The Woonasquatucket River flows through an ecologically diverse and rich environment and watershed council team hopes to welcome more people to learn about it.

The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council is partnering with 15 Minute Field Trips to host a year’s worth of monthly walks along the Woonasquatucket River Greenway.   The walks, which will last about 1.5 hours each, will give participants a chance to learn about animals and plants that flourish in the ecosystem that surrounds the river.

The Greenway is a 7-mile public, multi-use trail alongside the river and is a popular recreational space for walkers, cyclists and runners.  The trail begins at Lyman Avenue in Johnston and connects amenities such as Buttonhole Golf Course, Snake Run Skate Park, and fish ladders into downtown Providence.

15 Minute Field Trips is a nonprofit, educational organization which combines art, community action and love of nature to offer hands-on education programs.

The monthly walking trips, which will focus on a variety of topics will run through the end of next October.  The first walk was held Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and was a success with about 30 people participating, according to Lisa Aurecchia, director of projects for the Watershed Council and Melissa Guillet, creative director, at 15 Minute Field Trips.

Aurecchia said that the walks give participants a chance to discover some of the natural beauty around the river. “Many people don’t know the nature they have in their backyard, and this is one of the things we’ll be highlighting,” she said.

The Woonasquatucket River begins in a swampy area in North Smithfield and flows southeast through increasingly populated communities to end in downtown Providence near the Providence Place Mall.  It is nearly 16 miles long and drains a water shed of about 50 square miles.

According to online references, the river’s name comes from an Algonquian phrase for “where the water ends.”

Guillet noted that many children participated in Friday’s first walk, and that it was great to see their faces brighten as they learned more about the river and the surrounding area.  “I love the sense of wonder that kids bring,” she said.  “Nature is literally in our backyards and these walks are intended to help people see that.”