Adopt-A-Stream: Stream Teams

Stream Team Implementation Awards
Stream Team Implementation Awards are provided to assist Stream Teams with project implementation in their watersheds.
Click here to view this year's Request for Responses and application


For project ideas and examples of previous years projects, read the project descriptions listed below.

2007 Award Projects
2006 Award Projects
2005 Award Projects
2004 Award Projects
2003 Award Projects

2007 Award Projects

Blackstone River Watershed Association
West River Stream Team Shoreline Survey and Action Planning

The Blackstone River Watershed Association received a grant to start a Stream Team and conduct a Shoreline Survey on the West and Mill Rivers in Uxbridge. The project included an event targeting local businesses. The team came up with a report and action plan and will be working with the watershed association to identify next steps with regards to river restoration and protection. One of the major issues in the area is the ongoing residential development in the area, most homes incorporating large Kentucky Bluegrass lawns with in-ground irrigation systems. The Association is also working on invasive aquatic species control and bringing people of all backgrounds into the watershed association. The stream teams comprised of individuals aged 15 to 72, and utilized the efforts of at least 30 participants.

Salem Sound Coastwatch
Community Education and Outreach: “Community Access to North River Knowledge: Bringing the River to the People”

The North River Stream Team, in conjunction with the Salem Sound Coastwatch, completed a shoreline survey of the North River in 2006, with one of their primary action items being outreach and education about the North River. The North River and its four tributaries flow primarily through Peabody and Salem, with much of the riverways culverted and underground. The confluence of the tributaries is located in downtown Peabody center and has been the location of repeated, extensive flooding. Efforts to lessen flooding in downtown Peabody are ongoing, with one suggestion being the widening and dredging of the North River downstream of Peabody center, in the only location where the (albeit channelized) North River has a naturalized riparian edge and smelt are known to spawn. The community education and outreach program involved two public presentations and multiple local cable television presentations. The presentations comprised of three sections: an overview of land use in the Peabody/Salem area; an overview of how rivers work and new river management approaches; and an overview of new trends in low impact development and alternative site design practices. The presentations were attended by residents and municipal officials from both communities and were gratefully received, with many planning and conservation board members interested in learning more about alternative development practices so that increased stormwater releases can be avoided in the future. The presentations led to increased dialogue between cities, residents, municipal board/commission members and non-profit organizations.

City of Quincy
Neponset River Riverwalk Inventory

In 2002, the Friends of the Neponset Estuary and the Neponset River Watershed Association co-developed and published the “Conceptual Plan, Neponset Riverw alk, Quicy and East Milton, MA”. The plan identified the goal of establishing a multiuse trail along the southern edge of the Neponset Estuary through the connection of existing paths. With a population of over 90,000 people in Quincy alone, it is expected that the Riverw alk would receive extensive use. It also has the potential to connect two other major state environmental resources, Wollaston Beach and Squantum Point Park, through a comprehensive trail.

The City of Quincy created a Riverwalk Task Force to bring together municipal officials, representatives of environmental organizations and other interested citizens to advance the “Riverw alk” conceptual plan and to create a series of recommendations on the location, materials and amenities for the public trail. The task force used this grant to fund an infrastructure and ecological inventory of the Riverw alk plan by the Ecological Extension Service of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. The inventory resulted in a report that will form the basis for the next steps in implementing the Riverw alk project.

2006 Award Projects

Connecticut and Chicopee Watersheds

East Quabbin Land Trust, Hardwick
Moose Brook Land Protection Outreach
Moose Brook has been a conservation priority for the EQLT since the early days of the organization. The land trust works closely with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to achieve large land protection goals within the Moose Brook Valley and beyond. The EQLT owns the 125-acre Moose Brook Preserve and a 60+ acre conservation restriction along the southern shores of the brook. The land trust researched land ownership for the targeted lower Moose Brook watershed and developed a map with parcels including landowner information, parcel size, and a color code representing the partiality of the owners towards conservation. Direct mailings were sent to landowners in the watershed along with informational literature. Group meetings and personal meetings with landowners were convened to educate and strategize for land protection. Discussions were carried out with one landowner for a conservation restriction on a 15-acre parcel adjacent to a parcel owned by the DFW. The group also completed a stream cleanup, removing five truckloads of trash and three truckloads of scrap metal and gaining media attention for the brook.

