On July 22nd, volunteers collected dragonfly larvae on the Sudbury and Assabet Rivers as part of the Dragonfly Mercury Project. This was our 7th year of sampling on the SuAsCo Rivers! Each year is always a little different. Our first stop on the Sudbury River (Little Farms Rd, Framingham) was surprisingly difficult compared to years past, requiring us to stay at the site for a few hours to reach our goal of 20 larvae. We had better luck when we arrived in Hudson to sample on the Assabet, with participants sometimes finding two or three larvae in a single net scoop!
Due to a thunderstorm in the afternoon, sampling on the Concord River was postponed until August 14th. More photos to come from the Concord River sampling day!

Thanks to all who participated and helped with collecting, measuring, bagging, and identification, and a special thanks to Julia Khorana for organizing another successful SuAsCo DMP sampling!

Mercury is a toxic pollutant that poses a danger to both humans and wildlife. Dragonfly larvae are helpful indicators because they can be used to predict the amount of mercury in our rivers. To learn more about the Dragonfly Mercury Project, please visit: https://www.nps.gov/articles/dragonfly-mercury-project.htm

Stop by the Carlisle Farmers Market this Saturday, August 1st anytime between 8am and 12pm (located at Kimball Farm in Carlisle, 343 Bedford Road). The RSC will also be at the Acton-Boxborough Farmers Market on Sunday, August 2nd from 10am to 1pm (19 Elm St, Acton). Learn about what we're up to this summer, how you can enjoy the rivers, and more! We'll have free river guides!

Here is the recording of the talk given by Nick Nelson, fluvial geomorphologist, at the Gleason Public Library in Carlisle, MA, on June 8.

This discussion will provide a better understanding of river ecology in association with dams like the earthen dam at the Carlisle Cranberry Bog. The speaker will also discuss various options regarding dams and his experience with dams at other cranberry bogs to optimize the river ecology, fish migration, reduce long term costs and address recreation needs such as walking, biking, horseback riding, kayaking and cross country skiing.

Click here to learn more about the speaker.

*Check our events page for more opportunities to pull water chestnut this summer*

Volunteer with the Concord Land Conservation Trust to help remove invasive water chestnut on a stretch of the Sudbury River. Volunteer days are Monday, Tuesday and Friday mornings until July 31st. Click here to view the sign up sheet as well as important details (meeting location, waivers, gear provided, etc). A great opportunity for anyone who enjoys being out on the river and wants to make a difference! No experience needed.

In celebration of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s 150th Anniversary, the RSC joined the AMC150 Relay for a fun day on the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers!

Come take part in a wonderful celebration of the Solstice, this Sunday June 21st from 5-8pm at the Old Manse! There will be live music by Anna Huckabee Tull and Friends, art-making, face-painting, a sing-a-long and an Earth Float on the Concord River! Bring a picnic and a blanket. 

“Big Night” is often used to describe the annual ritual of certain frogs and salamanders when they migrate from their upland overwintering habitat towards a vernal pool. Vernal pools look like small ponds or wetlands which dry up in the summer months and do not support fish populations. Generally, it happens on the first few rainy nights in March when the night temperature is above 40 degrees. 

Big Night is bitter-sweet to many nature enthusiasts. It is fun to see the amphibians on the move, however, in a landscape bisected by a network of roads, it often means that these small creatures risk their own life crossing onto pavement each year. The best we can hope for is that Big Night happens late at night, when most cars are off the roads.

What you can do:

• Stay indoors and not drive on rainy nights. It is nearly impossible to see black salamanders and tiny frogs on a dark wet road!
• Find a Vernal Pool Near You! You can do some mapping research (or call the conservation office at 781-259-2612) to find a road near you that abuts vernal pools or wetlands.
• If you have a vernal pool or wetland near you, and end up walking your road on a rainy night, let the conservation office know what you see by filling out this simple google form here. (Be sure to wear lots of lights and reflective clothing!)
• Learn More
  • Check out this 6 minute Vernal Pool Video created by MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation
  • Mass Audubon has some great educational materials, most of which are geared towards kids. Click here.

"Thousands of minuscule lives go on the march, called by wetlands that will soon be cloudy with gelatinous egg masses. In some places the emergence occurs over weeks; in others, in a bacchanal known as the Big Night. And a salamander on a Big Night will cross any road in her path—come hell, high water, or Honda." - Ben Goldfarb, author of Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet.

Photo credits: Kevin Murphy

"The sky appears broader now than it did. The day has opened its eyelids wider. The lengthening of the days, commenced a good while ago, is a kind of forerunner of spring." - Henry David Thoreau [Journal, February 19, 1852]

Celebrate the rivers on a virtual tour, with the opportunity to explore the Concord River, the Middlesex Canal Museum, and more! 

Our 6th year participating in the Dragonfly Mercury Project on the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers was a success! Thank you to everyone who helped us on July 31st and August 14th, 2025! We had a great time collecting, measuring, and identifying dragonfly larvae to the family level. 

Mercury is a toxic pollutant that poses a danger to both humans and wildlife. Dragonfly larvae are helpful indicators because they can be used to predict the amount of mercury in our rivers. To learn more about the Dragonfly Mercury Project, please visit: https://www.nps.gov/articles/dragonfly-mercury-project.htm

On June 21, nearly 100 people came together at The Old Manse in Concord to celebrate the summer solstice. The evening started with lantern-making, Earth Float decorating, and games before listening to the talented Anna Huckabee Tull & Friends perform a lovely repertoire, featuring river-themed songs. Then, it was time to launch the Earth Float into the Concord River, where we watched it travel under the Old North Bridge and make its way downstream as the sun began to set. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Photo credits: Elissa Brown

To see more photos and videos from the event, check out our Facebook and Instagram!

The Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Wild and Scenic River Stewardship Council awarded $43,188 in Community Grants in 2024! The following projects received funding:

Concord Land Conservation Trust for "Water Chestnut Control in the Sudbury River (Concord)" ($15,000) - Chemical treatment of approximately 11 acres of water chestnut in the Sudbury River, from the Sudbury Road bridge downstream to just past the Route 2 bridge in summer 2025.

Concord Museum for "The Benjamin Lincoln Smith Collection Inventory Project" ($6,350) - Supporting two interns for the Musketaquid Archaeological Internship during the summer of 2025 to inventory, rehouse, and digitize approximately 7,000 historic Indigenous artifacts from the Benjamin Lincoln Smith collection, enhancing insights into Indigenous life.

Massachusetts Rivers Alliance for "Dam Busters 201 Webinar Series" ($11,838) - Expand on the highly successful and popular year-long webinar series "Dam Busters 101." 201 will equip municipal and NGO project managers with the knowledge to initiate and accelerate dam removal projects, enhance public safety, improve environmental health, and create economic benefits across the state.

Town of Westborough Conservation Department for "Invasive Species Management Westborough Pilot Program" ($10,000) - Eliminate Japanese knotweed and Phragmites in target areas while generating useable byproducts from the generated biomass and set the stage for habitat restoration to follow.

Welcome to the fourth edition of Wild and Scenic River Currents, an annual newsletter designed to recognize the accomplishments of the National Park Service wild and scenic river (WSR) community. This edition features a collection of articles that highlight the accomplishments of our community during 2021. From exciting new citizen science to valuable land protection successes, there is much to celebrate and appreciate. We hope you enjoy reading this edition, seeing our collective impact, and looking back at the highlights of the past year. Thank you for all you do to keep our rivers clean, healthy, and free-flowing!