Leading the Way, Not Paving it: Municipal

7/31/2019 Leading the Way, Not Paving it: Municipal

1/12RiverWatch October 2009 Page 1

Leading the Way, Not Paving ItMunicipal Action Needed to Control Stormwater

RiverWatchOctober 2009

THE NORTH AND SOUTH RIVERS WATERSHED ASSOCIATION, INC.

continued, page 7

Paved suraces, mostly near tribu-taries, increase river pollution, andexacerbate low ows

Pavement, roos, parking lots, roads,sidewalks...all o these are impervious

suraces, and they disrupt natures watercycle. Impervious suraces cause twoproblems polluted storm runo and thealteration o natural stream ows.

Sudden runo rom paved suracesincreases streamow during rain events,and reduces streamow in summer anddroughts by reducing recharge into ouraquiers and the slow release o that waterinto streams. Climate change in the North-east is expected to result in more extremedroughts and more requent and intenserainall events, making the problem worse.

Over many years, NSRWA andothers have done a good job o protect-ing the main stem o the rivers. Buthidden in the upper watershed, thetributary streams that eed the rivers arebeing impacted by increasing impervi-ous suraces. These cause pollutionmiles downstream, closing beaches andshellfsh beds.

NSRWA works with communities tosolve stormwater problemsIn our last newsletter we highlighted theindividual actions that can be taken to

restore natures water cycle, includingbuilding a rain garden and installing rainbarrels to capture roo runo or outdoorwatering. We also need our towns to take

action. Our com-munities can enact

planning laws thatstop the proli-eration o so muchpavement, and canfnance and fx theimpacts rom exist-

ing pavement.NSRWA regularly works with towns

to address these problems. Two examples:NSRWA has been working with

Pembroke to install demonstrations o

Low Impact Development (LID) tech-niques. These practices mimic the naturalwater cycle by reducing paved suraces,using alternative paving materials, andwherever possible using natural systemslike rain gardens and vegetated swales to

treat and recharge polluted runo. (Thearticle on page 6 describes the projectsthat were installed at Town Hall and theOldham Pond Boat Ramp as part o a$270,000 grant that the NSRWA obtainedto work with the town.)

In Scituate, NSRWA initiatedthe passage o a stormwater bylaw andregulations that require development andredevelopment to use LID techniques.

In the end the NSRWA hopesto lead the way, not pave it.

Hanover Mall parking lot. Photo by Debbie Cook.



Letter From ThePresident

As I have just reached a milestone in my lie, ater a little obligatory soul searching, I have come to realize thatthere exists a lot o wisdom in the way many o my riends celebrate lie in conscious sometimes daily rituals.Stretching, yoga, meditation, giving thanks are all things that over the years, the skeptic curmudgeon in medismissed as rivolous distractions. Why be reective when there is so little time and so many things to immerse

yoursel into? Its not that I havent appreciated the many gits that lie provides, Ive just been a little slow understandinghow valuable ormally recognizing those gits can be. With the zealotry and probable irritation o the newly converted, Ihave adopted a ew daily rituals. One o my avorites is a Greet the Day stretch and thanksgiving which includes severalopportunities to celebrate the natural world. As my time as President o the NSRWA closes, I thought I would use this

mornings ritual to give thanks to the many gits o the rivers. Here are a ew memories o the North and South Riversthat I am grateul or:

Paddling at the mouth watching bluesh chase bait sh through the standing, translucent waves backlit by a lateSprings sunrise.

Watching the moon rise over Fourth Cliff on several well attended full moon paddles.

Inspired by stories about the rivers from folks like Betty Lamphier and Maggie Walker, life-long educators and stew-ards o the watershed.

Counting blackbirds, as clouds of them descended at dusk to roost near Blueberry Island during Christmas bird countswith Sarah, Marion Pratt and Bob Fox.

Watching volunteers pull everything from aluminum cans to shopping carts from the rivers, eagerly awaiting the cov-eted treats served by the Grill-master Mark Norton on our annual river clean up day.

