Commentary
Project
Merrimack River Users Survey
Supporting a broad-based, multi-state coalition to raise community, state, and federal awareness for maintaining a clean, safe Merrimack River
Supporting a broad-based, multi-state coalition to raise community, state, and federal awareness for maintaining a clean, safe Merrimack River
To develop an understanding of what a broad range of individuals experience while using the Merrimack River, ACES is collecting anecdotal information that will complement the scientific data gathered by state and federal organizations to provide a comprehensive picture of the health of the Merrimack River.
The Merrimack River drains a watershed of 5,000 square miles that sustains over 2.5 million citizens, supplies drinking water to 600,000 Merrimack Valley residents, and provides major recreational opportunities, diverse fish and wildlife habitat, and stunning scenic beauty to more than 200 New Hampshire and Massachusetts communities.
Recently, there has been heightened concern for the health of the Merrimack due to the long-term effects of industrialization, population growth, CSOs, increased upland runoff, and a variety of point and nonpoint source pollutants.
These are big problems and for the past 2-3 years ACES has been supporting the creation of a broad-based, multi-state coalition that can raise community, state, and federal awareness of the urgency for a clean, safe Merrimack River.
In 2019/2020, ACES conducted a highly successful Pilot Survey of one hundred-twenty-eight Master Level Rowers on the Merrimack requesting their observations and thoughts on the state of the Health of the River. The results of that survey project are available on our website.
In 2021, the Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards is conducting a more general survey on the experiences of a broader range of recreational and commercial users of the Merrimack River, and we need your input! By sharing your observations and familiarity with the river, you can help us gain valuable information about the health and true value of the river throughout our many Merrimack Valley communities.
Please visit the link below to take our free 10-15 minute river use survey ... and then forward the link to others who may also be interested in sharing their comments!
The anecdotal information collected in this survey will complement the scientific data gathered by other organizations to provide a comprehensive picture of the health of the Merrimack River.
We are looking for people who want to get involved in this project NOW, including HS and College Students and young and older adults. Get in touch with us if you are interested in being part of the Merrimack River General Survey Team.
Lon retired as Associate Director of Battelle Memorial Institute’s Marine Sciences Laboratory with over 50 years of experience in environmental research and multidisciplinary resource evaluations in estuarine and coastal regions. His work included serving as Program Manager for a 10-year review and update for the Missouri River Master Operations Manual including direction of 23 technical studies. He serves as Clerk on the ACES Board of Directors and leads the funding/fundraising team while contributing to overall project development/management.
A creative artist with a passion for raising awareness of the importance of protecting the ecology of our shorelines, our fresh waterways and our oceans, Asia has been demonstrating her long-standing commitment to a healthy environment since even before her pursuit of ecological studies in 1984. As the creator and curator of the Environmental Watershed Awareness group (Facebook), she is an influencer and educator sharing insights via posts with groups from this region to abroad in India and Africa plus others along the East Coast and the Boston area. A member of the ACES BOD, Asia is making a significant contribution to addressing the Healthy Merrimack River challenges and our overall social media marketing and project management capabilities.
