News, events, and updates you Otter know from OARS. | |
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OARS 3 RIVERS
A strong, effective, and sustainable organization
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As we reflect on the meaning of Thanksgiving, we send you a heartfelt Thank You!
We're grateful for the many ways our members, volunteers, donors, sponsors, and friends have helped us make progress towards a healthy, accessible, and resilient Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord River watershed.
Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
—OARS Board and Staff
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OARS’ President Ingeborg Hegemann is leading the recruitment of the next Executive Director to take up the reins in 2024 following the upcoming retirement of the current ED: “We have wonderful staff, a clear vision, and a collaborative and interested board.” | |
HEALTHY RIVERS
supporting wildlife and our communities
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Rivers are Connected & Resilient | | |
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OARS’ Berlin dam removal project kicked off with a team site visit to Wheeler Pond dam on North Brook, a tributary to the Assabet River. Removing this significant hazard dam in unsafe condition will reconnect fragmented wild eastern brook trout habitat, reduce stream temperatures, and reduce the flood hazard. Wetland delineation has just been completed! | |
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Dam Busters 101 monthly lunchtime webinar series is designed to demystify the dam removal process for municipal and non-profit project managers, dam owners, and interested community members. Each webinar features an expert on a facet of dam removal with time for Q&A. You can choose which webinars to attend. Offered by the Mass. Division of Ecological Restoration (DER), Mass. Rivers Alliance, and the Charles River Watershed Association.
Next installment: Wed, Dec 6 at noon: “Funding a Dam Removal Project” with experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), DER, and the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program.
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Hosted by Nashoba Brook Bakery, OARS invited the community on October 30 to share their questions and interests regarding the future of Warner’s Pond and Nashoba Brook in West Concord. The Town of Concord owns the dam and has tried for two decades to manage the eutrophic conditions with little success. OARS supports the dam removal option presented in a 2023 Alternatives Analysis and is compiling a Frequently-Asked-Questions to share with the public focused on OARS’ areas of expertise. | |
CARING COMMUNITY
that appreciates and protects our rivers through OARS
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Support the vital work to restore, protect, improve, and preserve the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers and their tributaries and watersheds through OARS. | |
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LOOK OUT FOR OUR "3 DAYS FOR 3 RIVERS"
DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT MATCH CAMPAIGN, LAUNCHING SOON!!!
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Support OARS while getting gorgeous gifts for the children in your life!
Online and in-person shopping available
If you love to give high-quality children's books (ages 0–12), shop and support our programming at the same time! Global children's book publisher Barefoot Books publishes award-winning books that celebrate our world, including a rich array of titles in STEAM, sustainability, social-emotional learning, early learning, music + movement, and just plain fun. Up to 50% of each purchase will benefit OARS!
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HELP US TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS GENEROUS OPPORTUNITY AT A LOCAL BUSINESS
Weekday Holiday Shopping at Barefoot Books HQ
- Mon–Fri | Nov 27–Dec. 8 | 9am–5pm
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23 Bradford Street, West Concord, 2nd Floor. Mention you’re an OARS supporter!
Online Shopping to Benefit OARS
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Thank you for Supporting OARS! | |
Put Your Hands in the River Event Update | |
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Were you unable to attend Alison’s talk on The Formation and Fate of the Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord Watershed at the Maynard Library? You can now enjoy it from the comfort of your own home or phone through an event recording.
Enjoy!
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As Sewage Overflows become more frequent, advocates and legislators push for a solution
Alison Field-Juma, executive director of OARS explains that SSOs are discharges of sewage into waterways . . .
Field-Juma said waterways such as the Assabet River contain various pollutants from wastewater, despite the discharge having been treated and cleaned.
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Indigenous People of Concord Walking Tour
Nov 24, 25 | 11AM to 12:30PM | Concord Visitor Center, 58 Main Street, Concord
For over 10,000 years, the indigenous people of the land knew this area as Musketaquid—The land between the grassy rivers. This tour explores the first people's history and how they lived in a land of abundance, seeking to keep and foster balance with the natural world, their mother, who always sustained them. What happened when cultures collided and the events that shape the world of the indigenous people of Massachusetts today.
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League of Women Voters Concord-Carlisle
First Friday: Warner's Pond
Fri Dec 8 | 10AM to 11:30AM | Concord Free Library, Doodwin Forum and Zoom
Come to a panel discussion on Warner’s Pond. Speakers include Delia Kaye, Concord’s Natural Resources Director, and Alison Field-Juma of OARS.
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