Working with Ellyn Einhorn, Chris Dalton and Don Salvatore during the rst few summers of the River Adventuresprogram, weeks flled with adventure, enthusiastic participants, dip nets, microscopes, kayak and canoe skills and camp-ing at Couchs Beach.

The stands of cardinal owers, hermit crab colonies, secretive rails and other surprises that appear at each turn of therivers.

The Great River Race! From pirates, wild turkeys, dragon boats, to serious and not so serious determination and fun,the river comes alive with North and South River enthusiasts.

Sitting around the ofce table with board members and staff as we meet to work on the organizations challenges. I am

humbled by the expertise, dedication, commitment and vision o those past and present stewards whos work has been sosuccessul.

Nick Tyack and friends! His inspirational fundraising effort and work with the NSRWA gives us hope for the futureand solace that the next generation of stewards are alive and kicking!

The many members of the NSRWA whose invested interest, donations and participation have been instrumental in thehealth and well-being o our shared git, the North and South Rivers.

Thanks and see you on the water,Doug Lowry



Focusing Our Programs,

Increasing Our Eectiveness

Letter From The Executive Director

To our loyal members:

You have been generous supporters o the North and South Rivers, and I hope you share our pride inyour Associations many achievements. But particularly in these difcult times, we owe it to you toset our priorities careully, to ocus our programs or maximum eectiveness, and to get the mostor every dollar you contribute.

Accordingly, or the past several months NSRWAs sta and board have been taking a resh look atwhere the rivers stand, and what we hope to accomplish over the next ew years. We have decidedto ocus on three key problems acing the North and South Rivers: Waterwithdrawalsthatreduceriverows; Pavedsurfacesthatcausepollutionandalsoalterow;and Impedimentserectedalongtheriversthathaltshrunsandimpairtherivershealth.

We have analyzed what has to be done to solve these challenges, and have concluded, most unda-mentally, that it is not enough to ocus on the rivers themselves: they are part o a system, andwhat happens up the tributaries can close beaches and shellfsh beds miles downstream.

We have examined careully how we have been most eective in promoting these solutions in thepast, and report (on the next page)on our broad strategies or ad-dressing our rivers problems.

We are in the fnal stages o de-ciding our specifc program goalsor the next ew years, and willexplain these in our next newslet-

ter.

Thank you or your membershipand support!

Sincerely,Samantha Woods



NSRWAS NEW PROGRAM FOCUS

Improving the Health o theNorth and South Rivers Watershed

more, next page

NSRWA has made greatprogress in the last 39 years oprotecting and advocating orthe North and South Rivers.

We have been successul in cleaning upmost major pollution sources on the riversand they are cleaner and healthier thanever beore.

However major challenges remain.The North and South Rivers are part oa larger system, and water withdrawals,

development and impediments (dams, cul-verts, tide gates) ar up their tributaries canhave impacts miles downstream. Waterwithdrawals, particularly in summer, canleave streams dry. Development o morepaved suraces causes water pollution andalters stream ows. Impediments erectedalong the tributaries and rivers halt fshruns and impair river health.

Making the situation worse, climate

change is likely to increase the extremes oboth drought and rainall in the Northeast,

increasing pollution and putting morestrain on our water inrastructure and thehealth o our water.

Three priorities are oremost:

We need to educate the public that ac-tions up tributaries can have impacts araway, and the importance o being stew-ards o the entire watershed.

We need to protect the natural water

cycle that replenishes and cleans our rivers

by encouraging the use o less pavementand more treatment o stormwater.

We need to ensure that impediments to

ow are improved to handle the waterow demands o the 21st century andimprove fsh passage and river habitat.

The NSRWA is uniquely able address these

issues at a local level by creating an inormed

and concerned public and knowledgeable

municipal ofcials.Here are some

examples o our suc-

cesses.

NSRWA asEducator

Examples of

NSRWA led educa-tion eorts:

The Greenscapesprogram is acomprehensivewater conservationeducation pro-gram started by theNSRWA and currently in 10 South Shoretowns. Due to its success here, 40 townsthroughout the state have adopted theprogram.

