NATURE WATCH 2019 NSRWA ANNUAL MEETING from Norwell Spotlight TV on Vimeo.
Last Friday the NSRWA celebrated people who are protecting our waters! Highlights from this year’s work emphasized how many people contributed to our mission this year.
- Our staff worked with volunteer photographers Lisa Irwin, Kezia Bacon, Mike Sleeper and Jim McIntyre to make our new ExploreSouthShore.org website look fabulous and added a new outdoor listings section that reflected our updated paper guide map.
The Fish Out of Water art raffle engaged 17 artists in 11 towns on the South Shore in raising awareness for the need to conserve water, while Scitstock drew more than 300 people to listen to outstanding rock musicians who donated their talents for the cause. - Six volunteer Wampanoag Paddlers paddled 73 miles and raised $12,000 to help us restore our rivers.
- The organization also supported the citizen and student led efforts to ban plastic bags in Norwell, Hull and Hingham to advance clean water.
- This year NSRWA submitted letters with over 650 signatures from the public supporting the raising of the Scituate reservoir and the clean-up of the Fireworks Site in Hanover and Hanson.
- Over 200 people attended our South Shore Climate Change and Water Conference to advance sustainable water policies and climate change resiliency on the South Shore.
- Many partners including staff and citizens in Duxbury, Hanover, Norwell, and Marshfield, are working with us to remove obsolete dams and restore habitat.
- We increased our outdoor and environmental education programs reaching more students and adults than in any time in our history!
- And last but not least 500 new members joined the NSRWA to help us grow to meet the challenges facing our water resources and helped us to meet a $200,000 matching grant by the Bloomwhistle Charitable Foundation.
Honoring People Who Make a Difference
- Geoff Day of the Sea Run Brook Trout Coalition and Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Biologist Steve Hurley were honored with the Barbara Pearson Memorial Award for their efforts on tagging Brook Trout in the Third Herring Brook after we removed a dam on the brook. This led to designating the brook a Coldwater Fisheries Resource which affords the brook more protection in the future from development and redevelopment.
Volunteer of the Year award went to Ann Kerr of Abington for her behind the scenes volunteer efforts that keep us strong! - This year’s Citizen Scientist of the Year went to Jill Slankas of Hingham who took a leadership role in managing all of our citizen science based volunteer programs.
- To wrap up the evening, NSRWA Board President Peter Hainer, honored Joe Strazdes, North River Commission Boat Patrol and Judy Grecco, North River Commission Agent, for their service in protecting the North River as long time staff members of the North River Commission. Both Joe and Judy retired this year from the North River Commission after 39 and 22 years of service respectively.
Thank you to everyone who attended and to Joe Norton of Mullaney’s Fish Market for providing the amazing shrimp and crab legs for our reception.
To see photos of the event, go to our Facebook page.