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Roots & Rivers

Haverhill Conservation in Action

August 2025

Volunteer Opportunity

Trail Steward Workday - Pumphouse Trailhead, Meadow Brook Conservation Area

10AM-12PM Friday, August 22nd

Join the Haverhill Trails Stewards for a cleanup on the west side of Meadow Brook Conservation Area! We will meet at 183 Millvale Road at the Meadow Brook Pumphouse Trailhead to clean litter from the main trail and the shoreline and spruce up the trail.

We will have some loppers, hand pruners, and gloves available. Please bring your preferred tools and gloves and prepare accordingly for the weather!

Aug 22, 2025 10:00am - Aug 22, 2025 12:00pm

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Places to Go

Riverside Trail & Edible Avenue

Have you had a chance to walk the new trail at Riverside Park? Finished last year, this short walk brings you to great views along the Merrimack River and through the park. Along the way, be sure to take a close look at all the new plants at the Edible Avenue, a joint project of the Haverhill Garden Club and Team Haverhill with help from Brightside!

If you want to get involved with beautification projects in the City, reach out to Brightside at brightside@haverhillma.gov, attend a Team Haverhill meeting, or apply for membership at the Haverhill Garden Club.

Water Conservation

Solutions to Stormwater Pollution

Every drop of rain eventually makes its way back into a lake, river, or wetland. With less frequent, more intense rainfall becoming more common in a changing climate, it is important to be aware of polluted runoff. Learn about what stormwater is and the importance of protecting our watershed in this short video by the Greenscapes North Shore Coalition.

For more tips on conserving water in these hot summer months, visit Outdoor Water Conservation | Mass.gov

Haverhill's Least Wanted | Invasive Species

Burning Bush (Winged Euonymous), Euonymus alatus

Once planted for its vibrant fall foliage, burning bush is a prolific invasive which readily spreads itself in natural areas through birds and animals who disperse the abundant and viable seeds. This species tolerates shade very well, allowing it to take over forest understories with ease while displacing native plants. See the impact for yourself at the John's Woods trail, which is affected by a widespread invasion of burning bush, among other invasives.

Resources to check out about Burning Bush:

Burning bush was banned from importation, sale, trade, distribution and related activities as of January 2009. If you have burning bush in your yard still, consider replacing it with one of these alternative native shrub species:

Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)
Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)
Black chokeberry, (Aronia melanocarpa)
Eastern Shadbush/Serviceberry, (Amelanchier canadensis)
Buttonbush, (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Maple leaf viburnum, (Viburnum acerfolium)

Plant shape & Structure

Leaves

Branch with 'wings'

Tool: Native Plant Finder

Are you interested in using more native plants in your garden, but don't know where to start? Great news! There are several native plant database tools for you to find Haverhill native plants, including a list of plants to attract birds and butterflies.

Garden Plant Finder | Native Plant Trust

Find Bird-Friendly Native Plants | Audubon

Native Plants Finder | National Wildlife Federation

Upcoming Projects

Winnekenni Park Trail Project

Leave your mark on the park by helping us rebuild the trail from Winnekenni to Plug Pond! Many hands make light work... In the coming weeks, we will be seeking volunteers to help complete this project. Keep an eye on Facebook and your email for workdays at Winnekenni Park.

Let's Paddle Haverhill!

Group paddle on the mighty Merrimack River!

9:30AM-12PM, Saturday, August 23rd

The paddle will take us down river to Hale’s Island and perhaps beyond. We have timed the event to give us an incoming tide for our return to the boat ramp. This section of the river is not technically difficult. No rapids of any kind.

Please reach out to paddle@teamhaverhill.org with any questions. See you on the water!

About Let's paddle Haverhill!

After seeing the success of Let’s Hike Haverhill!, local residents, avid kayakers (and long time Team Haverhill members) Karl Brunelle and John Cuneo, were inspired to create a similar program, but dedicated to paddling Haverhill’s waters rather than hiking. After presenting the idea at Possible Dreams 2025 and assembling a crew of like-minded volunteers, Let’s Paddle Haverhill! was born.

For updates and news on scheduled paddling outings, follow Let’s Paddle Haverhill! on Facebook!

Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program

Protecting Rare & Endangered Species

Have you seen uncommon wildlife and plants in Haverhill? The Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) depends on having high quality data in order to protect rare and endangered species and their habitat. Reporting observations is critical for the continued success of NHESP's conservation efforts. If you encounter one of these species, we want to know so we can help keep the database up to date. Visit "Report rare species & vernal pool observations" to learn how to help! Observations can be sent the Haverhill Conservation Department or submitted to MassWildlife’s Heritage Hub.

List of Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern species | Mass.gov

Rare species viewer | Mass.gov

Get Involved with Conservation

Lend a Hand as a Trail Steward

Be our "eyes and ears" on the trail by letting us know about trail issues and picking up litter and debris. Sign up to learn about workdays and how you can get involved.

Learn more

Become a Haverhill Trail Steward