All Virtual RiverFest Events
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival inspires a love for nature through film. This 44-minute line-up from the nation's largest environmental film festival, is designed for families and children (K-4) but there is something for everyone!
Watch, share and enjoy this selection of 2020 award-winning shorts from the comfort of your home. Click here for a complete list of films to be shown.
The films will be streamed on demand for 5 days. Wednesday, June 17 – Sunday, June 21. There is no fee but you must register to get your link for viewing.
Thursday, June 18, 2020, 5:30 pm
Learn how to improve your nature photographs during this one-hour complimentary workshop while you create images. Whether you are new to photography or not, you will learn great tips to use while photographing, including:
- Focus
- Composition – Rule of Thirds
- Wide angle vs. telephoto vs. closeup
- Direction of light and time of day
- How to brighten or darken your scene
- Adjusting color
- Camera angle, subject and background
Please have these items available:
- Camera or phone with freshly charged batteries
- Something to photograph (vase with flowers, branches with leaves, etc.)
- Paper and pen for notes (optional)
This workshop is suitable for photographers of all levels (with a smartphone or DSLR or point-and-shoot camera), however, a basic understanding of your camera is helpful.
Via Zoom with Lynne Damianos of Damianos Photography
Join a paddle on the Concord River, explore the Middlesex Canal Museum, walk with Henry David Thoreau, and learn all about Billerica's River History! Watch the welcome video (2 min) then click the button below to do some virtual exploring in Billerica!
Welcome Video
Take a moment and think about where you live. Why do you live there? What factors influenced your decision? Now think about the people who lived there before you, and the people before them. In fact, go all the way back to the very first people to call this place “home.”
The town we today call Concord is nearly 4 centuries old. However, it exists within a far older place Indigenous people call Musketaquid. For thousands of years the river provided food, transportation and fertile soil for agriculture.
Within Concord and Minute Man National Historical Park there is physical evidence of the people of Musketaquid dating back thousands of years! In this video NPS Museum Specialist Nikki Walsh will show you some of the amazing artifacts in the park collection. (2 min)
Musketaquid: Native Village
Join Christa Collins from Sudbury Valley Trustees for an exploratory paddle on the Concord River. (9 min)
Explore the Concord River
Not able to enjoy the solitude of the rivers by boat? Enjoy the serenity of the Sudbury River with this virtual paddle. (15 min)
Sudbury River 5-7-20
A virtual watershed installation by artist Liz Helfer, Voyage of the Yellow Wellies lets you experience 40 points of interest as you journey down the Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord Rivers.
Join Naturalist Peter Alden as he discusses 48 different bird species one can see in the springtime in and around Concord, MA. (30 min)
Birds in Spring with Peter Alden
Join Jane Calvin from Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust for a virtual tour of the Concord River Greenway Park: Lawrence Section. Discover the recreational and education opportunities along this beautiful stretch of the Concord River. (5 min)
Concord River Greenway: Lawrence Street Entrance
Join Emily Wood from Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust for a tour through the riverine habitat along the Concord River Greenway and the creation of an event map. (5 min)
Concord River Greenway Tour and Event Map
Join Katie from Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust on a virtual tour of the Centennial Island Fish Ladder on the Concord River. Learn about what a fish ladder is, why they are important, and what kind of fish use it. (3 min)
Field Trip Fridays - Centennial Island Fish Ladder
Join Mass Audubon's Drumlin Farm naturalist for a family-friendly visit with native wildlife, including birds, reptiles, and macroinvertebrates that live along the banks of rivers and depend on a healthy habitat. (5 min)
Drumlin Farm Riverfest 2020
Join Snake Man, Rick Roth, of Cape Ann Vernal Pools to learn about the snakes of New England.
CAVPT Snakes of New England and the World Presentation
Celebrate the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers and explore other rivers that are part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System with this Story Map.
Leave No Trace
Keep yourself, our community, and our rivers safe by following these Leave No Trace Guidelines when you’re out recreating.
Social Distancing While Paddling
Before heading to the water, review these helpful tips for COVID-19 and responsible paddling from the American Canoe Association.
Physical Distancing in Public Parks and Trails
Enjoy Riverfest Responsibly
Before hitting the water in your canoe, kayak, or SUP, watch these videos on paddling safety to make your trip safe and fun.