NSRWAs youth education programs

include: 5th grade eld trips to water facilities

Watershed Explorers Club that educates

through on-line and feld activities

River Adventures Camp attended by

over 250 kids

Adult education through our newsletter,website, weekly e-mails, articles in thenewspapers, and direct mail.

NSRWA as AdvocateThe NSRWA is an eective advocate orthe watershed, working with municipalofcials and the public to eect manypolicy changes that result in measurableimprovements to the watershed.

Examples of NSRWA advocacy:

NSRWA has recently helped Scituate

become a leader in stormwater manage-

ment by adopting a stormwater bylawthat encourages less pavement and moretreatment.

NSRWA support for the adoption of the

Community Preservation Act in water-shed communities has resulted in the pro-tection of over 500 acres of open space that

helps to protect our watershed and rivers.

NSRWA advocacy resulted in the pas-sage o a No Discharge Designation orthe rivers in 2008.

NSRWA as Monitor

Finding pollution hot spots, measur-ing ows, gauging the health o our saltmarshes and fsh runs all give the NSR-WA critical inormation to provide techni-cal advice, shape remedies, and inorm

decision-making at a local level. An addedbeneft is that by training volunteers toconduct this monitoring, we are also creat-ing more stewards or these resources.

Results o NSRWA monitoring:

NSRWA water quality testing has led

to stormwater and wastewater acility up-grades and to the opening o recreational



shellfshing in the North River.

Habitat monitoring has supported the restoration of over 2,000

acres o tidal salt marsh on the South Shore.

Summary o Solutions

Revisiting the three identifed priorities, here are some unda-mentals or their solutions:

Priority A- Focus our education on building understanding

on how our individual and collective actions even ar away romthe river impact the watershed and natures water cycle.

Priority B - Minimize the degradation of the natural water

cycle to improve water quality and keep rivers owing. Many

opportunities exist, rom actively promoting low-impact develop-ment, such as using permeable pavers and building raingardens,to strategic land acquisitions.

Priority C - Inrastructure improvements to handle ow andimprove fsh passage. Solutions must be matched to the particularimpediment. Examples of solutions include:

Fish ladders that work

Water supply management of reservoirs to allow for streamow

Tide gates managed to allow for as much natural ushing as

possibleAs the NSRWA develops the fnal aspects o its program or

the next ew years, we will ocus on water-related issues through-out the entire watershed, including the tributaries, and to build onour three core strengths - education, advocacy and monitoring.

by Samantha WoodsExecutive Director



MASS BAYS PROGRAM

Demonstrating Clean Waterin Pembroke

The NSRWA and its partner theMassachusetts Bays Programwork hard to provide our com-munities with technical assistance

and unding sources to implement storm-water remediation projects. For example,

we just recently completed a $270,000Clean Water Act grant unded project towork with the Town o Pembroke to in-stall Low Impact Development practicesthat treat and recharge stormwater backinto the ground. The point o this project

was twoold - to demonstrate alternativesto traditional pavement and to install inno-vative treatment that recharges back intothe groundwater.When we frst approached the Town oPembroke to do this project they wereenthusiastic and why not? They had exist-ing projects that we could obtain grantunding or to deer some o the townscosts and provide an example to others onhow to manage stormwater to protect our

water resources. A true win-win situation!The two projects were the much neededupgrade to the Oldham Pond Boat rampand the renovation at the Pembroke TownHall parking lot and adjacent tenniscourts. As demonstration projects, both

sites were chosen or their high public vis-ibility, and because the town was intend-ing to do work at these sites already theirwork provided the 40% required match toobtain the grant.

Oldham Pond is a headwater o theNorth River and has considerable waterquality challenges rom stormwater run-o. Also while the Town Hall in Pem-broke does not directly abut a waterbody,many visit the Town Hall particularlywhen in need o a permits to build or pave.

The NSRWA had great partners inthe Pembroke Watershed Association, theMattakeeset Garden Club, Pembroke Boy

Scout Troop 43, the Pembroke Depart-ment o Public Works and the engineeringconsultant Comprehensive Environmen-tal. The community groups engagedvolunteers to help plant and maintain therain gardens, build educational kiosks atthe sites and assisted in public presenta-tions and really made the project happen.

