The Future of Water in Southeastern Mass: It’s Up to Us

By Shalen Lowell, WAA Social Media Manager 

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” –Loren Eisley

Photo credit to Shalen Lowell

Passion, persistence, public engagement and community: these are some of the crucial takeaways from “The Future of Water in Southeastern Massachusetts,” an environmental networking conference co-hosted by the Watershed Action Alliance and Plimoth Plantation. Our mission for the conference, held April 24th, was to gather concerned citizens, conservation professionals, legislators, volunteers, and all those committed to preserving and protecting the waters of Southeastern Massachusetts. Our goal was to network and further strategize about how best to combat the issues in Southeastern Mass watersheds, including stormwater and wastewater concerns, dam removal, and health concerns effecting environmental recreation.

WAA’s conference consisted of seven engaging, enlightening and thoughtful panels: Fundraising for Nonprofits, Science and Data Collection, Outreach and Education, Stormwater, Drinking Water in Southeastern Massachusetts, Wastewater, and Recreational Waters. (For a summary of the panels, click here.) Eric Walberg of the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences presented as our guest plenary speaker on water resource preservation and watershed management in the face of climate change. You can catch Eric’s talk and all of the sessions on WAA’s Youtube channel.

Gorgeous view from the conference pavilion
(Shalen Lowell)

As social media manager for WAA, I was responsible for live-tweeting about all of the panels at our conference. At times such as these, I especially see the real value in how social media platforms enhance our relationships with member watershed associations, our Twitter followers and other environmentally affiliated associations in the region. People unable to attend the conference were able to follow along with the panels as I tweeted from our account with our conference hashtag #thefutureofwater. Please check out our Twitter platform @Watershed_AA to view our tweets from the day, and don’t forget to follow us, too!

My personal favorite panels were Stormwater and Fundraising for Nonprofits. Especially with regard to stormwater, my renewed interest in, and dedication to, the issue goes back to my last year at Stonehill College, when I was a Teaching Assistant for a Learning Community (LC) seminar entitled Stonehill’s Water. That semester, I assisted the LC students in drawing up proposals for stormwater solutions for the town of Brockton, MA, and I had an active part in the writing and presentation processes. Some of the solutions with which the students engaged (many of which were addressed in the stormwater panel below) included updating to more stable green infrastructure systems and continued education and outreach.

The stormwater panelists for WAA’s event included Martin Pillsbury (Environmental Director at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council), Debbie Cook (Communications Director at the North and South Rivers Watershed Association), and Newton Tedder (of EPA Region 1), with Ian Cooke, Executive Director of the Neponset River Watershed Association as moderator. The new EPA municipal stormwater permit provided inspiration for this panel, requiring a renewed effort in stormwater management for nonprofits, local agencies, and municipalities. The new permit will thus hold communities more responsible for dealing with stormwater issues. The panelists emphasized intra-watershed coordination and cooperation with regard to combating environmental degradation and especially stormwater concerns. When asked to identify “sleeper” stormwater issues, the panelists called attention to the following: effective design of green infrastructure, land use, and public education and participation. The takeaway? When it comes to stormwater, we need to take real action now, and to enhance communication and cooperation between all those players involved in ameliorating the issue.

Photo taken during the Recreational Waters panel
(Shalen Lowell)

Another of my favorite panels was Fundraising for Nonprofits. Samantha Woods, Executive Director of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, moderated, and the panelist speakers were the following: Bill Stanton (former Executive Director of the NSRWA), Sarah Kelley (Senior Program Officer of the Island Foundation), and Bethany Kendall (President and CEO of the Executive Service Corps New England). One of the most important notes I took away from this panel was also one which I had not before considered: one of the keys to funding an effective nonprofit is widening one’s scope. Several of the panelists advised looking outside local areas and tying in a nonprofit’s specific focus to other regions and wider national issues, in order to network with other organizations engaged in these issues and perhaps receive additional funding. Emphasis was also placed on donor relations (you can never thank them enough!). Most important of all, however, is personal networking. I have experienced this often enough in my personal interaction with WAA’s member watershed associations, and with the inspiring individuals in them. All the panels are now available on WAA’s YouTube channel.

Photo credit to Shalen Lowell

I was excited to make contact with those individuals I know from our member watershed associations but had not seen in quite a while! It was great to chat again in person with these hard-working and inspiring individuals that I met way back in my WAA intern days. It’s important to maintain these personal connections. On a similar note, one of the many successful outcomes to the conference was networking: networking between individuals of all different backgrounds and occupations in the region uniting with one focus in mind: the future and health of water in Southeastern Massachusetts.

To read more about this conference, the people and organizations involved, and more, please check out this article by Frank Mand of the Old Colony Memorial, another of the conference’s enigmatic attendants!