects and/or working with specific community partners. They have attended many community meetings and established formal partnerships and scopes of work with a broad range of constituencies.