An exhibition of new paintings titled “Dora Atwater Millikin: A Portrait of New Bedford Harbor Today” will open at the New Bedford Whaling Museum on Friday, May 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the Centre Street Gallery – Level II.

WFA  member and friend the talented Dora Atwater Millikin has a new exhibition of paintings opening tonight at the New Bedford Whaling Museum it is a must see. Below is a copy of the press release on the exhibit. We at the WFA wish Dora much success with her show.

With her studio in Westport Point, Massachusetts, Millikin has studied the New Bedford waterfront for years, inspired by its busy harbor and the fishing industry. The exhibition explores volume, shape, light, color, and texture, reflecting the artist’s interest in the everyday and the ordinary, the gritty and the ‘real’ – while at the same time revealing the material properties of the paint itself and the luminosity it creates in juxtaposition.

Dora Atwater Millikin grew up in Little Compton, Rhode Island. She was educated at the Stoneleigh-Burnham School, Greenfield, Massachusetts, Newcomb College (Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana), and Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, Old Lyme, Connecticut. She has served as vice president of the board of directors of both The Art League of Rhode Island and South Coast Artists, Inc., and she is an elected artist member of the Copley Society.
Recognition of her work includes the Edwin Gould Foundation Award, the John Stobart Fellowship Award, the Joseph Hartley Memorial Award for Oil, and the Fidelity Investments annual juried competition at the Providence Art Club.

An artist member and painting teacher at the Providence Art Club, Dora’s work is represented by Walker-Cunningham Fine Art, Boston. Her work can be found in museum, corporate and private collections in the United States and Europe.

The exhibition runs through October 14, 2012.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the world's most comprehensive museum devoted to the global story of whales, whaling and the cultural history of the region. The cornerstone of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill in the heart of the city's historic downtown. For events: www.whalingmuseum.org

8th Annual Run For The Water

This year marks our best turnout to date. We had 171 runners pre registered with 43 day of totaling 214 total runners. This year’s participants were blessed with a beautiful day at Horseneck Beach where the sun was shining and the breeze was cool as they conquered the course that winded through the beautiful scenery of DCRs Horseneck Beach Reservation. The Race takes months of planning and coordinating on the part of Race Director Jonathan Paull, WFA Coordinator Jennifer Gelinas and the Board of Directors working with all of our generous sponsors, the town and state (because of its location) we are able to host this wonderful event.

The WFA was so pleased to see some of our regular participants return again this year loyal to supporting our efforts. Some familiar names in the top 3 overall category are once again Scott and Christine Anderson, David Constantino and Daniel Croteau.  Also we have continually had great support from our friends from the New Bedford Running Club. We were also thrilled to have many new comers for all categories. This year we received a request from John Pelletier of Westport to participate on his bike in an effort to encourage a handicap division to our race which we agreed would be a wonderful addition to our event. He finished strong and his brother Mark Pelletier came in 3rd for his age group category.

Our Family Fun portion of the Race had its most participants including our youngest registered participant to date from Tiverton at the age of 7 (Alexander Nimiroski) run the 5k family fun portion of our race with his Dad (Mark Nimiroski) both finished the race and are looking forward to next year.  We even had our first 4 legged participant a beautiful Irish Setter and her owner walk the course.

It was great to see young families come out, take part in and enjoying this healthy and fun community event.

The WFA would like to thank all of our generous sponsors this year who once again continue to help us be able to host this family fun community event, which all proceeds go toward our efforts of advocacy to protect and preserve the Westport River and its Tributaries, encourage marine education programs and provide scholarships for higer education.

For a look at the race visit https://picasaweb.google.com/WFARunfortheWater/WFA8thRunForTheWater?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNim9vf-_qbWMw&feat=directlink

Cash Sponsors, Bradshaw Insurance, IMCA Westport Family Medicine, SSTAR, Westport Chiropractic,Alonso Medical Smith Security System,

Food and Water-Back Eddy, Cumberland Farms, Crystal Springs, Honeydew Donuts, Lees Market

Raffle Prize Sponsors-Country Woolens, Partners Village Store, Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery, Bittersweet Farms, Whites

T-shir ts and Marketing New England Promotions, Graphix Plus

 Our Annual Meeting and Oyster Stew Supper

What a great night!

We had a terrific turnout at our new venue, St. John The Baptist Church. There was plenty of parking and seating for everyone. The Oyster stew was delicious. The WFA is grateful to  John Borden for his efforts to provide local oysters for our stew. We would also like to thank all who attended in support of our mission and celebrated their valentines evening with us. Our board of directors also deserve a shout out for their efforts to host and serve up a terrrific dinner and Annual Meeting.