2005 Award Projects

Mystic and Westfield River Watersheds

Jacob’s Ladder Trail Committee and Westfield River Watershed Association: Jacob’s Ladder Trail Sign
The Jacob’s Ladder Trail Sign was designed to educate people about the unique characteristics of the Westfield River Watershed and Jacob’s Ladder Trail. Over 70 miles of the Westfield River are designated as “Wild and Scenic”, and 33 miles of Rt. 20 are designated as a scenic byway. A sign was designed to explain the unique cultural and natural characteristics of this valuable resource. In June, the sign was installed in the kiosk at the Huntington turnout, which receives heavy use during the summer by picnickers, swimmers and anglers and is easily visible from the road.
Members of three coordinating organizations worked with a professional graphic artist on the content and layout of the sign. The sign incorporates information about the Westfield River and Jacob’s Ladder Trail with a map to identify points of interest along both the river and the highway and highlight the unique characteristics of the watershed. Elements of the map include: public access sites, state parks, historic villages, the Keystone Arches, cultural attractions and more. Knowledge of these sites will increase citizen stewardship for the river and increase river recreation along the Westfield .

Westfield River Watershed Association, Westfield River Wild and Scenic Advisory Committee and Jacobs Ladder Trail Committee: Trash Reduction at Westfield River Access Points
Each summer, access points along the Westfield River Jacob’s Ladder Trail are heavily used for swimming, fishing and picnicking. Trash left behind greatly diminishes the natural beauty of the river and turnouts creating an ongoing problem, as noted in the Westfield River Stream Team Report of 1996. The goal of the Trash Reduction at Westfield River Access Points project is to help eliminate trash from the site by providing trash bags to encourage users to take their own trash with them. To accomplish this, trash bag dispensers and signs were installed advocating for better river stewardship by requesting that visitors pick up and carry out their own trash. Signs, with a message in Spanish and English, and one trash bag dispenser were installed at three problem locations. WRWA volunteers replenish the trash bags in the dispensers each week and pick up any left over trash at the sites. Volunteers have been keeping track of the number of bags they collect to compare to last year’s total. MassHighway picks up the WRWA volunteer collected trash as part of their Adopt-A-Highway Program. The Trash Reduction Program is an experimental program. If comparatively fewer bags of trash are collected this year, then the program will be considered successful and evaluated for continued use next year.

Westfield River Watershed Association and Massachusetts Community Water Watch: Westfield Stormwater Education Program
The Westfield Storm Water Education Program worked to improve water quality in the Westfield River watershed by educating residents of the city of Westfield about storm water runoff and what individuals can do to improve its quality. The Westfield River Watershed Association met this challenge by continuing to work closely with local scout groups to stencil storm drains and distribute literature to residents. Successful storm water management involves behavior changes on the part of all members of the community. WRWA’s stenciling focused on making direct contact with as many people as possible in concert with stenciling storm drains. Direct contact with individuals by actually handing the materials to people is a more effective means of education and the recipients actually read the materials and have an opportunity to ask questions. The storm drain stenciling also raises interest and serves as a reminder of the message.
As an extension to past storm water education, WRWA partnered with Massachusetts Community Water Watch at Westfield State College students to set up three programs on storm water runoff at the college and organized students to develop literature aimed directly at WSC students and distribute the handouts to dorms and public areas. In addition to the handouts, MCWW and students designed a display on storm water for the college that can be left up in public areas to generate further interest and information.

Town of Winchester: Aberjona River Outreach: Invasives and River Friendly Plantings Education
The Winchester Conservation Commission is working to revitalize the Aberjona River and educate the public on its importance in town. The town is hoping to control of invasive species such as Japanese knotweed, oriental bittersweet and purple loosestrife in the Aberjona. Invasive removal and native plantings were recommended as part of the draft Aberjona River Shoreline Survey Report, based on a survey by the Aberjona Stream Team.

Educational materials developed from the project have been made available to residents in public areas such as the library, town hall and at public event days such as Town Day. The handouts focus on the threat of invasive plants and provide information on: actions they can take to control invasive plants; alternatives to invasive plants; and types of plants that should be planted along streams and wetlands. Also, a high school student designed and built a moveable informational kiosk that can be used to post educational information at critical areas and can be relocated as needed.

Friends of Mystic River/Medford: Signs for Habitat Restoration Project
The Friends of the Mystic River have been hard at work for the last three years eradicating Japanese knotweed. After consistent maintenance and cutting, three sites are knotweed free. At each of these sites, native plants and grasses have been planted to replace the invasive species. In order to better inform the public that these cleared sites are actually restored sites and should be an example for the rest of the river, the Friends have developed and placed signs at each of the locations along the Mystic River labeling them as restoration sites. These signs are part of the Friends’ effort to inform the public of watershed issues, and especially about their larger effort to reduce the percentage of Mystic River shoreline that is covered with invasive plants and to restore native habitat.

