News, events, and updates you Otter know fromOARS.
OARS 3 RIVERS
A strong, effective, and sustainable organization
Fond Farewells
Board, staff, volunteers, and special guests Senator Jamie Eldridge and Representative Kate Hogan celebrated retiring Board members and staff in September and wished them well on their future adventures! Senate and House Commendations were presented to all three.
Thank you for your many years of dedicated service
Julia Khorana
Director of Finance & Development
(2005 to 2022)
Dick Lawrence
Board of Directors
(founding member to 2022)
Lisa Vernegaard
Board of Directors
(2013 to 2022)
Welcome Aboard
OARS is growing!We are delighted to welcome Heather Conkerton and Sarah Kwan to OARS.
Heather Conkerton
Ecological Restoration Coordinator
When Heather is not putting her skills and passion to work for the environment through OARS, she is either volunteering in the marine mammal department for the New England Aquarium or sharing her love of West Coast Swing with her students. See Heather's full bio.
Sarah Kwan
Director of Development & Community Engagement
Sarah is a lifelong environmental steward and lover of the outdoors and can regularly be seen hiking the SuAsCo trails or swimming in the local ponds and lakes (during the warmer months) with her family.See Sarah's full bio.
HEALTHY RIVERS
supporting wildlife and our communities
Gold is the New Green
Water advocacy paid off!The summer of 2022 was one of the hottest and driest on record from Boston to western Massachusetts causing the SuAsCo watershed to have critical drought statusconditions declared from June 1 to October 7. Yet, a long-standing loophole in regulations allowed many large suppliers and users to avoid conserving water, draining essential water from our beloved rivers and streams when they needed it most. We’re pleased to announce that MassDEP has revised theWater Management Act Regulations to close this loophole, allowing water conservation conditions to be set for 63 public water suppliers and 87 golf courses during droughts. Thank you to those who submitted comments supporting this important change!
Quit Being so Salty
While salting roads makes winter travel in New England safer and easier, too much salt in rivers and streams is toxic to freshwater life. Road salt in runoff also enters the groundwater that feeds public and private wells. OARS is monitoring salt in our streams and the first year of results indicate there’s a problem.
Note the obscured accessibility symbol (outlined) due to heavy salt loading.
Photo credit: Alison Field-Juma
CARING COMMUNITY
that appreciates and protects our rivers through OARS
Thank you to all who contributed in 2022!
Supporters like you ensure that the vital work to protect, improve, and preserve the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers and their tributaries and watersheds through OARS can continue each year.