The Project Coordinator shared last years accomplishments and this years agenda with the crowd of 80 and the slate of officers were voted on. We are pleased to announce this years officers will be President Jack Reynolds, Vice President Brian Pontolilo, Secretary Laurie Marinone and Treasurer Tom Perkins.

The speaker for this year’s annual meeting was Niaz Dorry, the director for the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance. Niaz came down from her home in Gloucester MA to attend and speak at our annual meeting and oyster stew supper.

Niaz is an advocate for community based fisheries and passionate about her work. She is dedicated to the efforts of the small scale fishermen, their work ethic, cultural influence, and the quality of the food source they provide to their communities.

She presented information and data comparing the corporate funded commercial fishing industry that is being driven by the global movement of capital and protecting their profits, ignoring the impact on the marine environment and the quality of the food source they are providing to the population.  Her work for NAMA is part in an effort to educate and encourage the  idea of community supported fisheries, where a shore-side community of people collaborate with the local fishing community. Tailored after the community supported agriculture model, a CSF contributes freshly caught local seafood to the local markets while providing fishermen with a better price on less catch. CSF members give the fishing community financial support in advance of the season, and in turn the fishermen provide a weekly share of seafood during the harvesting season. Community supported fisheries aim to reconnect people with the ocean that sustains them and build a rewarding relationship between the fishermen and the shareholders.

Niaz was recognized by Time magazine for her efforts of the protection of marine biodiversity and named a true hero for the planet for her work. The Westport Fishermen’s association is grateful she was able to join us for an educational and entertaining evening.

 

 Our 2nd Annual Classic Wooden Boat Exhibit

It was a great weekend of admiring the work of some of our local talented boat designers, builders and recreational enthusiasts that participated in this year’s WFA Boat Show in and around the Life Saving Station back in October. There was a wonderful array of vessels including, classic skin and frame canoes, beautifully crafted kayaks, a Concordia Bateka, pond boats and skiffs of all types just to name a few.

Inside the visitors center we also featured local paintings of fishing vessels by Dora Millikin and beautifully crafted models and half models that represented the talents of Westport’s own Bruce Gifford and Tom Schmitt. We were fortunate enough to also have on hand a model of the Emma C Berry and an old turn of the century whaling boat all donated for the weekend by our very own members and friends of the WFA.

New this year we had a consignment area of new and used marine equipment and a small collection of antique lures. Many thanks to all who donated items, it was a crowd pleaser and helped us raise some money for our efforts.

The WFA would also like to thank Coastal Roasters ,WFA board of directors and their family members who donated to our refreshment area. The coffee, cider, baked goods and chowder were all delicious and enjoyed by all.

It was a terrific show that could only be made possible by the all who contributed their time, talents and prized possessions in an effort to make this opportunity available and free to the public. We are truly grateful and are looking forward to hosting another great event next year!

The 28th Annual Clambake 

It was a perfect fall day at the sportsmens club in Little Compton at this years bake on September 18th, 2011. We had a crowd of 150 all whom were served a delicious bake prepared by Bake master Ray Davoll and his crew. In traditional form the WFA board of directors lined up behind steaming racks of clams, lobsters, meats and vegetables to serve their guests.

It takes the perfect fire to produce the best coals to lay the rock weed on in preperation for steaming the clams and lobsters and all of the delicious additions included in our bake. WFA members and volunteers clean and bag the clams outside while the vegetables and other meats are bagged inside many hands make for light work.


After all the bags are filled and counted to assure everyone gets a meal the racks get moved over by the bake site until the coals are ready for the seaweed. Below volunteers and the bake crew cover the racks to ensure that traditionsl smoked flavor that comes from the seaweed and rock bake.

 

Guests began to gather and the chowder was served on schedule at noon. This year's chowder was a homemade recipe made with all fresh local Westport Clams and was donated and prepared by one of WFA's own director Don Dufault.

Below Jack King lines up to get his complimentary bowl of chowder from Board of director Laurie Marinone. Also below is Jack and Beth King, who met a couple of years ago at our annual bake and recently they were married and continue to come to our bake each year to celebrate where they met and the work of our organization. The WFA would like to extend our Congratulations!!

The Raffle table shown here below is set and ready for tickets sales The WFA would like to thank all of the members and local business who contributed to our raffle table. The generosity of All of our community friends makes this fundraiser a real success. Prizes this year were donated by Country Woolens, Westport Apothecary, Partners Village Store, The Back Eddy Restaurant, Cat Tales Pottery studio, 4 Elements, Howie and Laura Gifford, Lynda Perkins, Cindy Reynolds, Kim Fernandes and David and Barbara Bates.

