Located in the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Narragansett, Nipmuc, Pokanoket, and Wampanoag Nations, the Blackstone is known to the Nipmuc and Narragansett as Kittacuck and Mishkittakooksepe respectively- both meaning “great tidal river,” although it hasn’t been tidal for 200 years. Here, the first water-powered cotton spinning mill catalyzed the American Industrial Revolution, leading to massive impacts to hydrology, water quality, and community character. In 1970, the river was considered “dead,” and in 1990, an EPA report called it the most polluted river in America due to toxic sediments. Through massive investments and the Clean Water Act, the river rebounded remarkably. However, it now faces additional challenges due to extreme precipitation, stormwater runoff, recurring drought, dangerously high heat, and development pressure. The Blackstone Watershed Collaborative is an umbrella network of over 120 partners including municipalities, tribes, nonprofits, universities, consultants, and others working to restore and improve resilience of the bi-state Blackstone Watershed, extending from Worcester, MA to Providence, RI and is home to more than half a million people in 39 municipalities and numerous tribes. The Collaborative provides technical assistance and capacity building for partners to improve the social and ecological resilience of the watershed, with a focus on improving equity and assisting underserved communities.