Roots & Rivers
Haverhill Conservation in Action
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The City of Haverhill Water Division Declares Drought Emergency
Effective March 19, 2025
ALL non-essential outdoor water use is prohibited with the following exceptions defined in §250-26.1:
- Irrigation with harvested and stored stormwater runoff;
- Water use for the purposes of agriculture;
- To meet core functions of a business.
In addition, we ask that all water customers enact indoor water conservation measures, such as
- Fix any toilet or faucet leaks immediately;
- Run dishwashers and washing machines only on a full load;
- Take shorter showers or utilize the flow control feature built into many new showerheads;
- Use a commercial carwash where water is typically recycled.
For more water conservation tips, visit these useful links:
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The simple answer: so we have enough when we need it. By conserving water, we minimize those periods when water scarcity is a problem. This ensures there is enough water for our people, wildlife and the environment – now and in the future.
Water is constantly in motion, moving across the land, through the atmosphere and back down to the ground as rain and snow. It is also stored below our feet as groundwater. This ongoing motion is called the water cycle.
Human activities impact this natural cycle. As the graphic shows, buildings, roads and other impervious surfaces lead to more runoff and less water being infiltrated into the soil. It’s important to shift development practices so we can get to a more sustainable system that more closely mimics nature, even in urban areas.
To read more, go to Mass.gov
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Let's Hike Haverhill!
Meet friends and explore Haverhill's conservation areas at our Let's Hike Haverhill! guided hikes. Our guides always give an exceptional tour with interesting facts and history of the land.
Learn More
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Invasive Species ID & Restoration Workshop | Join us for an afternoon of land stewardship by learning about invasive species plant ID and manual management techniques, while helping cut and pull invasive plants.
What are they?
Why are they harmful?
How to identify, remove, and dispose of them?
What to plant in their place? | | |
Riverside Park
Lincoln Ave, Haverhill, MA 01830
View on map
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Apr 27, 2025 01:00pm
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Haverhill City-Wide Earth Day Clean Up
“Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.”
—Jimmy Carter
For some 26 years, the City of Haverhill, Brightside, and the businesses and citizens of our city have worked together every Spring to clean and brighten up Haverhill! This year the clean-up is scheduled for Saturday April 26th.
Join the Facebook Group
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Become a Haverhill Trails Steward!
The Haverhill Trail Stewards Program marries our Trails Volunteers with the various trail users and groups of our community. Haverhill Trail Stewards are active visitors to their chosen sites, sending us observation reports, tidying up the trails as needed, and identifying needs for a larger group effort.
Learn More and Sign Up today!
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Our Power, Our Planet | Earth Day 2025
The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of other first-of-their-kind environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act. Two years later congress passed the Clean Water Act. For 55 years, Earth Day has led the world in raising awareness and taking action on critically important environmental issues.
This year's Earth Day theme is Our Power, Our Planet. Grassroots people-power has always been at the heart of Earth Day. As we approach this milestone, we celebrate a transformative reality: we already possess the solutions we need to create clean, inexpensive, and unlimited energy for the entire planet through renewable solar, wind and other technologies.
Learn about the movement and see how to get involved at EarthDay.org
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*Explore this comprehensive platform designed to inspire and empower individuals to take action for Earth Action Day and beyond.* | | | |
We had a great time during March's Let's Hike Haverhill event at Creek Brook & Rurak Point Conservation Area! If you didn't get to visit with the LHH group, get acquainted with this conservation area by watching HC Media's special features, Exploring Haverhill's Trails: Creek Brook and Rurak Point. | | |
Places to Be | Crystal Gorge
Since 2000, Crystal Gorge has been one our most treasured hiking areas, offering several miles of trails with interesting views of the landscape. The name, Crystal Gorge, comes from the glacial landform that runs across the property. Walk along the esker (ridge) of the gorge and take in the view! In springtime, you might see abundant frogs and salamanders breeding in vernal pools and Lady Slippers along the woodland trail.
Directions
Learn about Crystal Gorge
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Exploring Haverhill's Trails
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Crystal Gorge
Get an introduction to the Crystal Gorge trails on HC Media's special feature Exploring Haverhill's Trails: Crystal Gorge
Watch Now
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Crystal Shores
Crystal Shores has a mix of wetlands, streams, hills, and the shoreline. You can find animals such as beavers and otters as well as an abundance of fish, birds, and other aquatic life near the shore.
Watch Now
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Vernal Pools come to life
The sounds and appearance of frogs and salamanders is a sure sign of spring. Certainly you've heard the spring peepers getting loud across the city. Vernal pools are small, temporary woodland ponds that serve both as critical breeding habitat for frogs and salamanders, and as important feeding grounds for many reptiles, birds, and mammals. These pools flood in spring's snow melt and rainy season that dry in the summer heat. They provide a place for frogs and salamanders to lay their eggs before returning the land for the remainder of the year.
You may have seen swaths of these critters traveling on a warm, rainy night this spring, a phenomenon known as "Big Night," where hundreds of these amphibians congregate at vernal pools to mate for the season.
Find us on the trail at Crystal Gorge Conservation Area on April 19th from 11am-12pm to learn more about these hidden havens.
| | | Some special species that use vernal pools! | | |
Have you ever heard of vernal pool certification? It is a process where you provide information about a vernal pool so that it becomes state and locally protected! You can learn how to certify vernal pools and help protect them in Haverhill with the Conservation Department! We will provide you with the resources you need to collect data and submit findings. Just shoot us an email letting us know you're interested!
| | Yesterday's Landfill, Tomorrows Green Space | | | | |
The Groveland Road landfill has been waiting for new life. Several years ago, the city completed the first project phase by capping the southern mound and installing solar panels.
The picture to the left is what the landfill looks like today.
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Remediation of a landfill is a complex process that can take many years to fully permit and complete. Project engineers are on the cusp of redeveloping the northern mound for safe use.
The picture on the right shows the vision for the reuse of the northern mound. By the end of this project, the City will have two new public soccer fields overlooking the Merrimack River.
| | | Follow this project and more on our website on our News & Events page | | More to see, more to do in Haverhill | | | | |
