Kids Environmental Science “Try It” Day

Meet us at Old Essex Road (next to Downriver Ice Cream) from 9am to 11am on Saturday, May 3rd to see environmental science in action!

The Castle Neck River is an important river that drains into the ocean near Crane Beach, and it could be a great habitat for fish — but it needs our help. Part of the river is buried underneath a road, making it an unhealthy habitat. Next year, the towns of Ipswich and Essex will work together to restore the river by un-burying this river. You can take part in this project now by collecting data about the plant life, fish, and water quality in the river before it is restored!

Join us for exciting participatory science at three stations:

Vegetation Survey: Identify and count plants in the marsh, so we know what is there before it’s restored.
Fish Sampling: Help complete a fish sampling where we catch, count, and release fish to track species.
Water Quality Testing: Measure salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen using scientific equipment.

Each station will run for 30 minutes at 9, 9:30, 10, and 10:30. Try one or all!

This program takes place at Old Essex Road, just next door to Downriver Ice Cream on Route 133 in Ipswich/Essex. Parking is permitted at Downriver and across the street.

This program is open to all ages, but would be best suited to elementary-aged students and their families. Space is limited!

This event is made possible by a grant from the MassBays Healthy Estuaries funding program.