Below is a description o the dierentelements that were included in the renova-tions at these two sites. Next time you arein Pembroke considering taking a look- there are posters depicting the designs atboth sites.

Rain Gardensor BioretentionBasinsA rain garden, alsocalled a bioreten-tion basin, is much

like a normal gardenexcept it contains aspecial soil mixturethat contains moresand so it will drainquickly and a layer ogravel at the bottomto store water as itdrains into the ground.They are typicallyplanted with native,

drought-tolerant plants. Their purposeis both fltration (physically by the soilparticles and biologically by the plants and

natural soil bacteria) and infltration (as thewater percolates into the groundwater.)There are raingardens at the corners othe Pembroke Town Hall and along theTown Police station that capture, treat andrecharge roo runo while also beautiyingthese public spaces.

Permeable PaversPermeable pavers resemble bricks thatare designed with spaces between themto allow water to soak through instead

o running o (i.e. the pavers used inthe Pembroke 319 project are essentiallysquares with the corners cut o.) Theirprimary purpose is infltration o rain wa-ter, thus reducing the amount o impervi-ous surace area and lessening the amounto water runo. These were used on theOldham Pond boat ramp in Pembroke.

Permeable pavers on Washington Streetin Pembroke

Porous pavement and permeable pavers atOldham Pond Boat Ramp in Pembroke.

continued, next page



Porous PavementPorous pavement is specially mixed asphalt that allowswater to percolate through instead o running o. It isvery eective, however it does require cleaning with

a vacuum streetsweeper. It also ices up less during thewinter, according to research rom the University oNew Hampshires Stormwater Center. The primarypurpose o porous pavement is infltration. Porous pave-ment is located in a strip along the edge o the OldhamPond boat ramp parking lot and in the aisle o the trailerparker lot, in the center o the Pembroke Town Hallparking lot, and along the side o the Pembroke tenniscourts.

Geoblock GridGeoblock grid is made up o interlocking plastic pieces

with large gridded spaces. These spaces are flled withgravel and planted with grass. Although it is primar-ily intended or infltration, having vegetation growingin the interstitial spaces also lends some fltration thatremoves pollutants as well. It is suitable or areas thatdo not receive constant trafc. Geoblock grid has beeninstalled in the trailer parking areas at the Oldham Pondboat ramp.

Demonstrating Clean Water,continued rom page 6

Leading the Way,continued rom page 1

by Samantha WoodExecutive Directo

by Sara Grady, Watershed Ecologist, Mass Bays Program

NSRWA provided support and technical assistance to the planning boardto see the bylaw passed in 2008, and regulations adopted this past summer

NSRWA is committed to engaging more communities to adoptstormwater bylaws, and

will be asking our mem-bers to vote or them.

Controlling impactsrom existing pave-mentBut stormwater bylawsthat change the courseo uture developmentwill only solve hal theproblem not allowing

the problem to becomeworse. In addition, exist-ing pavement needs to beswept regularly to preventpollution, and existingstormwater systems needto be maintained, cleanedand upgraded. In order toaddress stormwater issues

more systematically, our towns need to have dedicated unding orthese purposes.

NSRWA will address existing stormwater problems by pro-

viding stormwater fnancing workshops to municipal ofcials, andpartnering with communities to identiy and clean up pollution hotspots - in particular Marsheld along the South River, where we

hope to get the shellfsh beds open.

This all the NSRWAboard decided to insti-tute a Blue CommunityAward to acknowledgecommunities within ourwatershed that havetaken exemplary actionstowards restoring na-

tures water cycle. TheTown o Pembroke willboth be honored at thisevent or their work overthe last several years.



NSRWA EVENTS

NSRWAS 19th Annual Great River Race andDr. Saras 7-Mile Swim

The North & South Rivers Watershed Associations 19thAnnual Great River Race was an outstanding successwith 96 non-motorized crat participating, with en-thusiastic paddlers and rowers racing to the fnish line.

