Small Grants Program

Past Awards
Small Grant Awards by Year:
FY2003
FY2002
FY2000


SMALL GRANT AWARDS FY2003

Organization for the Assabet River - Upper Assabet Wildlife Habitat Assessment and Recreation Plan. $5,000 awarded to develop the Upper Assabet as a recreational resource while minimizing impact to wildlife. A survey will be made of wildlife habitats along the river from Westborough to Hudson, and a simple, map-based recreation plan developed for implementation by each community. There is strong community interest in this project, as it will implement high priority goals of the Northborough Stream Team Action Plan (2002), the Upper Assabet Riverway Plan (2002), and the Organization for the Assabet River. (Towns included are Westborough, Marlborough, Northborough, Berlin, and Hudson.)

Westfield River Wild and Scenic Advisory Committee - received $1250.00 to Update and Enlarge the WRWASC Landowner Database to include new sections of the Westfield River (in the towns of Becket, Huntington, Savoy, Washington, and Windsor) which were recently nominated for the federal Wild and Scenic designation, as well as update any landownership changes during the past three years in their existing database compiled in 2000.

The Town of Freetown -in partnership with Hands Across the River ( HARC) was awarded $5000.00 for the Fall Brook Tire Removal and Restoration Project. Their goal is to remove thousands of abandoned tires, white goods, garbage and other contaminants that have been dumped into the Fall Brook in an effort to the protect the drinking water in the Assawompsett Pond Complex and to re-store valuable fish and wildlife habitat.

Massachusetts Audubon: North Shore - received $4,689.43 to advance Open Space Residential Design (OSRD): A tool for river protection in the Ipswich River basin. Work will be undertaken in the towns of North Reading, Wenham, Middleton and Beverly to promote passage of OSRD bylaws in an effort to increase protection of the watershed through the reduction of impervious surfaces and lawns without compromising residential development.

Fore River Watershed Association - received $4100.00 as partial funding to create a Fore River Watershed Natural, Cultural, and Recreational Resources Video of broadcast quality to increase awareness of the Fore Rivers resources and the historical importance of the watershed to the region.

Housatonic Valley Association - was awarded $2000 towards their Riverfront Buffer Awareness Program. A demonstration site will be established at the HVA office in South Lee utilizing native plants and volunteer labor as a means to increase awareness of the role riparian buffer areas play in reducing runoff and non-point source pollution; improving water quality, soil fertility drainage and structure; as well as create wildlife habitat and improve biodiversity along the river. The demonstration buffer strip will illustrate to homeowners how attractive buffer plantings can be and show farmers how buffer strips can reduce fertilizer and pesticide use.

First Herring Brook Watershed Initiative in cooperation with Maxwell Conservation Trust - was awarded $1500 towards their Watershed Neighbor Project on the First Herring Brook in Scituate; an outreach and educational project to promote greater understanding of watershed stewardship concepts and thereby increase the number of environmentally aware stakeholders in the community.

Ashburnham Conservation Trust - Bluefield Brook Project received a grant of $5000 to purchase 17. acres of land along the Bluefield Brook in Ashburnham linking DEM land, Town of Ashburnham Conservation land and Mt Grace Conservation Land Trust land. The property supports many wildlife species such as beaver, moose, otter, various species of waterfowl and fish, turtles and amphibians as well as hosting a multitude of unique flora. The site will be utilized to provide "guided" public access to the site and viewing platform via a boardwalk.

Mount Grace Land Trust - was awarded $2500 for stewardship of their newly acquired Whitney Property on the Millers River in Winchendon. The Trust will prepare a management plan and conduct outreach activities for the site. Hoosic River Watershed Association - received $ 1810.00 for their River Clean ups and Ecosystem Appreciation project to encourage active stewardship of the river by members of the community; two highly publicized clean ups will be conducted and the resulting debris will decorate the HooRWA float in the Williams town Fourth of July parade; a series of articles will be created for the local media, displays exhibited in local libraries, schools, town halls, and at HooRWA's annual celebration of the Hoosic, Riverfest. Additionally, three workshops will be conducted to expose participants to the richness and diversity of the river's ecosystem and to hopefully inspire their active role in future river stewardship efforts.

