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2016 PIE-Rivers Annual Meeting

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1. Massachusetts Environmental Trust Grants (FY2016) includes partner project in Boxford
2. Stream Continuity and Infrastructure Assessment Project Update
3. Great Marsh Awarded Federal Wetlands Grant
4. Marsh Adaptation Strategy Tool (MAST)
5. King Tides and Sea Level Rise
6. MyCoast Tracks Coastal Storms
7. PIE Rivers Annual Meeting Promotes the Power of Partnerships
8. New Flooding and Sea Level Rise Maps Aid Resiliency Planning Efforts
9. Essex Tech Students Study Plum Island Beach Movement
10. COAST Analysis of Newburyport
11. Planning Partners Report Progress
12. Ipswich River Re-opens to Shellfishing
13. Partners remove over 600 tires during “Turtle Land” cleanup
14. Greenbelt One Step Closer to Protecting Leonhard-Eldred Farm
15. Native Plantings and Sand Fencing Help Beach Dune Restoration
16. Improved fish ladder proposed for Willowdale Dam
17. Dune Resiliency Efforts on Salisbury Beaches
18. EPA Releases Stormwater Permit
19. Greenbelt Steps Closer to Conserving Sagamore Hill
20. Ipswich High Students Explore Sea Level Rise
21. PIE-Rivers Partners Gather for Great Marsh Resiliency Modeling Workshop
22. Communities Plan for Living Shorelines
23. Local Students Give Presentations on Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Impacts
24. Partner efforts help river herring upstream
25. Communities Take Action on Resiliency
26. Survey Work Begins at Ipswich Mills Dam
27. Town of Ipswich Receives Coastal Resiliency Grant
28. Ipswich Dam Team Visits Exeter Restoration Project
29. Nanotags: Understanding large landscape connections using nano-technology
30. Coastal Resiliency Planning Project Works on Solutions
31. PIE-Rivers Partnership Annual Meeting 2016
32. Great Marsh Sea Level Rise Symposium: Implications for Quality of Life in Our Communities
33. Greenbelt Hosts Inaugural Essex County Open Space Conference
34. Salt Marsh Science Project Celebrated 20th Anniversary
35. 2016 PIE-Rivers Annual Meeting
36. EPA Releases Dam Removal FAQ
37. Choate Island Forest Clearing Project
38. Partners Protect Castle Neck Headwaters
39. Wenham and Boxford receive DER assistance to upgrade degraded culverts
40. PIE-Rivers Partnership Annual Meeting 2017
41. PIE-Rivers Partners Celebrate 2017 Accomplishments
42. The Great Marsh Coastal Adaptation Plan Is Now Online

On December 6th, 50 PIE-Rivers partners and friends gathered for the partnership’s annual meeting where the 2016 drought was the focus. Held at the Newbury Town Library, the partnership’s meeting brought together non-profit and municipal and state officials and volunteers. Ipswich River Watershed executive director Wayne Castonguay and Parker River Clean Water Association’s past president George Comiskey summarized restoration activities over the past year, reviewing highlights from the 2016 focus areas: land conservation, stormwater education and support, river and stream continuity, and water conservation.

In addition, recognizing the significance of the drought over 2016, three guest presentations reviewed the impact of the drought on 2016 activities and looking ahead to 2017. Gabby Queenan, Policy Specialist at the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, put our region’s experience in a state-wide context, describing the MA Drought Management Task Force’s actions. A “Drought Warning” declaration, the last step before “Drought Emergency” status, has been in place in the northeast region since August. Gabby also described efforts underway to revise the state’s drought management plan, describing ways that citizens can become engaged in that process.

Adam Kautza, Coldwater Fisheries Project Leader for the MA Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, explored the drought’s effect on fisheries resources across the state, emphasizing that the ecological impact will extend for many years. Michelle Craddock, Watershed Ecologist for the MA Division of Ecological Restoration, took the partnership through a closer look at the streamflow data for the Ipswich and Parker Rivers over the last year, and highlighted how water withdrawals for municipal use overburden scarce resources. Michelle discussed new tools to help influence better water conservation in the region, especially in the summer months.

The Annual Meeting also included a business meeting, led by Hunt Durey, Deputy Director of the MA Division of Ecological Restoration, during which PIE-Rivers partners made recommendations to the partnership’s Steering Committee on priorities for 2017. The Partnership will announce these priorities in the new year.

To view presentations in PDF format, please find the links below:

  1. 2016 Recap, Wayne Castonguay & George Comiskey
  2. Drought Management in MA, Gabby Queenan
  3. Drought and Coldwater Fisheries in MA, Adam Kautza
  4. Streamflow and Summer Wateruse in PIE, Michelle Craddock

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