The race course is 7 miles starting at the Union Street Bridge inNorwell and ending at the Old Washington St. Bridge at thePembroke/Hanover line.

In addition to the usual non-motorized crat, the NSRWAsvery own staecologist, SaraGrady, swam the

7 mile course toraise awareness o19th AnnualGreat River Race

SponsorsA.W. Perry Inc.

Black Pond Veterinary Service

Bond Printing Company, Inc.

Cavanaro Consulting

Charles River Canoe & Kayak

Daniel W. Clark Real Estate

Goodwin Graphics

Hubbard Plumbing and Heating

Humarock Mooring Service

Image Resolutions

J & B Power Equipment

J.E. Fitzgerald - Housesmith, Inc.

Kethro & Thomas, P.C.

L Knie & Sons

McGreals Tavern

Monahans Marine

MTI Adventure Wear

Norolk Ram Group LLC

P.F. Spencer Jr. Inc.

Rockland Federal Credit Union

Scituate Federal Savings

Village Green Landscape

by Paula Christie

Photos: clock-

wise from top.

Sara Grady at

the end of her

swim. Photo

by Mark

Holbrook.

The start of

the mens

kayak race.

Photo by

Paula Christie.

The starting

line in Nor-

well. Photo by

Paula Christie.

the state o the river and raise unds or the organization. To ourknowledge, no one has ever done this beore. Dr. Sara completedthe course in 3 hours, 8 minutes and 7 seconds, and raised over$2,000 in donations or the North & South Rivers WatershedAssociation. Thank you Sara...and thank you to all those whosupported her efforts for the NSRWA!

NSRWA friends Mary Ann & Kevin McGreal once again

hosted the awards ceremony and party at McGreals Tavern in

Norwell Center, where awards were presented to the top fnishersin the many categories.

Special Thanks to the generous support o Great River Race

Business Sponsors that help make this wonderul communityevent possible.



The NSRWAs 15th Annual River

Watch Water Quality SamplingProgram had a great season witha dedicated group o volunteers.

The program has been able to continueover the years partly due to a generous git

rom an anonymous donor.Though the summer had its air share

o rain, most o the sampling events weredone during dry weather spells, translatinginto low levels o bacteria. Overall, bacterialevels have improved over the years, exceptor the Willow St. Bridge site, where wecontinue to see higher levels. Samplers not-ed that there was some light drizzle on the8/13 and 8/27, but not enough to contrib-ute to signifcant levels o contamination

rom runo. Sources o contaminationcan come rom human and animal wasterom stormwater runo and ailed septicsystems that can leach bacteria.

The volunteer driven program, whichbegan in 1994, monitors ten sites along theNorth and South Rivers or ecal coliormbacteria during the summer months. Thepurpose o the program is to provide thepublic with inormation regarding whichsections o the river are sae or recreation-al purposes, as well as help our organiza-

tion monitor, identity, and potentiallyeliminate sources o pollution in the rivers.

We are waiting to hear i we havebeen unded to ollow up on some moreintensive bacterial source monitoringupstream in the South River. We hope

to have positive news about this undingsource but i not we will continue to seekunding to ollow the bacteria upstream othe Willow St bridge in Marsheld.

