Thanks to your vital support, here are just a few of the things we accomplished in 2025:
South River Dam Removed – The Veterans Memorial Park Dam in Marshfield was removed in January! This opened 1 mile of the South River and allowed fish to move upstream freely for the first time in almost 400 years. What once was an obsolete mill dam and poorly functioning fish ladder, is now a newly-constructed series of pools and riffles that vastly improve access to spawning areas upstream. This project would not have been possible without over 10 years of hard work from the Town of Marshfield, Marshfield residents and Veterans, and funding from the Town of Marshfield and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. We are also grateful for our citizen scientist herring counters who have helped us gather data at this site since 2008. Click here to learn more.
Watershed Science Education was Delivered to Nearly 5,300 Youth – Through our Water All Around You school program, Estuary Explorers, FISH School, Grow Native, River Adventures, partnerships with Rec departments, after school, holiday, and school break programs, we provided watershed education to youth of all ages. Through these programs, students learned in school and on field trips. The youth participating in outdoor adventures kayaked the waters of the South Shore, fished local ponds, hiked, geocached, built shelters, and explored many nearby properties. One of the popular and longer running programs is Estuary Explorers. Through this program, South Shore students embark on a journey through unique coastal habitats while participating in activities including water sampling, salinity measurements, and hands-on science discovery.
30 Culverts Were Assessed for Blockages and 3 Critical Restoration Projects Were Advanced – In its inaugural year, the Stream Stewards program surveyed approximately 30 culverts to collect data regarding the condition of the infrastructure as well as its ability to pass water and fish. We also cleared debris out of culverts and waterways in the Indian Head River, Iron Mine Brook, and Torrey Brook. See more photos here. To learn more about our Stream Stewards program, contact Beth at Beth@nsrwa.org.
The WaterSmart Program Provided Education to the South Shore – Our WaterSmart program is a nonprofit partnership between the NSRWA and 12 towns on the South Shore: Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Rockland, Scituate and Weymouth. This program supports education on the South Shore through 15 topics on water conservation and stormwater, including; septic maintenance, leaf litter, fertilizer, grass clippings, pet waste, dumpster maintenance, parking lot maintenance, sediment and erosion control, low impact development, a yearly public stormwater contest with questions, the Greenscapes Guide, and ice and snow melter. Plus Gardening Green Expo, our rain barrel sale and the Water All Around You school program. New this year were Scoopy Poo, our pet waste mascot, and our trivia prize wheel, that went to local fairs and festivals. Read more about the WaterSmart program here.
Citizen Scientists Advanced Critical Initiatives – Through our NSRWA/Mass Bays partnership, we utilized the work of 173 citizen scientists to monitor river herring, horseshoe crabs, water quality, marine invasives, eelgrass, salt marshes, and mussels. These citizen scientists provided invaluable information to our local, state and federal partners with a total of ~796 volunteer hours invested. Additionally, we are encouraging the citizen scientists of the future! For example, this fall Mr. Perrotto’s Scituate High School Environmental Science class has been studying the global issue of “clean, safe water.” As part of that, they are looking specifically at coastal and marine issues and how the watershed is involved in the health of the ocean. In late September, the class joined NSRWA’s Watershed Ecologist out on a salt marsh in Scituate to see some of these concepts first-hand. The data collected through our volunteers helps better understand the condition of our natural resources and how we can improve them through restoration efforts like dam removals, stormwater and wastewater improvements and habitat restoration projects. Click here to learn more about becoming a citizen scientist.
Volunteers Increased the Reach of Our Initiatives – In 2025, we worked with more than 800 volunteers, enabling us to engage with more people, at more places, in more diverse ways. From stuffing envelopes, to clearing culverts, to wearing a poop emoji costume at public events, volunteers were essential in helping us promote healthy waters. They counted herring and horseshoe crabs, planted eelgrass, collected water samples and shot gorgeous photographs. They helped with fundraising, graphic design, presentations, social media, and events. Thank you to all of our volunteers – we truly couldn’t do it without you! Learn more about becoming a volunteer here.
Explore South Shore Spread the Word on Outdoor Spaces to Enjoy – In 2025, our Explore South Shore program highlighted more than 350 local places where the public can go to enjoy nature. Daily social media posts featured hiking trails, kayak launches, playgrounds, fishing spots, wheelchair-accessible parks, and plenty more. In addition, our Get Outdoors online database, which garnered more than 510,000 pageviews, provided detailed listings for all of those properties and more, with all the relevant info you need to plan an excursion… even if you’re just looking for a place to sit and enjoy the view! Check out Explore South Shore.
River Defenders Advocated for You – On your behalf, we successfully advocated to maintain the North River Commission in its role implementing the North River Protective Order. Earlier this year, H.4110 was filed to eliminate the North River Commission and transfer responsibility to the Town Conservation Commissions. We believe this would place additional strain on already stressed local town resources, lead to inconsistent implementation and management across all Towns, and weaken the power and effectiveness of the Order. After multiple emails, letters, calls and testimony before the Joint Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources, we were thrilled to see that this bill was not reported out of Committee and will no longer be up for discussion. Click here to learn more.
Outdoor and Online Events – Through paddling excursions and guided walks, along with such programs as the Water Watch Lecture Series, Know Your Local Waters, NSRWA Walking Club, Yoga at the River’s Edge, and so much more, we connected 8,000+ people with nature, both in-person and online.
Pontoon Tours – In 2025, we continued to offer community members an opportunity to experience the beauty of our rivers up close through our Pontoon Boat program. The program is more popular than ever, with more than 45 tours scheduled this past season, and more than 250 passengers enjoying a blissful 2 hour tour of the scenic North River. Keep your eyes open for new dates offered next spring, and plan to come aboard!
These are just a few of the things accomplished in 2025. Your contributions are the foundation of our success!