Ryan O'Donnell

Addressing in-stream barriers such as undersized culverts and dams is an ongoing restoration priority for IRWA – and we have some good news to report! Over the past year, we have worked on aligning specific priority barriers with funding sources in order to streamline their progress, including the Pond Street culvert upgrade project which was […]

Above Station1 interns Amanda Martinez and Thomas Rua created the above poster and an accompanying video describing their work with the Ipswich River Watershed Association this summer. We were fortunate for the opportunity to host two incredible interns this summer through the Station1 Frontiers Fellowship program. Station1 is a non-profit higher education institution that accepts

River herring are an important part of the ecosystem in coastal rivers. The Ipswich River once had one of the largest runs of river herring on the North Shore. Things changed over a century ago. Dams, reservoirs and other barriers blocked adults from returning to historic spawning ponds, causing the run to decline to a

Measuring and understanding streamflow is essential for monitoring river health and restoration planning. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) manages two gages on the Ipswich River (in Middleton and Ipswich) as part of their nationwide network. But as there are still many parts of the Ipswich River without gages, the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration

River Warden volunteers Brandon Boyd and Russ Liebe hold up a pylon they pulled from the river below Winthrop St in Ipswich. The River Warden program is beginning its third season! River Wardens were established through the Water Trail project to help maintain the Ipswich River as a great paddling destination. The River Warden corps

Above Aquatic Ecology Technician intern Erica Burton analyzes macroinvertebrate samples from Fall 2020 to see if data trends reveal insights into the long-term impacts of droughts. Join us in welcoming Erica Burton to the Ipswich River Team! Says Erica, “I am an Aquatic Ecology Technician intern in my last semester of college at Westfield State

Volunteers from the Nor’East Chapter of Trout Unlimited participate in a work day to perform channel maintenance work on Pye Brook, clearing the way for future herring to migrate  from Hood Pond to the Ipswich River and out to sea. The Ipswich River watershed has many dams and culverts that block or limit fish passage

Above: Volunteer Brandon Boyd clearing an opening through cattails on Pye Brook. This work is part of a project to reintroduce herring to Hood Pond and start their life cycle between the pond and the ocean. This will allow the fish to navigate the winding streams on this journey.  The Ipswich River had one of