In an ideal world, humans would coexist with nature rather than try to champion over and manipulate it for our own interests and purposes. The concept of “give back equal to or more than you take” would be balanced out, and would replace the current way our society runs which is more by the philosophy of “take, take, take and when it eventually comes to harm you, then give a little back.” We have become comfortable with finite, unsustainable, inconsiderate plans that have catastrophic costs. Then, we often turn away from facing and fixing the understandably overwhelming realities we have shaped and created in our ecosystems.
People are busy lip-syncing on social media, but don’t bother to spend time learning things like where their water comes from or how their daily activities directly affect it. Many of us are so busy getting to and from jobs and commitments that we drive right past tree-hidden streams, marshes, and ponds tucked off the side of the roads that impact our daily life. I, too, am numbered as such. It is a fortunate thing, indeed, that there are also people in our communities working tirelessly to address, study, heal, and protect our local ecosystems -people like Samantha Woods, Executive Director of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association.
The NSRWA was created in 1970 by a group of South Shore residents who wanted to preserve and protect the watershed’s natural beauty -both for their own use and for generations to come. What began as a group of 400 South Shore residents has grown to over 1,900 members. The initial movement behind the formation of NSRWA was a Scituate resident named Jean Foley. She was birdwatching around the North River salt marshes and noticed that two types of sparrows she often spotted there were missing. Foley suspected perhaps the new Driftway condo development built along the marsh was a possible cause. She started to look for answers and rallied local water resource specialists, state environmental agency employees, a wildlife biologist, an attorney, and local conservation commission members, and other residents of watershed towns to join the cause. Jean, and her Husband Jack, had a meeting that spring to address the current state, and future of, local waterways and thus began the NSRWA.
Over fifty years later, the NSRWA is a well-established, local, grassroots, non-profit environmental organization made up of thousands of South Shore citizens who donate time, resources, and funds to restore, preserve, and protect our local watershed and waterways and the local ecosystems around them. NSRWA focuses on three main areas to achieve their goals: Education, Engagement, and Lead by Example.
“Healthy watersheds require working with communities to restore our rivers and waterways. We realize that in order for people to want to protect things, they need to understand them. This is why we focus on education in the community,” Woods explains. “The Water All Around You school program, sponsored by WaterSmart (a non-profit partnership with the NSRWA) provides water-based education to local fifth graders in South Shore schools. We provide 3D models showing how water moves across their towns, how pollution travels and ends up in our rivers, and how dirty water gets treated.” The Water All Around You program provides students tours of their local water treatment plants where they also learn how to conserve water by making small changes.
During the winter months, people can further their education about waterways by participating in the Waterwatch Lecture Series. “These are online and in person lectures with a variety of themes and experts to teach about our waterways and their histories -even about gardening and learning how to manage our gardens in a more eco-friendly way. We help homeowners learn how to make their yards less of a strain on water resources and the environment,” says Woods.
In addition to providing many opportunities to learn about our watersheds, NSRWA also educates the community on how to be on the water and understand how our water systems work in the landscape. Their River Adventures Camp teaches children how to kayak, practice water safety, and explore the natural and cultural history of the North and South Rivers. If you are looking to learn more and wish to connect with NSRWA for group learning opportunities, the River Ambassador Volunteers are available to speak to community groups about their outdoor activities, educational programs, and advocacy work to protect the waters. Woods, ecologist Alex Mansfield, and NSRWA environmental educator Brian Taylor, are happy to speak to groups and organizations.
The second focus for NSRWA is perhaps its most alluring for the average citizen: Engagement. The NSRWA provides a wide array of hands-on, close up, personal, and first-encounter experiences for all ages to learn about and participate in the health and preservation of our waterways. “We focus greatly on our engagement programs -programs that use citizen science and outdoor participation to help people become aware of and familiar with the water in our communities,” says Woods. “We offer programs to get people outdoors to have hands-on experiences. We want to get kids outside hiking, fishing, and on the water as well as help them be active participants in our scientific studies.”