Mystic River Watershed Association: Mystic Stewardship Education Project
The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) is raising awareness of watershed issues by working locally to educate and advocate for the river. As part of the Mystic Stewardship Education Project, MyRWA designed two educational display boards and worked with volunteers to develop an action report for the Mystic River Stream Team.

Since completing their Shoreline Survey Action Plan in 1997, the Mystic Stream Team has been working as advocates for the river. As part of this grant, Stream Team members created an action report to assess the success of past actions and create a long-term plan for future actions. Many residents of the Mystic River Watershed are unaware that the river and associated open space exist or the impact they have on its quality. The display boards draw attention to these issues and focus on stewardship of the river and the life cycle and importance of river herring in the Mystic watershed. The boards have been used already this past spring at the Herring Run Festival and Chelsea River Revel and will be available for future events as an important part of educating the public about the roll they can play as watershed stewards.

Friends of Alewife Reservation: Brochure and Guide for constructed wetland project at Alewife Reservation.
The Alewife watershed urban forest includes at its heart, the Alewife Reservation, a 115 acre urban wild, the largest untouched urban wild in the Boston area. This is a rare and complex ecosystem, in the middle of an urban setting with some sections of healthy groves of quaking aspen, paper birch, and silver maples and serves as important habitat for migratory birds as well as resident mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians.

The Friends of Alewife Reservation (FAR) have designed and printed a brochure to illustrate the ongoing constructed wetland project. As part of a sewer separation project, the City of Cambridge will be constructing a stormwater wetland within Alewife Reservation which will have a considerable impact on the habitats and ecology of the area. During the construction of this wetland, invasive and native species will be removed and the area will be replanted with specific native species. The design for this eight acre wetland is ambitious and includes a sediment forebay, high marsh, low marsh, emergent marsh and riparian woodland areas. The plans also include a natural teaching amphitheater, an extensive boardwalk, benches and observation areas. FAR designed a brochure that describes the new plantings and habitats that will be present in the constructed wetland using diagrams created by the City’s consultant, The Bioengineering Group, as a guide for visitors. The emphasis of this brochure is the specific habitat types, their location, and best vantage points within the walking trails of the eight acre wetland and other features of the area for public use.

back to top

2004 Award Projects

Five groups in the SuAsCo and Housatonic Watersheds received Stream Team Implementation Awards for projects to be completed this spring.

Upper Sudbury River : Upper Sudbury River Corridor Storm Drain Marking Project
The Upper Sudbury River Corridor Storm Drain Marking Project was highly successful in bringing stormwater awareness to the communities of Southborough, Westborough, Hopkinton and Ashland . Volunteers spent over 350 hours stenciling 130 storm drains. Another 80 were marked with a plastic disk that includes a “drains to river” slogan. Advocates for the Sudbury River broadened their reach by taking part in river awareness days in a number of communities, taking advantage of media attention and partnering with local scout groups. Volunteers also targeted a Framingham neighborhood where DEP had previously traced high bacterial counts to storm drains where pet waste was left tied up in plastic bags. Several more groups of volunteers have plans to continue the stenciling and education this fall. Groups in the Upper Sudbury interested in getting involved in further Stormdrain Stenciling should contact Freddie Gillespie of the Sudbury River Watershed Organization at fg481@charter.net.

Acton Stream Teams: Stream Signage/Stream Awareness Project
The Acton Stream Team’s Stream Sign Awareness Project resulted in the installation of 26 signs along the roads of Acton , directing attention to the brooks running underneath. The project leveraged over $4,200 from local partners, including extensive in-kind services, and created better partnerships with local businesses and the town. While the official dedication ceremony for the project was not until September, many community members had already taken notice of the signs, including the town Selectmen who remarked, “As you are aware, most people do not know the names of the various streams in the town and the smaller crossings are often not even apparent to motorists…with these new signs, these resources are not only evident, they even have names. The Board is certain that this program has raised (and will continue to raise) the awareness level for everyone in the community.”

Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust: Alewife Restoration Project
In partnership with state and federal agencies, the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust has continued its work to restore a breeding populating of Alewife to the Concord River . LPCT significantly expanded outreach to communities and local groups, including introducing the program in previously underrepresented neighborhoods. Volunteers took part in transferring fish from a healthy run on the Nemasket River in Middleborough to the Concord River . These adults will spawn in the Concord River and their young will migrate out to the Atlantic Ocean and return to the Concord in 3-4 years to spawn. Volunteers monitored the fish ladder in Lowell , watching for adult alewife from previous years. While volunteers did not see any returning adults this year, many juvenile alewife have been seen resulting from this year’s stocking efforts.

