2022 Stewardship Council Community Grant Awards
In 2022, the Stewardship Council awarded $39,246 in grant funding through its Community Grants Program. The following projects received funding:
People of Ayer Concerned About the Environment (PACE) - $5,695 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 stormwater 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.
People of Ayer Concerned About the Environment (PACE) - $5,695 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 stormwater 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.
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Fredonian Park Invasive Plant Removal Project Before and After Images. The impenetrable wall of green surrounding Fredonian Pond in Shirley (left) consisted mainly of invasive species such as Asiatic Bittersweet, Autumn Olive, and Multiflora Rose. Volunteers removed the invasive plants opening a new view of Fredonian Pond (right) looking across what was originally a sand beach when the Pond was created as a swimming location by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1977. Photos by Sherry Anders.
Image top: North Nashua River at Cook Conservation Area in Lancaster, MA. Photo by Cindy Knox Photography.