Johnston Goldsmith Street Friends Group
Plant Native Species Along the Woonasquatucket River Greenway
RESCHEDULED: Due to the nor’easter forecast for this weekend, this volunteer event has been rescheduled to Wednesday, September 30, from 4:00–6:00 PM.
Help us transform an area recently cleared of invasive plants into healthy native habitat along the Woonasquatucket River Greenway in Johnston.
Love the Greenway and want to see it continue through Johnston to connect with Smithfield’s new stormwater linear park, currently in design? We need your help. CALL TO ACTION
Join the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) on Wednesday, September 30, from 4:00–6:00 PM for a special Goldsmith Street Friends Group Volunteer Day focused on native planting and habitat restoration.
Friends and neighbors will meet at 15 Goldsmith Street before traveling along the Greenway toward Lyman Avenue for the planting. Participants are welcome to bring a bike for the trip to the planting area.
Our team recently removed invasive mugwort and knotweed from an area along the Greenway near Lyman Avenue. Now we need your help with the next step: planting native perennials to help restore this area along the Greenway.
These new plantings will help restore the landscape, provide habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife, stabilize soils, manage stormwater, and create a healthier and more resilient river corridor.
Come Plant With Us
No gardening or planting experience is necessary. WRWC staff will be there to provide tools, materials, and guidance.
Together, volunteers will:
- Plant native perennials
- Help restore an area recently cleared of invasive plants
- Learn about native plants and habitat restoration
- Explore the existing Woonasquatucket River Greenway
- Learn how Greenway restoration can support wildlife, water quality, and climate resilience
- Meet WRWC staff, neighbors, and fellow Greenway supporters
Tools, materials, gloves, and snacks will be provided.
Please dress for the weather, wear comfortable closed-toe shoes and clothing you don’t mind getting dirty, and bring a refillable water bottle.
Planting a More Resilient Greenway
The Woonasquatucket River Greenway is more than a place to walk and bike.
The landscapes surrounding the trail are part of a larger effort to restore the Woonasquatucket River corridor. Native vegetation can provide important habitat, stabilize riverbanks and soils, capture stormwater, improve water quality, and help create landscapes that are more resilient to flooding and extreme weather.
At Goldsmith Street, thousands of native pollinator plants are already transforming the landscape into a growing meadow along the river. This volunteer day is an opportunity to help that restoration continue.
Plant something that will grow here for years to come.
Explore the Greenway and Learn About Its Future
This volunteer day also comes at an important moment for the future of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway in Johnston.
Following the Johnston Town Council’s recent resolution opposing future expansion of the Greenway, we know many residents have questions about what the Greenway is, what WRWC has proposed, and what future Greenway investments could mean for Johnston.
Throughout the event, WRWC staff will be available to talk about the existing Greenway, answer questions about current and proposed projects, and discuss how Greenway investments can combine habitat restoration, flood resilience, improved public spaces, recreation, safer walking and biking connections, and economic development.
This restoration work is part of WRWC’s Right Tree Right Place project with Rhode Island Energy, with additional support from a Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Habitat Restoration Grant.
Whether you’re an experienced Greenway user, want to see the Greenway continue through Johnston, or are simply curious about what’s being discussed, we invite you to come see the Greenway for yourself.
Volunteer. Plant. Explore. Ask questions. Be part of the conversation about what comes next.
Event Details
Wednesday, September 30
4:00–6:00 PM
Goldsmith Street Fish Ladder
15 Goldsmith Street
Johnston, RI 02919
Free and open to the public. No experience necessary.
Register through this Eventbrite page to let us know you’re coming.
Support the Woonasquatucket River Greenway
Can’t volunteer but want to show your support for the continued Woonasquatucket River Greenway in Johnston?
Add your name to the Call to Action.
Join the Goldsmith Street Friends Group and help care for the Greenway today while helping shape its future.