Westport River Watershed Alliance, Inc. - received $1600 toward their Public Outreach and Education for the head of Westport project. to inform residents about the environmental benefits of the constructed wetlands being built to handle storm water at the Head of the Westport and to foster stewardship among citizens for the water resources in the community Toward this end, the WRWA will establish a Stream Team to conduct shoreline surveys between the Head of the Westport south to Hix Bridge to map vegetation along the river and identify land-based sources of contamination to the river. Additionally, an interpretive sign for placement at the constructed wetlands being built to handle storm water on the east side of the river , will be designed to describe the benefits of wetlands and the functions of wetland plants.

Neponset River Watershed Association - received $4700.00 to Build Community Support for River Restoration in the Lower Neponset. This outreach and educational project aims to inform residents about the tradeoffs and issues at stake in river restoration as a means to promote community acceptance for implementation of a ( any of) restoration alternative which will require dramatic changes to the visual character of the neighborhood. Town of Cohasset - was awarded $5000.00 to conduct a Hydrological Assessment for Bound Brook and Tributaries to ascertain how withdrawals from Lily Pond affect stream flow in Bound Brook. Through this effort the relationship between the stream flows, Aaron Reservoir releases, and water withdrawals from Lily pond will be quantified so the quantity and quality of the surface water supply as well as the riparian habitats within the system can be better protected.

City of Everett - received $2280.00 to conduct a Technical Analysis of Proposed Source Control Activities in the Island End River. This analysis will provide an assessment of proposed Source Control Measure for coal tar contamination sediments in the Island End River which will enable the City of Everett to understand the proposed project and it's impacts. The City will then be in a position to advance an alternate proposal with DEP which addresses the City's goal of ensuring the ecological integrity of the river as well as providing waterfront access to the community.

Town of Southbridge - The Southbridge Department of Public Works, Office of Community Development, and Conservation Commission, in conjunction with the United States Army Corps of Engineers received $5000.00 for the Completion of the Heritage Nature Trail from the Quinebaug River to Marjorie Lane. The trail extension will provide a wheelchair accessible access point to the Westville Recreation Area, link a network of trails within the Westville Recreation Area and the Grand Truck Trail for use by birdwatchers, hikers, mountain bikers, cross country skiers, and joggers, and mitigate an erosion problem on a steep bank lacking vegetation which currently presents a severe erosion threat.

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SMALL GRANT AWARDS FOR FY2002

With funding provided through the 1999 Environmental Bond, the Riverways Programs provided a total of $92,000.00 towards eighteen different projects statewide. The 2002 awards highlight several main objectives of the Riverways Programs:

• increased access to and the protection of land along rivers, habitat restoration, and
• raising community awareness and building a constituency for rivers

INCREASED ACCESS AND PROTECTION

The Town of Rowley has been awarded $10,000.00 as contribution towards the Pingree Farm Acquisition along the Mill River in the Parker River Watershed. Supported in large part by Community Preservation funds, riparian forest, wetlands and water supply will all benefit from the this land purchase; consequently almost half the length of the Mill River will now enjoy some kind of permanent protection.

The Sippican Land Trust received $4,650.00 to support the Sippican River Access Project. The funds will help purchase land along the Sippican River in the Buzzards Bay Watershed, protecting the river and its corridor for the future and establishing public access on the river in the Town of Marion for passive recreation and monitoring of herring runs.

Groundwork Lawrence received $8,000.00 towards the Spicket River Greenway Project in the Merrimack River Watershed. The objective of this resident driven project is to reclaim, improve and redevelop the Spicket River and the surrounding land so that it is viewed as an amenity for this urban community. This effort emphasizes greenway linkages, riverfront parks and the opportunity for the residents not only to have access to the river, but to provide vision as to how the river could become a more valued resource.

