The North and South Rivers Watershed Association held their annual meeting on Sunday, November 3, 2024, with a full house at the beautiful JPH at Ferry Hill. The year 2024 has seen lots of changes for the NSRWA. Gabriela Silva and Terri Birkeland moved on, and we welcomed Kezia Bacon, Joe Regan and Amy Walsh to the team. Susan Darnell and Jack Zarkauskas left the board and we added two new board members, Ariel Hurley and Jeff DeMarco. We thanks all of the past staff and board for all of their contributions!
At the meeting, we honored our 2024 Citizen Science Volunteer of the Year Ernie Cormier, the 2024 Volunteer of the Year Susan Caron & Friends of the South River Park and Greenway, and the 2024 Barbara Pearson Memorial Award went to the Hanover Crossing Management Team and Local Artists Sally Dean, Cathy McCarthy and Kris Brennen.
Educational highlights of the year included our WaterSmart school programs, Battelle Youth CAT programs, River Adventures, and our summer camps and Estuary Explorers. We also launched our new Climate Action Youth Advisory Council (CAYAC).
Current science and restoration projects were highlighted, including; culvert assessments, salt marsh monitoring, and South River restoration projects including the removal of the Veterans Park Dam in Marshfield.
Stay tuned for our upcoming WaterSmart Book Giveaway and our Auction that begins December 6th! And please consider donating to help us meet our $50,000 Year End Matching Challenge!