A Canoeing Safety Minute
A Kayaking Safety Minute
Grab your life jacket, paddles, and boat and hit the water! Use this Family Paddle Guide to pick an adventure that’s suitable for the whole family on the Wild and Scenic Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers! The guide shows 21 locations with descriptions including trails, suitability for baby strollers, dog restrictions, nearby activities, and more.
Discover the outstanding resources along this 15 mile stretch of the Sudbury River. It highlights natural features, ecological areas, historical sites and places described in literature, all of which help to tell the rich story of the Sudbury River. You will pass through the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and its wide wetland floodplains which are habitat for many waterfowl. Near Heard Pond you will see Indian Point which once hosted the annual summer encampment of the Nipmucks and in Fairhaven Bay you will travel by the sites seen and written about by Henry David Thoreau.
You can find printed copies of the river guide in the following locations:
Bedford Boat Launch (map)
Lowell Road Boat Launch (map)
Maynard Boat Launch (map)
Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Concord Unit (map)
Explore the region’s early industrial past and view lots of wildlife as you paddle through remote sections of the Assabet River. The river is home to abundant wildlife, including bald eagles, great blue herons, river otters, painted turtles, largemouth bass and many other species of fish.
You can find printed copies of the river guide in the following locations:
Bedford Boat Launch (map)
Lowell Road Boat Launch (map)
Maynard Boat Launch (map)
Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Concord Unit (map)
The Concord River Boater's Trail is a guide to the outstanding resources along 10 miles of the Concord River. It highlights natural features, ecological areas, historical sites and places described in literature, all of which help to tell the rich story of the Concord River. On the Trail you will pass through the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and its wide wetland floodplains which are habitat for many waterfowl.
You can find printed copies of the river guide in the following locations:
Bedford Boat Launch (map)
Lowell Road Boat Launch (map)
Maynard Boat Launch (map)
Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Concord Unit (map)
Earn your Junior River Ranger badge! The Junior River Ranger activity booklet guides kids through several activities that teach about Wild and Scenic Rivers, the rivers’ special values, and how to protect and care for rivers. Activities require some hands-on exploring of the riverbanks and the animals that live there. Once the booklet is completed and reviewed by a ranger, a special badge will be presented to the new Junior River Ranger!
Junior River Ranger Activity Booklet and Guide
Celebrate our Wild & Scenic Rivers with a self-guided 30-mile bike ride! This ride criss-crosses the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers. Extra credit! Count the number of bridge crossings over each river! Stop in Maynard at Erickson’s for ice cream!
The start is the Monument St, Concord, MA parking lot across the street from the Old Manse / Old North Bridge, at the Robbins House: Directions
To print a cue sheet: 1. Click on the three vertical dots on the “Send to phone” button, 2. Choose “More Export Options”, 3. Choose “Cuesheet CSV (.csv), then Download .csv File”, Questions? Email Mike: .
Water quality is an important aspect of our Wild and Scenic Rivers. Learn about water quality and the water cycle with this activity guide.
As you explore our rivers and wetlands, keep an eye out for the plants, animals, and insects pictured on this Wetlands Bingo Card. Mark each square with an X when you see it!
Explore the important pollinators species in your backyard!
Grab your binoculars, your camera, and your smartphone and head down to the river to observe and record numerous species of plants, insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals. iNaturalist is a popular nature app that helps you identify the plants and animals around you. By recording and sharing your observations, you’ll contribute research quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature.
The Summer Solstice falls on Sunday, June 21. For the longest day of the year, we encourage families and friends to make the most of it by spending as much time outside as possible! Soak up the sun and play yard games. Host a cookout or find a quiet spot for a picnic. Gather around a bonfire or share a flashlight fire with family. Musketaquid's chorus, Voices for the Earth, offers their book of songs for everyone to sing from on the Solstice. However you decide to celebrate, take the time to appreciate the sun and all its life-giving energy!
Gather your family and paddle the lower stretches of the Assabet and Sudbury Rivers and the beginning of the Concord River searching for clues. Use this clue map to find the starred locations and learn something about our rivers. For more details and to get your stickers, click the button below.
Explore the trails and discover points of interest at Concord Land Conservation Trust's Nashawtuc Hill!
