2023 WaterWatch Lecture Series - North and South Rivers Watershed Association

Stay active and engaged with nature this winter! Each Wednesday evening at 7 pm starting January 11 and running through March 1, will have in-person events, virtual presentations, and optional guided outdoor events.

The January 11 and March 1 events will be live and in-person with Zoom optional. We encourage attending live for the in-person experience! Register below one time for the entire Zoom series, and purchase tickets separately for the January 11 live event.

REGISTER HERE for the 2023 WaterWatch Lecture Series on Zoom
(One registration gets you into all the Zoom events. Register for Live events separately below)

Presented by North and South Rivers Watershed Association and Mass Audubon South Shore Sanctuaries. Sponsored by Clean Harbors, Mass Cultural Council, Clearwater Recovery, and the Duxbury, Hanover, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth, and Scituate Cultural Councils.

Please consider making a gift to our 2023 WaterWatch Lecture Series

2023 Presentation Schedule

Wednesdays, January 11 – March 1 @ 7:00pm

January 11 – Expand Your Seafood Options with Unfamiliar Fish – SEE VIDEO BELOW
Joe Norton, Mullaney’s Harborside Seafood Market, and Local Fishermen – Redfish, Black Sea Bass, Monkfish, Hake, Skate, Dogfish… these are just a few unfamiliar locally caught fish that should be more familiar on your dinner plate! There are many delicious fish that we could eat, but don’t, simply because they are not marketed to us. Join Joe Norton at his Mullaney’s Seafood Fish Market along with local fishermen to expand your seafood dinner menu options, learn about these fish, how to cook them and enjoy a tasting!

January 18 – How to Go Electric! – SEE VIDEO BELOW
Laura Burns , Hingham Net Zero – People are always asking “what can I do about climate change?” One of the best things you can do is electify your home. Going electric in your home can save money, improve your health, and reduce carbon emissions. But how to do it? New tax incentives are making it more affordable to switch to electric appliances and heating systems. Join Laura Burns from Hingham Net Zero for a presentation on going electric and how to take advantage of tax incentives, with particular emphasis on switching from gas or oil based heating systems to heat pump systems.

January 25 – Know Thy Neighbor: A Brief Look at the History, Culture, and Teachings of the Mattakeeset People – SEE VIDEO BELOW
Chief Sachem Fisher, Council Chief of the Mattakeeset Tribe of the Massachuset Indian Nation
Join us as we listen, learn, understand, and discover the history and culture of the people who called these South Shore lands their home for thousands of years. Dr. Fisher will lead us on a thought-provoking presentation about the struggles his people have endured, as well as ways in which we can help understand, acknowledge, mend, support, and better appreciate the teachings of the true heritage of the South Shore.

February 1 – PFAS in Our Waters – SEE VIDEO BELOW
Neal Merritt, Hanover Water Superintendent, Jason Federico, Norwell Water Supply, Peter Dillon Norwell Water Commissioner, Sandra Baird, Toxicologist MassDEP’s Office of Research and Standards – Recently, much attention is being paid to a group of chemicals known as PFAS (Per and Poly Flouroalkyl Substances) or forever chemicals that are being found in our waters and that have known human health impacts. These ‘forever’ chemicals have been widely used and are in many of our household items from nonstick pans to stain-resistant treatments on our furniture. Join our panel of local experts on the topic, including water suppliers from Norwell and Hanover, who will share their findings and how they are dealing with this emerging contaminant of concern.

February 8 – Snowy Owls – SEE VIDEO BELOW
Doug Lowry, Mass Audubon South Shore Sanctuaries
These incredible, nomadic Arctic owls frequently visit New England coastal regions during the winter, and are often seen at Logan Airport. Explore the year-round life cycle of Snowy Owls and their time in Southeast Massachusetts. We will share information, opportunities, and guidelines to safely and responsibly observe Snowy Owls while they visit our community.

February 15 – Slavery and Black Life in North River Communities, 1673-1865 – SEE VIDEO BELOW
Wayne Tucker, Eleven Names Project
In 1673, Scituate shipbuilder Walter Briggs purchased Maria, an African child, from a Boston widow. For the next 110 years, slavery was a legal, widespread, and a mundane fact of life in the communities surrounding the North River. Local shipyards exploited enslaved labor. Ships built in the region transported enslaved people, and increased eighteenth-century demand for new ships created by the business of slavery was an economic boon for the area. Enslaved women worked in local households, men worked as blacksmiths, tanners, and farmers, and children were separated from their mothers and trafficked to other homes and towns. This presentation will examine slavery in North River communities, connect local landmarks to slavery, highlight service by Black Revolutionary soldiers, reveal early African American activism, and probe Black life after Massachusetts abolished slavery.

February 22 – Making Salt Marshes More Climate Resilient – SEE VIDEO BELOW
Tom Bell, Hydrologist and GIS expert, Sara Grady, NSRWA Watershed Ecologist and Mass Bays South Shore Regional Coordinator, and Danielle Perry, MassAudubon Coastal Resilience Program Director
Restoring, healing, and adapting our local salt marshes to withstand rising sea levels will be important to maintain their ecological values in a changing climate. Tom Bell, a local scientist who has analyzed historic aerial photos will share the results of how much salt marsh has been lost in the North and South Rivers between 1950 and today. Local salt marsh experts, Sara Grady and Danielle Perry, will share the current state of the art of restoring salt marshes and how we can apply these practices here on the South Shore.

March 1 – Climate Cafe at Stellwagen Brewery – Zoom and Live event
NSRWA and Mass Audubon Education Staff
The Climate Cafe model, used globally, is a forum for judgment-free, informal climate conversations in local communities. These conversations not only foster an understanding of climate change and its local impacts, but also equip participants with the skills and confidence they need to talk about climate change with the people they care about. Our friends at Stellwagen Beer Company are our hosts for this community empowering event. In-person event at Stellwagen Beer Company, 100 Enterprise Dr, Marshfield. Registration for the series through the link below will grant you access to this live event.