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Veterans: Learn to Quahog – this Saturday
Photo: The quahog thrives in the muddy sands of estuaries. (Courtesy: NOAA)
This Saturday, “Learn to Quahog – Veterans Edition” will be held on Saturday, July 30th from 1300-1600 hours at North Kingstown Town Beach. This event is for service members, Veterans and their families.
Everything that you need to learn how to catch, shuck, and cook your own Shellfish will be provided through the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife Education with instruction by Jody King (USMC).
The July 30th “Learn to Quahog (Veterans Edition)” is a collaboration between the Providence Vet Center, the Rhode Island Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Outdoor Education, and local shellfishing legend Jody King.
NO RSVP Needed!
What’s a Quahog??
From Save the Bay & URI – Quahogs, or hard-shell clams, are shellfish that inhabit the mud flats along the eastern seaboard from Canada to Florida. They range in size from 1 to 4 inches wide, and vary in color from white to gray with dark rings.
- Quahogs are prized as a human food and constitute one of Rhode Island’s most important fisheries.
- Narragansett Bay once supplied 25 percent of the nation’s supply of quahogs.
- Due to pollution caused primarily by sewer overflows and storm-water run-off, about 60 percent of the Bay’s shellfish beds are closed permanently or on a conditional basis.
- Shellfish are often used as an indicator of marine health by measuring the pollutant levels of animals in a specific area. The importance of clean estuarine water is beneficial not only to quahogs but also to the public that depends on them as a food source.
- The name “quahog” comes from the Indian name “poquauhock,” meaning horse fish. The Latin name Mercenaria mercenaria is derived from a word that means “wages” and was given to the quahog due to the Native American use of its purple inner shell, or “wampum,” as money and jewelry.
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The Providence Vet Center is a community-based counseling center that provides a wide range of social and psychological services, including professional readjustment counseling to eligible Veterans, active duty service members, including National Guard and Reserve components, and their families. Readjustment counseling is offered to make a successful transition from military to civilian life or after a traumatic event experienced in the military. Individual, group, marriage and family counseling is offered in addition to referral and connection to other VA or community benefits and services. Vet Center counselors and outreach staff, many of whom are Veterans themselves, are experienced and prepared to discuss the tragedies of war, loss, grief and transition after trauma. Providence Vet Center | Veterans Affairs (va.gov)
From Justyn Charon: “My job as the Veteran Outreach Program Specialist (VOPS) at the Providence Vet Center is to get out into the community and inform Veterans and service members about our services. I have found that one of the best, and most rewarding, ways to do this is by providing our community members with ways to interact with each other and our state’s natural resources.
Every Monday we invite Veterans and service members to participate in the Narragansett Bow Hunter’s open archery lessons, and we regularly partner with local non-profit organizations such as Veteran Angler Charters, The Fallen Outdoors, and Beyond the Battle to provide free fishing charters and hunting opportunities for our community members.
In September we are offering an opportunity for our community to learn how to Surf Cast with the Narragansett Surfcasters, and now we are partnering with the Rhode Island Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Outdoor Education to provide this event, “Learn to Quahog (Veterans Edition)”.
These events not only provide us with an opportunity to inform the community about our services, but it also provides an opportunity for Veterans and service members to get outside and interact with each other. I have an amazing job and truly cherish the opportunity to provide these types of events for my community.”
Please direct any questions to Justyn Charon by phone at (401) 739- 0167 or via email at [email protected]
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Other opportunities through this collaboration with the Veterans:
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