Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Wild & Scenic Stewardship Council Announces 2022 Community Grant Awards


The Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Wild & Scenic Stewardship Council is pleased to announce that $38,546 in grant funding was awarded in the second year of our Community Grants Program. The Council awarded full funding for nine projects, all of which demonstrate strong commitment towards protecting the rivers’ resources and building local stewardship of the rivers in accordance with the Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Stewardship Plan.

The following projects received funding:

People of Ayer Concerned About the Environment (PACE) - $4,995 for “AYER Community PULL! A Campaign to Remove Water Chestnuts at Grove Pond.” The grant will fund laboratory tests for possible contaminants in Grove Pond so that a community-wide removal program of invasive water chestnuts can be safely undertaken.

Devens Enterprise Commission (DEC) - $6,930 for “Beautify and Improve Access to Nashua River in Ayer.” DEC will partner with the US Fish & Wildlife Service and Town of Ayer to beautify and improve the parking area at the junction of Bishop and McPherson Roads with interpretive and wayfinding signs, a bike rack, and a pollinator garden.

Groton Invasive Species Committee - $2,540 for “Managing and Monitoring the Invasive Plant Japanese Knotweed on the Nashua River.” Grant funding will be used to help reduce the knotweed populations and restore native plant communities at two locations along the Nashua River.

Town of Harvard - $2,500 for “Harvard Waterways and Watershed Awareness.” Funds will be used for signage along Bowers Brook and a map of the town’s waterways, wetlands, and watersheds.

Lancaster Land Trust - $5,000 for “Cook Conservation Parking Area.” The grant will support expansion and resurfacing of the Cook Conservation dirt parking area in Lancaster along the Nashua River.

Pepperell Invasive & Native Plant Advisory Committee (INPAC) - $3,625 for “Mapping Invasive Plants Near Stream Culverts.” The grant will support geographic information system (GIS) mapping of invasive plants on town properties near tributaries of the Nashua and Nissitissit Rivers. Funds will also be used to purchase native plant seeds for restoration following invasives removal.

Shirley Select Board - $4,423 for “Fredonian Park Invasive Plant Removal and Management Plan.” Funds will be used to remove invasive plants at Fredonian Park and Nature Center and develop a strategic management plan for ongoing stewardship.

Squannacook Greenways, Inc. - $4,000 for “Stabilize Canoe Launch on Townsend Harbor Pond.” Grant funding will be used to improve a canoe and kayak launch by stabilizing with crushed stone. The project includes an infiltration ditch filled with crushed stone and parking lot repair to prevent storm water and sediment from being washed into Harbor Pond.

Town of Townsend - $4,533 for “Adams Dam.” Funds will be used toward a comprehensive assessment for sustainable stabilization and protection of the bank and waterway, including guidance for best practices for future recreation and stewardship of Town-owned property at the Adams Dam area along the Squannacook River.

Grant funding is provided by the Stewardship Council through the National Park Service under CFDA: 15.962 – National Wild & Scenic Rivers System.
We congratulate the grantees and extend best wishes for the success of their projects.

June 2022

OVERVIEW

Since its inception in 2015, the Nashua River Wild and Scenic Rivers Study Committee has worked to identify our river-related outstandingly remarkable resource values, consider the eligibility and suitability of the rivers for designation, and develop a voluntary stewardship plan with much public input. A major milestone in this process was reached  with the acceptance  by all eleven participating communities at their 2018 annual town meetings  of the "Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers Stewardship Plan" and its recommendation to seek federal designation of the rivers as "Wild and Scenic."

The “Stewardship Plan” is a companion document to the “Study Report” currently being prepared by the National Park Service for congressional review. Numerous letters of support are being collected for inclusion in the Study Report.

In September 2018 Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (MA-03) introduced a bill to Congress, the Nashua River Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, that is authored by herself and Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02) that would add segments of the Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers to the national Wild and Scenic Rivers System.  A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by MA Senators Markey and Warren, and NH Senators Hassan and Shaheen, and was heard in the National Park sub-committee of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The Nashua River Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was included in S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act (‘federal lands package’) but did not proceed before the end of the 115th Congressional Session.

Early in the 116th Congressional Session, S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act, was brought to the U.S. Senate, and the Nashua River Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was still included in this large package. On February 12, 2019 S. 47 passed in a 92 – 8 vote. On Feb. 26th, the Nashua Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, included in the Natural Resources Management Act (S. 47), was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, with a vote of 363 to 62. The President signed the Act into law on March 12, 2019 thereby officially designating sections of the rivers as Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers.

Now that designation has occurred, the Study Committee has morphed into the formal Stewardship Council, as described in the Stewardship Plan. Work to protect our outstandingly remarkable resources -- our biological diversity, scenic & recreational, and historical & cultural values -- will continue!