The Estuary Explorers Program is one of many unique opportunities to get children engaged. Participants will learn first-hand about the science of rivers, watersheds and estuaries in outdoor day trips on boats. For many children, this is their first time on the North River -the only scenic protected river in Massachusetts. The program visits the salt marsh, sand flats, mud flats, and barrier beaches of the North River, and children learn about the ecology of a salt water estuary. At a shifting sand flat called “the Spit,” children examine tide pool creatures and observe a variety of animals including invasive green crabs, Asian shore crabs, sea stars, and birds. On land exploration or a pontoon river boat trip, the team teaches children to collect data on water quality and marine life using scientific tools to study river salinity, and marine and local ecology. There is even a beach scavenger hunt. Remarkably, this program is free of cost due to a generous donation from The Michele E. Dufault Foundation.
Woods is also eager to help the communities on the South Shore learn about and become engaged in a pressing and widespread issue in our local watershed systems -dams and the plight of the herring. “We do a lot of things to engage the community and we ask them to be citizen scientists -observing their waterways and collecting data -counting what they see and reporting it to us. We do horseshoe crab counts, herring counts, bay restoration, observation of invasive species, and salt marsh monitoring -all using the collected data from volunteering, observing citizens.” Woods Explains, “But one of the biggest things we need help with, and to focus on, is dam removal and the restoration of natural waterways for the herring and other native species.”
Dams have long been a part of the New England landscape since colonists arrived with industry. Dams were originally seasonal -built for a few months to power mills and then dismantled to allow the return of herring flow, and then the wetlands created from the flooding were farmed due to the enriched soil. When society began to industrialize in the late 1800’s, dams became concrete and permanent -also permanently detrimental to native species moving up and down the rivers and to and from the ocean and other waterways.
“There are about 3,000 dams in Massachusetts -leftover relics,” says Woods, “they were the electricity before electricity. They stopped up the rivers and created local ‘ponds’ that have formed their own ecosystems, but they are not natural or conducive to the migration and natural patterns of local species -especially the herring, and they create stagnant water environments. Through our own studies and citizen science over the years, we have learned just how impacted the populations are by these unnatural dams -which were rendered quite useless with electricity established in most places by the 1920’s and when mills stopped being used.”
Currently, local watershed associations are focusing efforts and resources on dismantling these unnecessary and detrimental structures -often with a great deal of resistance from local organizations and institutions and with the obstacle of large expenses and lack of enough funding. Overall, 15% of available habitat has been re-opened but 77% is still blocked by dams, and only four of the sixty-five dams in the North and South Rivers Watershed have been removed. In an attempt to find a way forward in the immediate future, watershed associations are also proposing altering the dams by at-least partially dismantling areas that will allow some species to move freely up and down the waterways without obstruction.
The third focus of NSRWA is to lead by example. In keeping with their goal, NSRWA offers plenty of chances to interact and learn from them in a social, community setting. Woods assures there is something for everyone. “We have yoga at the river edge, kayaking instruction and excursions, library lectures, photography exhibits, and a walking club where you can meet up with other NSRWA members on guided walks through trails and learn about the area with expert hosts.”
One of the largest events for NSRWA is The Great River Race taking place August 9. “This is the 36th year of the race. This is a non-motorized vehicle race where you can compete with others on the river. We recommend this for people who have some experience paddling as the total mileage is 8.5 miles to the take out,” says Woods, “It is a big fundraiser for our environmental education and outdoor programs.”
For South Shore residents to get involved, Woods recommends first making sure to contact and support your immediate local watershed organization. “Join the mailing lists, follow the online calendars, and go to events,” Woods advises, “There is the Jones River Watershed Association and the Taunton River Watershed Alliance that also cover this area of southern Massachusetts -everyone should know which one they live in and support them first.”
Whatever watershed association you are a part of, they are all crucial, connected, and deserving of far more attention, effort, and funding than our communities give them. “What happens on a small scale will eventually happen on a large scale,” warns Woods, “We hope that people not only learn about these important places, but also learn the joy they bring when we get outside and appreciate them.” Perhaps this summer, we can collectively commit to take a look at that nearby stream we usually only glance at and learn about where it comes from, where it goes, and what lives in and depends on its health. You will undoubtedly be led on a meandering journey of your own and be quite surprised at how big a role you play in the state of life around you.
For more information about the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, Inc., please visit: www.nsrwa.org