The North and South Rivers Watershed Association has been awarded $5,000.00 for the North River Mapping Project in the South Coastal Watershed, focusing on the towns of Pembroke, Norwell, Marshfield, Scituate, and Hanover, which lie within the most rapidly developing area of the Commonwealth. The goal of the project is to create a parcel based map, overlaid on an orthophotograph of land along the North River, for use as a tool by towns and conservation organizations to prioritize parcels for acquisition or conservation restrictions, and thereby permanently protect the river. This grant award supports Phase I of the project to identify land ownership, acreage and land use. The mapping format lays the foundation for inclusion of additional information; habitat and species delineation will be added in Phase II.

HABITAT RESTORATION

The Friends of Alewife Reservation has been awarded $2,000.00 to conduct Habitat Surveys for the Alewife Reservation in the Mystic River Watershed. There has been growing concern that information on existing wildlife is needed to protect the Reservation as a permanent wildlife refuge and environmental learning center. In response to that concern, this project will conduct both a both a tracking inventory of wild mammals and a survey of migratory and resident birds. The goals are to use the wildlife surveys as a planning tool for the City of Cambridge and the MDC as they begin the Master Planning process for the Alewife Reservation and to train of a group of docents to lead the public on "wildlife" walks in the reservation

The Athol Bird and Nature Club received $2,000.00 for their Photo-documentation Pilot Project to monitor and assess habitats along the Tully River in the Millers River Watershed. Volunteers, including Stream Team members, will be trained to document river sections annually, resulting in site specific information that will show changes over time. In addition, the group has also been awarded $2,800.00 for their Bioinventories and Enhancing River Access Project along the main stem of the Millers River, the Otter River and the Tully River. Experts, working with teams of volunteers, will perform in-stream inventories of dragonflies, damselflies and other insects as well as invasive plant species from canoes. As part of these inventories, boat access points will also be investigated and contacts will be made with landowners in the hopes of negotiating easements to provide for more river access.

The Town of Manchester will continue the SawMill Brook Smelt Habitat Restoration this spring through a Small Grant of $2,000.00. The project, part of a larger project being funded from a Five Star Restoration Grant, focuses on restoring the fish run and fostering additional fish passage upstream. With the funding from Riverways, the town, along with Manchester Stream Team and Salem Sound 2000, will put in riparian plantings as a buffer for erosion as well as to provide shade and habitat for the fish.

The Town of Becket received $10,000.00 towards the Breaching or Removal of the Ballou and SIlk Mill Dams along Yokum Brook in the Westfield River Watershed. The goal of the project is to eliminate barriers to Atlantic Salmon migration and resident trout movement and to restore continuity to the habitats located upstream and between the two dams. This project has been an ongoing partnership that includes the town, local residents, the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and the Westfield River Watershed Team, state agencies such as Riverways River Restore Program, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, the Department of Environmental Management, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, and the National Marine Fisheries Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Geological Survey, the National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency. These funds will serve as in-kind match for the federal dollars funding this project.

The Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust has been awarded $6,375.00 for their Concord River Alewife Restoration Project in the SuAsCo River Watershed. The major goal of this project is to support the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries to restore a breeding population of alewife to the Concord River. Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust will recruit and train volunteers, this spring, to monitor the return of spawning adult alewife and conduct an ecological inventory and habitat assessment with the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

The Southeastern Massachusetts Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be conducting their Satucket River Restoration project in the Taunton River Watershed, funded with a Small Grant of $879.00. Recently, due to the opening of a dam, (as required by the DEM Office of Dam Safety), the Satucket has become a free flowing stream for the first time in many years. The river currently supports a population of alewife, but TU is concerned that the water temperature is not cool enough to support trout. Trout Unlimited, with support from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, will monitor the temperature of the river over the course of at least one summer to determine if the Satucket’s waters remain cool enough to support trout. If the monitoring shows the river now capable of supporting trout year round, Trout Unlimited is interested in working with the appropriate government agencies to develop and promote a restoration plan. The temperature collection will also increase understanding of the changes that occur in the river when returned to a free flowing state for use in guiding strategies directed at fisheries restoration and protection of critical habitat.

