On Thursday September 7th, IRWA, in partnership with the Ipswich Utilities department, Mass ECAN, the PIE-Rivers Partnership, Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, and MA Division of Ecological Restoration, hosted a field trip of approximately 30 ecological management professionals from around Massachusetts. We got the opportunity to highlight multiple success stories of ecological restoration projects in downtown Ipswich and talk about the opportunities for accelerating the pace of restoration projects by working in partnership with multiple stakeholders.
A group of 15 attendees started their day at Riverbend and paddled down to the peatfield landing, experiencing this beautiful stretch of the Ipswich River. Our intrepid paddlers met up with the rest of the group to walk to the site of the biostablization project on the Shurcliff River Walk. The group heard from Rachael Belisle-Toler and Emily Sadoway of the Ipswich Utilities department on the biostabilization work required to protect the sewer interceptor and heard about community engagement and involvement in the project.
The group then walked over the Ipswich Mills Dam to hear about this high-priority ecological restoration project (currently under MEPA review and open for public comment). Other practitioners were especially interested to hear from Carla Villa, IRWA’s engagement coordinator, on the special efforts we have been making to educate the public about this critical project. From our pop-up shop in downtown Ipswich ahead of this spring’s town meeting to viral videos about animals negatively impacted by the dam, IRWA has been working hard to ensure that all of our many stakeholders and partners are aware of the importance of the Ipswich Mills Dam removal and excited about the future of this once-in-a generation opportunity to restore the tidal stretches of the Ipswich River.
Thank you to everyone who came to hear about these projects and connect with others working in this field. Thank you to our paddlers for braving the heat to enjoy a beautiful paddle on the Ipswich. And thank you to MassECAN for providing the ice cream!
Photos By Marilyn Humphries
i would like to be involved in the scheduled clean up of the river as i live in wilmington ma at maple meadow edge thanks