The winner of This years Grand Wooden Boat Raffle Prize was announced as the finale to the bake and the WFA is pleased to announce the beautifully handcrafted Rangeley 15 now belongs to Rick McCarthy. Rick has been notified and arrangements are being worked out to get his prize delivered since he was unable to join us the day of the bake. All proceeds from this years ticket sales will go to protecting and preserving the Westport River and its Tributaries, scholarships and marine preservation and stewardship programs.

The WFA would like to shout out a great big thanks to some of our other local business friends who have so generously contributed to our clambake. The continued support of Lees Market, Narragansett Brewing Company, New England Promotions and Graphix Plus is grately appreciated!

1st Annual WFA Striped Bass and Bluefish Tournament Wrap Up

By the start of the tournament on Saturday July 16th, 2011  we had 44 registered fishermen including several women and children. The format was an 8 day competition with one weigh in station (Westport Bait & Tackle) with a closing ceremony and reception. Participants received a tournament t-shirt, free beverage and meal for the $40.00 registration fee.

Everyone fished hard over the course of the tournament weighing in a total of 25 fish to see who would weigh in the heaviest fish.  At the close of the tournament we hosted a delicious catered cookout served up by Christians Catering at Just Beer Brewery on Horseneck Road, Westport MA. After everyone had something to eat we handed out the cash prizes and awards for several categoris.

Paul Martin came in first place winning $250.00 cash for reeling in “The Largest Striped Bass”. The first place bass weighed in at 39.25lbs. 47.75 inches. Gary Ritz came in 2nd with a 34.30lb and Mike Roy came in 3rd with a 33.35lb stripers.

Charles Mingo reeled in the largest Bluefish for a $100.00 cash prize. His catch weighed in at 14lbs. 42 inches. Paul Martin grabbed 2nd place for the bluefish category with a fish that weighed in at 9.35lb and Dave Altrich came in 3rd with a 8.75lb bluefish.

We were thrilled to be able to have a women and children’s prize category and we awarded Susan Igler for weighing in the largest bass at 20.10 lbs 39 inches. For the 15 and under category Jameson Winters and “Team Yellowfin” received a prize and were recognized for weighing in the largest striped bass at 21.15 lbs and Cory Pines for weighing in the largest bluefish at 10.41lbs 31inches.

Our Raffle table was full of great prizes donated by our  generous sponsors. The guests were pleased to be able to select first come first serve from the raffle table  assorted items from West Marine, Dicks Sporting Goods, Buckos, A & S Tackle, TowBoatUS – Westport and Bob’s Sea & Ski. For the finale we awarded the super raffle prize which was a plane ride for 2 valued at $500.00 to Robert Behrman.

The WFA was pleased to host a tournament and have such a nice turnout of our members and community friends and we are truly grateful to all of our sponsors and participants for helping to make it the success it was.

 All proceeds help to support our efforts to protect and preserve the Westport River and its Tributaries, sponsor marine education programs, provide scholarships and operate the Horseneck Point LifeSaving Station and Visitor Center. For more information about our non-profit organization and how to become a member please visit our website at www.westportrive.org.

 

Tournament Sponsors:  Westport Marine Bait & Tackle   West Marine  Dicks Sporting Goods  A&S Tackle F.L. Tripp & Son  Just Beer  Christians Catering   Back Eddy Restaurant   Buckos  New England Promotions   Graphix Plus   Signs By Tomorrow  TowBoatU.S./Westport

2011 WFA MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS HAVE BEEN AWARDED

The Westport Fishermen’s Association is pleased to announce the recipients of the “Merit scholarship for 2011. Bonnie Cohen and Adam DeRiso have each been awarded a $650.00 scholarship based on their academic and civil excellence.

Bonnie Cohen is a Westport High graduating senior. She is the daughter of Shelley and Matt Cohen of Westport MA.  Bonnie has been an active volunteer in our local community donating her time and talent at the Westport Public Library and The Westport Watershed Alliance. She is a talented artist, who has worked hard to balance her commitment to advocate for a clean and thriving watershed, community service work and her academics with her love of the arts.

Bonnie is an honor roll student and an inductee of the National Honor Society. She has been accepted to and will attend The New Hampshire Institute of Art in the fall. She is planning to then continue on to Graduate school in hopes of having a business of her own and become an art teacher.

Adam DeRiso is a Barrington High School graduating senior. The Son of Susan and Andrew DeRiso, Adam is an Eagle Scout, member of the National Honor Society, and member of the Future Business Leaders of America. His work ethic is conscientious and ambitious.

