A grant from Department of Conservation and Recreation Urban Forestry, Urban and Community Forestry Stewardship for Watershed Health, has enabled SSCW to focus on conservation, restoration, and stormwater managment in the North River Watershed in Salem and Peabody.

The major goal is to restore the North River and its tributaries so that they once again become natural amenities that improve the communities' quality of life, not hazards to be ignored or buried underground. As additional population growth and development continue, the remaining unprotected natural resources are at risk. To learn more about the watershed and next actions, the North River Forest and Watershed Awareness final report is available as a PDF (7.9MB) and in the SSCW office. The appendices are also available as a PDF (16.6MB).

Our North River Awareness Week was a great success. Thank you to everyone who participated. With the assistance of MA Riverways, we established 10 stream teams that conducted "Shoreline Surveys" of the North River and Peabody Brooks in May (yes, the month of floods). In June, the stream teams met to review all the findings and discuss what actions need to be work on. The action plan is detailed in the North River Forest and Watershed Awareness final report and available as a separate document (186KB).

A special thanks goes to five Tufts graduate students in the Tufts University Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning for their hard work in researching and preparing the report: "Nurturing the Recovery of the North River: A Practical Vision" which can be read by coming to the SSCW office or downloading the report PDF (22MB) and Appendices & References (7MB). This report also presents opportunities for communities of Salem and Peabody.

Stay tuned; get involved as we embark on this river journey.

Let us know if you want to help us out, by sending us an email with your name, address and phone number.