WATER QUALITY

2009s River WatchSampling ProgramCanoe Family

Eugene B. Haen III,

Jason & Adam Haen 1:30:16

Amy, Jason & Titus Breen 1:53:10Michael, Kate & Liam Joy,

Oliva Cyrus 1:57:06

Canoe MenPete Olson (SR) &

Ed Halpin Jr. (SR) 0:59:10

Joe Lukaszevicz &

Dennis Morgovio 1:01:11

Canoe Mens SingleWilliam Brown 1:05:10

Chris Murtagh 1:11:48

Canoe MixedBill & Lindsey Regan 1:07:50

John (SR) & Nanci LaMarre (SR) 1:09:48

Steve & Anna Schroeder 1:41:03

Kayak DoubleDaniel & Samantha Jones 1:03:31

Neil Oliwa & Tim Ayers 1:08:21

Doug Gray & Pat Clark 1:11:21

Kayak Single MenPhilip Sherman (SR) 1:01:31

Eric Rightmire 1:01:54

Bev Barnard 1:04:57

Kayak Single WomenDeb McCarthy 1:12:33Nancy Whipple 1:15:02

Suzanne Lituri 1:17:54

Diane Phinney (SR) 1:24:42

Rowing Fixed Seat DoubleJeery (SR) & David Roderick 1:10:17

Rowing Fixed Seat SingleCraig Robinson 1:14:55

Doug McLellan 1:17:28

Rowing Fixed Seat FamilyDavid & Margie Vose with Harrison,

Grace, and Isabella 2:10:31Rowing Sliding Seat SingleCraig Wole 0:58:55

John Scott Thornburn 1:05:23

Nowell Bloomenthal 1:09:36

Best Decorated BoatsKayak DoubleCarolyn Sones

Sally Gauditis

Kayak Single MenSkip Holland

2009RACE RESULTS

by Paula Christie

Special Thanks to our2009 Volunteers:

Nicole BertoneLeah BleikenRalph ButlerAria FitcherBill Graton

Rachel LaiosaAl LaRue

Jim LathopAndrea Miller

Linda MillerSean Morrison

Janis StevensonKensey Waterman

A sampling of River Watch 2009 volunteers. Photo by Paula Christie.

Results on next page.



RiverWatch Water Quality Results 2009

Date

6/17/09

6/30/09

7/15/09

7/29/09

8/13/09

8/27/09

WashingtonStreetBridge

36

230

26

69

180

130

CornHillLane

44

66

120

190

340

280

MfeldCanoeLaunch

31

110

55

110

140

170

ScituateWWTP

0

2

33

1

1

1

DritwayPark

1212

338

142

716

2313

14017

NorthRiverMarine

156

205

133

447

3414

918

DamonsPoint

64

182

103

207

289

744

JulianStreetBridge

143

10013

397

569

7928

7513

WillowStreetBridge

100

300

400

120

500

600

NorthRiverMouth

NS

50

00

62

80

41

Rainfall

in last 48

hrs

0

0.02

0

0

0.01

0

North River and Tributaries South River

Numbers indicate colonies o ecal coliorm and enterococcus bacteria per 100 mL o water.

Numbers in boldace exceed Massachusetts single sample threshold or swimming (FC: 400/100mL, Entero: 104/100mL).

Massachusetts threshold or shellfsh is 14+ per ML and or drinking is 0 per 100 mL.

Typeo

Bacteria

FCEntero

FCEntero

FCEntero

FCEntero

FCEntero

FCEntero

Long time volunteer Janis Steven-son, has been involved with theNorth & South Rivers WatershedAssociation since the early 1990s

when Dan Jones, the NSRWA frst direc-tor, came on board.

Having worked in a biology clini-cal chemistry lab prior to having hertwo children, Janis decided to make thetransition while raising her children to bean NSRWA volunteer, as the North Riverwas in her back yard.

In the early days beore the River-Watch water quality monitoring program,the NSRWA received a grant to moni-tor and analyze rain water runo on animmediate response basis. Janis had thescientifc background to set up and analyzethe samples hersel taken by volunteerswithin an hour ater the rain started.

Ater returning to teaching scienceto middle school students, Janis kept herhand in NSRWA sampling programs and

brought her studentsalong. This summerwas no exceptionwhen she broughtalong and trainedthree o her nieces todo RiverWatch Wa-ter Quality Monitor-ing.

One o Janisbiggest concerns isthat the schools donthave enough envi-ronmental educationin their curricula- no MCAS oceano-graphic standardsor environmentalstandards. She eels that we cant blamechildren, our uture adults, or not protect-ing the environment i they dont know orunderstand how to protect it - or exampleunderstanding how rainwater runo

NSRWA PEOPLE

Rivershed Steward Profle: Janis Stevenson

impacts our rivers and streams. We wishto thank Janis or helping us carry out ourmission o educating the public, especiallyour children, in the importance o under-standing, protecting and preserving ourenvironment.

Janis Stevenson on the bank of the North River.



