Over the past year, we have been expanding the series of landings and kiosk along the Ipswich River as part of the Ipswich River Water Trail project, funded by the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). As part of the project, we’ve developed a new volunteer corp of trail stewards called the River Wardens.
While there are many volunteers who maintain Ipswich River landings and river sections, we are trying to create a more formalized and organized program. The goals of the program are to:
–Have current information on the state of the river.
–Keep the river and landings in optimal condition so that they can be better enjoyed by the public.
–Have records of work done on the river, how much volunteer power is needed to keep up this maintenance and how often kiosks need repair/maintenance.
–Track how conditions on the river have changed year to year.
River Wardens are trained on best practices, including the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration’s (Mass DER) policy for woody debris removal. The guidelines are also outlined in the River Warden Handbook as well as the duties and expectations for River Wardens, including:
–Pruning and cutting back vegetation
-Cut only when needed, and just enough to allow safe passage for paddlers.
-Picking up trash
-Checking and maintaining structures
-Identifying potential hazards
-Look out for dumping
-Blow downs/large woody debris
After the training on Wednesday, September 25th, our River Wardens are already off and running. They’ve been checking river sections, alerting us about debris in the river, and encouraging others to get out and enjoy the river. There are still river sections and landings available, so if you are interested in joining this fantastic group of volunteers, please contact Rachel at [email protected]. You can also support a clean, enjoyable Ipswich River Water Trail by taking part in the upcoming Fall Riverwide Clean up on October 26th 12 noon to 3 PM.