The Deerfield Millers Chapter of Trout Unlimited will receive $5,000.00 for the Atlantic Salmon Egg Rearing Project in the Greater Connecticut River Watershed. The goal of this project is to help protect salmon in the early years of life in their fresh water habitat. Work will be done to increase local knowledge of salmon restoration efforts, and inspire stewardship among students in the community as well as increase the volunteer base. Trout Unlimited will hire a coordinator to work with participating schools and organize workshops and fry stocking events.

CONSTITUENCY BUILDING AND COMMUNITY AWARENESS

The Great Barrington Land Trust has been awarded $8,000.00 to create a River Walk Raingarden at the entrance to the Housatonic River Walk in Great Barrington. This stormwater enhancement project will illustrate how natural systems can help clean stormwater runoff from urban areas by creating a manmade wetland, planted with flowering wetland species, which will filter the water before it returns to the river. There will be signage to inform the public about the project and describe its measures for river protection.

Connecticut River Watershed Council received $3,296.00 towards their Connecticut River Watershed Fisheries Restoration Program. The Riverways Small Grant funds will be used to research and develop a community based process for implementing dam removals in Massachusetts, with a focus on the lessons learned in the Connecticut Valley. This research will be part of CRWC’s larger guide for New England and will serve as a companion piece to the Greater Connecticut Watershed Team’s Technical Dam Removal Guide, funded by the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative.The Small Grants Program contributed $3,000.00 to

Saugus River Watershed Council’s Campaign To Address Illegal Dumping along the Saugus River and Town Line Brook. This campaign will be multi-faceted and include: identifying "hot spot" locations that have significant dumping activity, developing an action plan with site specific recommendations to prevent future illegal dumping, establishing and promoting a hotline for reporting illegal dumping, organizing community based clean-up projects to remove debris, educating the public about proper disposal of household and hazardous waste, and collaborating with public officials to promote and expand waste disposal programs in the watershed.

Hampshire Council of Governments received $8,000.00 towards the Tilton Town Farm Stream Protection Project in the Town of Goshen in the Connecticut River Watershed. This project serves as a pilot demonstration to alleviate continued stream degradation and promote water conservation by using composting toilets on land used mainly for recreational activities by town residents. The ultimate purpose is to educate the community about stream protection and water conservation efforts through signage along the farm boundaries, and to raise awareness about the importance of the first order stream on the property.

The Fore River Watershed Association, in collaboration with the Weir River Watershed Association and the Neponset River Watershed Association, has been awarded $8,000.00 for their Constituency Building in the Fore, Weir and Neponset River Watersheds. The Fore River Watershed Association will build a website to provide public information and education about the river and the watershed and the need for citizen involvement in its protection. The Weir River Watershed will research, write and design a brochure describing the watershed and its natural resources, the impacts of water withdrawals and other environmental threats, and ways that citizens can become involved in conserving water and protecting the river. The Neponset River Watershed Association will use funds to revise and update the "Explorer’s Guide to the Neponset River Watershed", which will include new historic and access information, as well as updated maps.

The Ipswich River Watershed Association will be holding their first annual Stream Team Conference in the Ipswich River Watershed, partially funded by a Small Grant of $3,000.00. The group will organize a one-day conference, to both strengthen existing Stream Teams and recruit and introduce new members to the activities, responsibilities and opportunities generated by Stream Teams. Existing Stream Teams will be offered guidance in clarifying workplans and taking the necessary steps to implement activities identified by the Stream Teams as priorities. The Stream Team Conference is scheduled for April 20, 2002 at North Shore Community College.The Riverways Programs extends its thanks to all the applicants who participated in this year’s Small Grants Program. The response was overwhelming – over thirty applications and $206,000.00 in total requests. Many new groups applied to the Program for funding, and the quality of the proposals was exceptional. Riverways looks forward to working with all these groups again in the future.

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SMALL GRANT AWARDS FY2000

The Riverways Small Grants Program awarded a total of $50,000 to 13 recipients during the 2000 grant round out of a total of 30 project proposals. These funds helped watershed associations, towns, planning agencies and environmental organizations in their efforts to protect the health of their watersheds, educate the public, provide restoration and expand public access.

