Blackstone National Park needs continued push for creation

To the Editor:
In response to your recent article (“Bill to create national park unit in Blackstone River Valley clears House committee,” Sept. 22, 2014), the National Parks Conservation Association greatly welcomes the opportunity to add the historic Blackstone River Valley into the National Park System for all Americans to experience and enjoy.
As a living landscape of the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, the Blackstone River is home to the nation’s first water-powered cotton mill in Pawtucket. As a result, mill villages sprang up along the way from the headwaters in Worcester, Mass., to Narragansett Bay in Providence.
Economic opportunities would come along with creating a national historical park at Blackstone. National parks across the country are economic generators that provide $27 billion in economic activity and support nearly a quarter million jobs annually. And every dollar invested in the National Park Service generates $10 in economic activity to the surrounding communities.
As we gear up for the National Park Service’s centennial in 2016 and beyond, we must continue to grow and diversify America’s National Park System, to tell the more complete story of our shared heritage and to safeguard our cultural and historic legacy. We urge U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline to continue their push to create a national historical park at Blackstone River Valley before the end of the year – let’s get Blackstone over the finish line.
Oliver Spellman
Northeast senior program manager
National Parks Conservation Association
Washington, D.C.

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  1. I suggest that a bikepath be built connecting the Blackstone River Bikeway with the East Bay Bikepath using the Providence & Worcester (P&W) Railroad right of way from Valley Falls to Providence. This P&W right of way parallels the George Bennett Highway and ends at the Washington Bridge in Providence. Tourist could rent a bike and visit all of Rhode Island’s historical areas, including Blackstone National Park, from Bristol to Woonsocket. At Walcott Street, it would be a one mile on road ride to the Slater Mill in Pawtucket. The Bikepath paralleling the Bennett Highway to Valley falls would be elevated 15 feet to provide for a safe crossing of the many busy intersecting side roads. In future years, the footings for this new elevated bikepath could be used for the supporting posts to hold up the guideways for a personal rapid transit (PRT) system that would be built using the bikepath right of ways from Bristol to Woonsocket. This PRT system would be a tourist attraction, bring many visitors to Blackstone National Park and encourage economic development in Rhode Island.