Lend a Hand with River Friendly Gardens
May 14th, 2013 | by Cynthia
Volunteer to help with our beautiful rain gardens and learn about river friendly gardening! Photo: Denise King
Do you have a green thumb? A fondness for digging in the dirt? A hankering to garden? A desire to make a difference? A love of the Ipswich River? Join us for a Garden Clean Up session on Friday, May 17, at Ipswich River Watershed Association, 143 County Rd (aka Route 1A) in Ipswich. We could use your help tending native plant and rain gardens.
We start at 8:30 (but you are welcome to join in whenever your schedule allows) and wrap up by 10:30. Feel free to bring a friend and your favorite weeding tools. Let us know by email or calling 978-412-8200 if you can help, either on the 17th or another, more convenient, time? (more…)
Herring Count Update
April 30th, 2013 | by Ryan
The fishcount is going very well. As of Sunday April 28th, volunteers have performed over 200 individual, ten minute counts and we are not quite half-way through the count season that began April 1. Over the last few years, we had just over 300 counts for the entire season! At this pace we are on track to set a record for the most counts done in a single season. Also as of Sunday April 28th, we are up to 20 river herring counted. On some occasions, additional herring were reported outside of a count period. One observer reported 14 herring going by after 7:00PM when we stop counting for the day. Maybe herring prefer to run in the evening, we don’t really know. Our wish is to install a camera that can record these events when no one is looking. Thank you to everyone who participated in the count so far.
It is not too late to get involved with the herring count. This is a fun and easy activity for individuals and families alike. If you would still like to get involved, contact Ryan or Kate or visit the fishcount webpage for more information.
Volunteer for your River!
April 10th, 2013 | by Cynthia
RiverWatch volunteers make a difference while enjoying the river.
Volunteering is a great way to make a difference, learn new skills and help the river.
- RiverWatch monitoring is our volunteer water quality monitoring program to assess the health of the Ipswich River. Volunteers collect water quality data monthly from March-December and read staff gauges. We need volunteers for sites in North Reading, Middleton and Ipswich. No experience required. Training provided.
- Volunteer in our Gardens! We are looking for a few gardening enthusiasts to tend and maintain our demonstration rain and native plant gardens. Join us on Thursday, April 18th from 8-10:30am for the first garden clean up of 2013 and help us get the gardens ready for spring. If you can help, contact us! (more…)
A Story About A Parking Lot!
April 2nd, 2013 | by Cynthia
Check out the story behind the new ‘green’ parking lot in town. This time sequenced video illustrates the construction of a new green parking lot at EBSCO Publishing in Ipswich, MA. Meridian Associates designed this eco-friendly parking lot which incorporates innovative stormwater management techniques to provide water quality treatment. The rain garden next to the parking lot filters out harmful toxins and chemicals found in the stormwater runoff that flows off the pavement. Hats off to Ebsco and Meridian for their great work in the community and for the Ipswich River!
