Carla Villa

We are happy to report that on December 22, 2023 the Massachusetts Superior Court upheld the new water rules and affirmed DEP’s authority to condition water registrations for the first time. In January of last year, following three decades of advocacy for the Ipswich River, The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued new water rules […]

Message From Ipswich River Watershed Association’s Board President Dear Ipswich River Members, I’m writing to let you know that Wayne Castonguay will soon be stepping down as our Executive Director to take a position with his previous employer, the Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game, Division of Marine Fisheries. Speaking on behalf of the Board

At IRWA’s headquarters, a new stream has appeared — or, really, reappeared. The stream was restored by a process called “daylighting,” which is exactly what it sounds like: the stream, once buried, is back out in the daylight, as it once was hundreds of years ago.  Plenty of organisms alter their environment to suit their needs,

Today is World Fisheries Day and seeing as Thanksgiving is this week, it made us ask the question, “What did the fishery on the Ipswich River look like on the first Thanksgiving?” What we know from Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, published by The Ipswich Historical Society in 1905, is that there were plenty

I keep hearing the phrase “last-mile problem” all over the place. Most recently, economists on NPR bemoaned some last-mile problem in our economy, and my ears pricked up. The phrase struck me because my boss (the great Erin Bonney Casey) brought up the point recently that IRWA’s headquarters has its own last-mile problem.  Erin meant

The Ipswich Mills Dam (IMD) Removal project recently went through the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office review process. The purpose of this process is to address a project’s potential environmental impacts as well as provide an opportunity for both the public and state agencies to submit comments. The Secretary of the EEA then reviews

We at IRWA feel like beavers could use a PR boost. We know that people get frustrated with beavers when they cut down trees that we’d prefer stay standing and flood open spaces and roadways. But beavers are an essential part of a functioning watershed. Here’s a few reasons we still love them despite their

Hello all! I think one of my favorite fall activities is being able to sip warm coffee while watching the leaves change, and this morning I was so lucky to be able to do that from Riverbend while looking out over the Ipswich River.  I am thrilled to be joining the team at IRWA as