This year’s projects focused on a variety of topics including volunteer monitoring, educational seminars and outreach to riverfront landowners, land acquisition and public access, trail projects, riparian planting, fish run restoration, and invasive species removal. Riverways grants are often used to leverage additional funds and services, serving to create a larger project than would be possible with our funding alone.

The Upper Charles Conservation Inc. in Holliston was awarded $4,850 for their project in the Charles River Headwaters Area and Upper Charles Trail Project off Route 85 in Milford. The grant was used to hire a professional wetlands scientist to perform a site investigation of the wildlife and vegetation to determine if the area is ecologically significant.

The Deerfield River Watershed Association was awarded $5,000 for their Deerfield River Watershed Volunteer Wetland Monitoring Project in Deerfield and Greenfield. The grant was used to hire a project manager to train volunteers who surveyed riparian wetlands and "called" for amphibians and selected waterbirds to establish what species are dependent upon these marshes.

The Town of Norton's Canoe River Aquifer Advisory Committee was awarded a grant of $3,025 for their Water Conservation and Lawn Care Seminar. The seminars targeted five communities along the Canoe River (Sharon, Foxborough, Mansfield, Easton and Norton) and were recorded and distributed to local cable stations, libraries, Conservation Commissions, and water departments. These seminars also incorporated "hands on" model garden demonstrations that focused on the techniques covered during the presentations.

The Conservation Commission of the Town of Hardwick was awarded a grant of $5000 for Ware River Habitat and Public Access. The grant was used for partial funding for the acquisition of a parcel of land along the Ware River to expand conservation lands and for passive recreational use.

The Parker River Clean Water Association was awarded $3,511 for River Stewardship: Outreach to Riverfront Homeowners. The grant was used to fund house meetings targeting the communities of Newbury, Georgetown, Rowley, Boxford and Newburyport. These meetings reached out to Parker River water front property owners, presented to owners the value of water resources, as well as owner rights and responsibilities, and initiated follow up with the landowners in an attempt to improve the everyday practices that effect the rivers, streams and ponds.

The Town of Whatley was awarded $3,000 for Riparian Planting along the Mill River. This buffer planting project was completed following the bioengineering work covered under a s.319 grant. Local citizens were recruited and educated about the importance of buffer zones, and the volunteers assisted in the actual plantings in the fall.

The North and South Rivers Watershed Association was awarded $4,565.10 for a North River Macroinvertebrate Study in Plymouth County. The group assessed the biological and physical condition of tributary streams throughout the North River Basin.

The Town of Plymouth was awarded $5,000 as part of the Town Brook Fish Run Restoration. The town is restoring an anadromous fish run by replacing a defunct fish passage and removal of the Billington St. dam.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society was awarded $4,309 for a Little River Alewife Count in Gloucester. The grant was used to monitor the health of the alewife fishery, foster stewardship of the Little River through education, provide baseline data for municipal fishery management, and determine ways to improve fisheries.

The Merrimack River Watershed Council was awarded $2,450 for the Cobblers Brook Greenway Revitalization Project. The Council helped the Cobbler Brook Stream Team to revitalize the Cobbler's Brook Greenway in the town of Merrimack by increasing awareness, enhancing and restoring the Greenway to both protect flow and encourage recreational use.

The Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts was awarded $3,858 for a Riverfront Landowner Outreach Effort. The grant was used to do follow-up work and contact riverfront landowners along the upper Taunton River in the focus communities of Bridgewater, Middleboro, and Raynham.

Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Conservation Districts were awarded $4,000 for their Water Chestnut Inspection and Eradication Program for the Connecticut River Watershed. The districts developed a volunteer system where all water bodies are inspected and water chestnut plants are located and removed before infestation occurs.

The Coes and Patches Ponds Watershed Association was awarded $1,300 for their Outreach Plan for the Tatnuck Brook Watershed in Worcester. The group is focusing on developing an outreach plan, producing a quarterly newsletter, producing public service announcements, revising their trail brochure, and educating students and residents to be watershed stewards.

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