In addition to his academic achievements, and his love and participation in school athletics he worked hard as an Eagle Scout to express his values for the environment. He was instrumental in the conservation efforts of The Greenway Path clean up in his town. He was recognized by Barrington’s Conservation Commission for his work to protect and preserve the areas wetlands and its resources. Adam, has been accepted to and will attend James Madison University in Virginia this September.

The WFA would like to extend their congratulations to these 2 deserving graduating High School Seniors and wish them much success in their futures.

 The Directors and Officers of the WFA would also like to recognize and thank all of our generous members, sponsors and community friends who contribute to our scholarship fund throughout the year .Your donations make possible our efforts to offer scholarships for higher education.

2011 WFA Continuing Education Scholarships

Next Deadline is July 30, 2011 for College Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors

All applications must be recieved by July 30th.

For more information and a printable application select the scholarship tab at the top of the page.

Campbell Cutter Model and Coast Guard Exhibit

at the Horseneck Point Life Saving Station and Visitor Center 241 East Beach Road Westport Point MA 02791

Doors are open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 12-4pm

Stop in and see our newest addition for exhibition a beautifully restored model of the CG Campbell Cutter.

The WFA is honored to have received the model from Westport resident and WFA sponsor Lucy Keefe. It was a gift from the US Coast Guard to her grandfather Herbert E. Gaston who was the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and the first civilian Commander of the U.S Coast Guard in 1939. Ms. Keefe donated the model to the WFA in an effort to share with the public the exciting history of the model and the Cutter that it represents for generations to come.

The WFA would also like to acknowledge member and LSS volunteer Tom Schmitt for his generous donation of time and talent while restoring the model so beautifully for exhibition.

This year’s summer exhibit will run from June 18th through Labor Day Weekend. Our doors will be open to the public on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 12-4pm. Come and see in addition to the model, wonderful photographs, information, video footage, uniforms and maritime treasures of the US Coast guard representing a heroic and historic timeline from the late 18th century through today.

This program is sponsored in part by the MA DCR Historic Curatorship Program. Learn more about upcoming events and the DCR Historic Curatorship program by visiting the HPLSS page on this site.

The Westport Fishermen’s Association 7th Annual Run For The Water was a great success!

With great weather generous sponsors and  willing volunteers we were able to accommodate over 150 participants with a flat & fast beautiful 8k Beach Run and 5k Family Fun Walk on May 7th, 2011. Spitler Timing did a terrific job with recording and posting the runners results. Currently race results can be found at  coolrunning.com  .

Congratulations must go out to this year’s top 3 overall Male and Female Cash Prize winners.

For the Men, Scott Anderson took 1st place, Brian Macilvain took 2nd and David Constantine took 3rd place.

For the Women, Christine Anderson took 1st, Tina Varseas took 2nd and Lidsay Croshier took 3rd.

We also awarded 42 additional prizes to the top 3 male and female times in 7 different age groups and concluded the event with a fun raffle of gift certificates during the post race reception complete with bbq pulled pork sandwiches compliments of the Back Eddy Restaurant.

The WFA would like to thank volunteer race coordinator Jonathan Paull, all of our members, volunteers, and participants for supporting our efforts to protect and preserve the Westport River and its tributaries for generations to come. The WFA would also like to recognize and send out a great big thanks to all of this years sponsors(listed below) for their generosity and willingness to contribute to our annual race ensuring a wonderful community event.

Bradshaw Insurance    Car Wars   Internal Medicine Cardiology Associates (Westport Family Medicine)   SSTAR     Therapy Resource Management      Westport Chiropractic    Alonso Medical    Smith Security System      Back Eddy    Crystal Springs    Cumberland Farms    Honeydew Donuts   Lees Market    Bittersweet Farms    Country Woolens   Partners Village Store    Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery   Whites     New England Promotions

The WFA would like to thank all who contributed toward the efforts to repair the culvert at the herring ditch located under River Road that connects cockeast pond to the Westport River to achieve a solution that we are hopeful will make it possible for the herring to continue to spawn and thrive in our local waters.

The Project has been completed we are looking forward to seeing how the herring are running out come spring!

Several years ago the culvert at the "Herring Ditch" where it crosses River Rd. was replaced because the old corrugated steel pipe was crumbling.  The replacement pipe made of reinforced concrete was installed at a higher elevation and with a steeper incline than the original making it almost impossible for herring to enter the culvert and get into Cockeast pond to spawn.  There has been many hours spent by many people tending makeshift alterations during the spawning run to facilitate the herring into the pond. 

