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About EWPA

The Edgewood Waterfront Preservation Association (EWPA) was founded in 1996 to revive a neglected 5.5- acre waterfront park, fronting the historically significant Stillhouse Cove adjoining Narragansett Bay in Cranston, Rhode Island. Originally designated as a park in 1915 by the Metropolitan Park Commission, it remained in the possession of the State of Rhode Island (Department of Environmental Management) until 1984 when it was deeded to the City of Cranston as a conservation area for passive recreation.   

For many decades this property was neglected and abused. When Narragansett Boulevard was created and again during the installation of public sewers in the City, construction materials were dumped along the public shoreline.  In the 1940s and 1950s it was used as a turnaround for electric buses.  After the February 1978 Blizzard it was a dumping ground for polluted snow. During the 1970s and 1980s the Park was overrun with invasive weeds and trash; and the public had lost its access to the shoreline. The adjoining salt marsh had accreted so much sediment carried by storm water that few native species could survive.  The waterfront was colonized by Phragmite Australis and Japanese Knotweed, tall invasive plants that proliferated in the marsh and along the shoreline.

Over the last 26 years, under the stewardship of EWPA, Stillhouse Cove has undergone tremendous environmental restoration.  Water entering the Cove is now filtered through a storm water infiltration area or re-directed toward Vortechnic units located in the southern end of the park that filter sediment out of runoff.   EWPA volunteers regularly clean the shoreline and hold annual maintenance activities in the salt marsh.  After years of treating invasive vegetation, native flora and fauna are re-establishing. The Park has been preserved through the vigilant curbing of shoreline erosion, the planting of native grasses and bushes, the management of trees, and the introduction of native perennial flowers to provide visual interest and color. 

The Park has become the focal point of the entire Edgewood neighborhood.  Twelve months a year it hosts joggers and walkers, bench sitters, bird watchers, kayakers and picnickers, outdoor yoga participants, football throwers, painters and photographers. It is the meeting place for dog walkers who are provided with EWPA-supplied waste bags.  Wedding parties and school graduates come to pose by the water. The Park regularly hosts school kids doing science projects on the shoreline.

The EWPA’s goals for 2023 and beyond are to maintain these advancements for the enjoyment of all of our neighbors and visitors.   The EWPA is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization governed entirely by volunteers.  Although EWPA receives some in-kind assistance from the City of Cranston, most of the work maintaining the park has been carried out by volunteers with some paid labor supported entirely by donations from the community or small grants for specific purposes.

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