Last week, more than 100 people gathered for NSRWA’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Party—and what a celebration it was! We came together to thank our incredible team of volunteers: citizen scientists, office helpers, public event ambassadors, educators, photographers, envelope stuffers, and many more. Every one of you plays a vital role in helping us advance our mission of protecting and restoring local waters. Thanks to Craig and Danny Hannafin for hosting an awesome party!
See the photos from the party here (photos by Lisa A. Irwin and Lori Wolfe).
The Numbers Behind the Impact
Kezia and Alex kicked off the event by sharing some powerful stats that reflect just how much our volunteers make possible:
Kezia Bacon – Community Engagement Manager
- We now have 540 volunteers in NSRWA’s new database.
- 294 have already signed up to volunteer with us in 2025
- Every year, another 350+ parents assist with school programs
- That means between 600 and 800 people lend their time to NSRWA annually
- So far in 2025, 273 individuals have contributed over 710 volunteer shifts — and that doesn’t even include parent volunteers or multiple shifts from fish counters!
Alex Mansfield – Watershed Ecologist & South Shore Regional Coordinator for the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program
In 2025, for Citizen Science, we had:
- 106 individual River Herring counters. 907 total counts. Approximately 454 hours of volunteer time
- 56 individual Horseshoe Crab counters. 24 Surveys. 100% coverage. Approximately 240 hours of volunteer time.
- 7 individual RiverWatch water quality samplers. Approximately 72 hours of volunteer time.
- 4 Volunteer Eelgrass boat captains and their boats. Approximately 30 hours of volunteer time.
- Total ~796 volunteer hours.
These numbers represent more than just data points—they are proof of the passion and dedication in our community. Thanks to your help, we can reach audiences and accomplish work that our core staff simply couldn’t manage alone. Every single contribution you make—big or small—promotes healthy waters and a stronger South Shore.
The Many Ways You’ve Helped
This year, NSRWA volunteers have stepped up in a wide range of ways:
- RiverWatch water quality monitoring
- Representing NSRWA at events like the North River Pop-Up Museum, Earth Day at Hanover Crossing, and Gateway to Summer at Norwell Senior Center
- Giving educational presentations on North River History and Timing the Tides
- Horseshoe crab monitoring
- Training as NSRWA ambassadors or program presenters
- Stuffing envelopes, filling swag bags, and supporting hospitality at events
- Helping organize and run special events such as the Gardening Green Expo and the Striper Tournament
- River herring counts
- Leading or assisting with the Walking Club
- Taking event photos and conducting site visits for our Get Outdoors database
- Even teaching Yoga at the River’s Edge!
Do any of these things appeal to you? As always, we’re also always looking for help in areas like fundraising, marketing, IT support, video production, and social media. If you have a skill, we likely have a way to put it to good use!
If you’d like to get more involved, sign up here.