At the Ipswich Illuminates premiere (pictured above), Katie Bernard and Marion Duval inspired with their film Protecting Fish Brook. Guest blog by volunteer, Topsfield Stream Team member, and creative Paddle-a-thon fundraiser Joel Hariton.
It started when Katie Bernard reached out in 2019 to join a brand new Ipswich River volunteer corps, the River Wardens. Katie became the Warden for Salem Road Landing, checking regularly on the condition of the landing, cleaning up litter, and reporting her findings. Then Katie, along with classmate Marion Duval, recruited the entire Masconomet Environmental Club as the River Wardens for Fish Brook, an important tributary.
Regular stewardship of Fish Brook revealed the local impacts of watershed-wide challenges: stormwater pollution, invasive species, habitat degradation, and low flows. To protect the Brook and bring awareness of these issues to their communities, Katie and Marion produced and directed Protecting Fish Brook, a documentary.
The documentary, which features many local voices including Ipswich River staff, River Watch Monitors, and Stream Team members premiered at Ipswich Illuminates this October. And now it has started a movement.
Katie and Marion’s video has inspired others to highlight another important waterway in the watershed. Lily Ramsdell, from Ipswich High School is leading an effort to produce a video about the historic and critical Bull Brook in Ipswich. The Ipswich River Watershed Association and the Topsfield Stream Team are hoping to support Lily and her team.
Perhaps more students from more high schools will find a brook they love and highlight its importance in their community. Our dream is that this continues throughout the watershed, the North Shore, Massachusetts, the nation and globally!
You are inspiring and provide hope for our’s and nature’s future. Thanks for doing what you do and for sharing your documentary.