The pipe was repositioned recently to reflect the original culvert position hopefully solving this situation for many years.  This project was the result of a few individuals and  local groups and the funding was supplied by members of the WFA, WRWA, and a few concerned neighbors near the ditch.  The Westport Fish Commission and Brad Chase from the Division of Marine Fisheries lent their expertise in the planning and design.  The Westport Highway Dept. supplied labor along with the Westport Excavating Company. All involved deserve a great big THANKS!

Fisheries Enhancement Possibilities

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has prohibited the taking and possession of alewives and blueback herring for the last few years because of the diminished stocks of these fish. There are many possible causes of this situation and it most probably is a combination of several of them. There are many traditional "herring runs" in Westport.

Some of the more notable are the herring ditch that empties into the harbor from Cockeast pond, Kirby brook, and the main portion of the Westport River that empties out of Forge Pond at Forge Rd. I had one of the last haul seine permits in Westport. We used to set a 450' seine from a rowing skiff off of a sheet of plywood in a horse shoe shaped pattern from shore out and then back to shore which we proceeded to haul in slow and gradually come together as the "bunt" got closer to shore. We used to do this at various predetermined traditional points we called "seine sets" mostly to the north of Hix Bridge. We did this to catch White perch and herring (alewives) mostly. We also caught a few American Shad, occasional striped bass, very rare sea-run trout and even muskrats and snapping turtles. The white perch we caught if big enough were sold and the herring we sold to be used for lobster bait or penned up for bass bait. There was a lot of herring around then. Sometimes we caught enough in one set to fill both the seine skiff and the one we towed it with.

The herring that go up the main river to the foot of the dam at Forge pond cannot go any further and must spawn between the tidal water down near the Head of Westport and the dam which is not very far upstream. Before the dam was built in the 1800's the fish could get up to "Westport Factory" dam and before that dam was built they could go many miles further up to Flag Swamp.

The WFA with the help of Dept. of Ecological Restoration, which is a section of the Dept.of Fish and Game, are exploring the possiblity of restoring these fish runs. This could involve the elimination of the Forge Pond Dam and construction of a state of the art fish way at Lake Noquochoke at Rt.6. The Forge Rd. dam, because of the relative position of Forge road and it's height has been deemed unsuitable for a fish ladder. This project potentially would give these fish Lake Noquochoke and many miles of river to the north additional spawning habitat. We are in the very initial stages of exploring this project and nothing has been decided but we feel it would be great to bring this fishery back to the way it used to be.

Please visit the following link to learn more about river restoration and fish enhancement.

The WFA worked with the Land Conservation Trust and The Environmental Tech program at Greater New Bedford Regional Technical High School in an effort to open up a channel of Angelina Brook and to improve the walking trails at that location. It was a great Day!

Photos above are from left to right: The group setting out to get to work, Two students marking trails, and WFA President Jack Reynolds and students getting ready to start working on the channel of Angeline Brook.

The Horseneck Point Life Saving Station and Visitor Center will be open to the public for the 2011 Summer Season.

The doors will be open Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays June 4th through Labor Day 2011 12-4pm.

If you are interested in renting out the space for a meeting or event or even if you would like to visit with a small group off season, please contact us via the link at the bottom of the page.

We do hope you will plan to come by and see this Historic Maritime treasure and Visitor Center. We are located on East Beach Road Westport Ma overlooking East Beach and Gooseberry Island.

photo by Chip Gillespie

Currently the WFA has begun the paperwork to embark on a 25 year lease with the state entering the Horseneck Point Life Saving Station into their Historic Curatorship Program. We are thrilled to be working with DCR to provide oppurtunities for the public to be able to visit this maritime treasure. We will be working together to bring programs and events to the location. Below is more about DCR and their Historic Curatorship Program.

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), an agency of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, oversees 450,000 acres of parks and forests, beaches, bike trails, watersheds, dams, and parkways. The agency’s mission is to protect, promote, and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources. To learn more about DCR, our facilities, and our programs, please visit www.mass.gov/dcr.

Within the Commonwealth’s 450,000 acres of State and Urban Parks are a number of unused, historically significant buildings.  Over time, these properties have fallen prey to the elements and vandalism. The Historic Curatorship Program was established to preserve these properties through a unique public-private partnership. Through the program, DCR partners with a Curator who agrees to rehabilitate, manage and maintain a historic property in return for a long-term lease. As a result, DCR secures the long-term preservation of threatened historic sites and Curators exchange their hard work and unique skills for the opportunity to live or work in a one-of-a-kind location.