River Meadow Brook: Rare Turtle Habitat Monitoring Project
The River Meadow Brook Community Association’s Rare Turtle Habitat Monitoring Project successfully tracked 12 wood turtles in Chelmsford . Turtle monitors were able to find more turtles this year and discovered their range to be much larger than previously expected. They also documented nesting areas and some previously unobserved behaviors. The findings will be important in forming guidelines for protection of wood turtle populations and habitats.

Great Barrington River Walk: River Walk Irrigation and Biodiversity Program
Members of the Great Barrington Housatonic River Walk are continuing to improve conditions along the Housatonic River where previous dumping and bank erosion have occurred. Native plants were placed along the banks of the path and the river to enhance habitat and create better soil and bank stability. An experimental application of “compost tea”, a liquid compost that can be added to the soil to increase microbial activity and provide nutrients, was used to enhance plant growth. The group also installed an irrigation system along the path that is fed by roof runoff from a nearby Brooks Pharmacy.

back to top

2003 Award Projects

Ipswich and Parker River Watersheds
Adopt-A-Stream Program presented stream team small grants through funding from the Watershed Initiative in two watersheds, the Parker and Ipswich . Grants were given to the Reading/North Reading Stream Team for a rain barrel project, the Middleton Stream Team for canoe access and the Parker River Clean Water Association to start two Stream Teams in Georgetown and Newbury.

Reading/North Reading- Rain Barrels
The stressed condition of the Ipswich River, named by American Rivers as the third most endangered river in 2002, has been a focus for the Reading North Reading Stream Team since its Shoreline Survey and action plan in 1996. In dry years, partly due to rainfall and partly because of water use, the mainstem has dried up. In order to decrease outdoor use of water, the Reading/North Reading Stream Team received Stream Team small grant funds to conduct a rain barrel revolving fund and demonstration project in the towns of Reading and North Reading. A subsidized rain barrel revolving fund was set up in North Reading and a pre-paid rain barrel project was done in Reading .

The Stream Team partnered with the Town of North Reading Water Department in applying for the grant and in the North Reading project. In Reading , the Stream Team partnered with the Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA) and with the Department of Public Works (DPW). The goals of the projects were three-fold: to reduce summer water withdrawals, to encourage water conservation, and to provide a model for other towns to follow.

Fifty rain barrels were sold in North Reading where the Water Department purchased barrels with grant money and used the income from the sale of the barrels at a reduced price ($50 vs. $60 wholesale price) to purchase additional barrels until funds ran out. Demonstration barrels were placed at the town hall and the library along with literature about the barrel and water conservation.

In Reading, people placed orders for rain barrels at $10 above the wholesale price. Order forms were available at a variety of locations and demonstration barrels were used here as well. One barrel was used at community events including a town-wide election. A total of 84 barrels were sold in Reading through pre-paid orders. Barrels were delivered to the DPW for purchasers to pick up on a Saturday. To hear about tips for doing a similar project, and lessons learned, come to the Stream Team Workshop in Middleton (Oct. 1st) or call Adopt-A-Stream staff.

Middleton- Building a Canoe launch and fishing site
The Middleton Stream Team has successfully designed and built two beautiful canoe launches on the Ipswich River in the last two years through a grant and with extensive donations of both materials and volunteer time. The first site, on Main Street/Rt. 114, opened in June 2002 on town land. A second canoe launch downstream, recently completed on Peabody Street, was partially funded through a Stream Team small grant. Improvements on this site, on state land, will create a formal canoe launch area with stone steps to reduce erosion of the bank, and establish a turn around area and picnic site. Working in partnership with local businesses and contractors, the Stream Team received substantial donations of services and materials. Work on the site was completed by volunteers and with thanks to town employees and the DPW providing the heavy labor and equipment. With the support of Adopt-A-Stream staff, the Stream Team is working with the Public Access Board to bring both sites onto the PAB system, which will take care of long term site maintenance.

The Team has received donations of picnic tables and offers from local scout troops to plant flowers for these new conservation areas and design an informational nature area at the Main Street site. Other recently completed projects by the Stream Team include a display for the post office with maps of the sub-basin and area conservation activities, and installation of stream markers at the crossings throughout town.

Parker River Clean Water Association- Shoreline Surveys for the Parker River and Little Riverways Programs
The Parker River Clean Water Association organized two stream teams to complete shoreline surveys for the Parker River in Georgetown and Little River in Newbury. Volunteers surveyed the rivers and completed action plans to prioritize protection and restoration efforts. These communities are subject to increasing development and land use pressures. At the same time, citizens in these areas have been expressing increasing concerns and awareness of the environmentally sensitive nature of the Parker River Watershed, making this effort and important outreach opportunity.

back to top