NSRWAs Fall 2009 Events

Nelson MemorialForest WalkSunday, November 1st

2 - 3 pmExplore a local orest! The NSRWAand the New England ForestryFoundation are co-sponsoring awalk led by Phil Benjamin, ownero Benjamin Forestry Services, atthe Nelson Memorial Forest inMarshfeld. Phil will ocus on thevarious acets o woodland stew-ardship and management. Meet atthe Marshfeld Conservation park-ing lot on Union St.

The Tradition ContinuesNSRWAs New Years Day Walk

Friday, January 1, 2010 at 1 pm

Join us or our annual New Years Day Walk at the Tubbs Mead-ow Preserve in Pembroke. The walk will begin at 1:00 pm. Thetrail head is located o o Monroe Street in Pembroke. Thepreserve is 125 acres o diverse habitat including old cranber-ry bogs, dirt roads, a large reservoir, unaltered wetlands andacres o oak and pine uplands. It is home to many birds andanimals. Ater a walk through this interesting property, whichis also a piece o the Bay Circuit Trail, hearty rereshments willbe served.

Directions: Follow Route 53 towards Pembroke, to Route 14 Easttowards Pembroke Center, take let on Center St, then let onHobomock, then right on Monroe St.

Letter From Nik TyackJuly 2009

Dear Friends o the NSRWA and the Rivers,

Thank you so much or your generous support. Your donation, along with many others, has allowed NSRWA to raise over $6,600,

an invaluable contribution to the Watersheds mission in these troubled economic times. This will go a long way towards maintaining the

Watershed Associations programs and eorts to both educate and preserve.

Furthermore, thank you rom me or showing interest in my journey - without such inspiring support, I dont think I could have made

it through muddy Stetson Brook, or would have had the guts to wade underneath the Carver Cotton Gin Factory in East Bridgewater.

Who knows whether I would have had the perseverance to continue portaging around tree ater downed tree in the Satucket and Matfeld

Rivers long ater I could no longer keep track o how many there had been? Even i my paddling partners could have prodded me along,

the excitement about the Wampanoag Canoe Passage I elt --- rom riends and amily, in the encouraging messages let on my undraising

page, and your generous support --- spurred me on at each new obstacle and made me not regret one minute o the our days I spent travel-

ing (slogging, more oten than not), rom Scituate to Dighton.

I hope youll keep your eyes out or more inormation about local

history and waterways, or about the Wampanoag who frst paddled down the

North and Taunton Rivers, carrying with them a sense o ecological responsi-

bility that we can still aspire to today. Perhaps youll even fnd time to paddle

part o the trail - i you do, I recommend starting out with the more navigableNorth and Taunton Rivers.

Thanks again or helping to ensure that the North and South

Rivers Watershed Association can continue to do its very best to protect the

North and South Rivers, a unique resource or those o us who live on the

South Shore and visitors alike. Your continued support and interest is invalu-

able.

Sincerely,

Nicholas Tyack

P.S. --- go to www.wampanoag-passage.blogspot.com to view my

blog, and www.picasaweb.google.com/Ntyack to view pictures.

Nik Tyack at the end of the paddle.

One

MoreEvent

On

Next

Page!


12/12

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDNORWELL, MA

PERMIT No. 59

THE NORTH AND SOUTH RIVERS WATERSHED ASSOCIATION, INC.

P.O. BOX 43 NORWELL, MA 02061

www.nsrwa.org

RiverWatch

SAVE THE DATE!NSRWAs 39th Annual Meeting

Friday, October 30th at 7 pmSouth Shore Natural Science Center

Please join us and fnd out about the NSRWAs work to protect and restore our waterresources! A casual wine & cheese reception will be held rom 7 - 7:30 pm

Volunteer o the Year Award Winner - Nik Tyack or his undraising paddle onthe Wampanoag Canoe Trail.

Barbara Pearson Award Winner - Susan Charon, Chair o the Marshfeld OpenSpace Committee or her work to save land critical to the rivers.

Blue Community Award - Town o Pembroke or their proactive eorts todeal with stormwater pollution.

Documents

Leading the Way, Not Paving it: Municipal