July 25, 2025
This week we continued with more of the same and a fun new project!
On Monday we did some restoration work on the DeSable river, managing woody material and putting in brush mats. This has been what we have been doing for the past few weeks, and we are switching it up by working in different locations. It feels good to be connecting fish passage between areas we had been working on previously, and we are happy to report that we have put in more brush mats than ever before.
Tuesday marked more brush mats, but in a very special location. As a continuation of the estuary restoration project we were working hard on last year, we are experimenting with brush mats in the estuary to hold sediment. When we experimented with salt marsh grass growth in different materials, they did well enough in the brush mat material that we thought we should test it in the environment and not just the lab. We are excited to see what happens and glad to be doing science!
Wednesday we were back in the stream doing more of the same, and removing invasive species that inhibit native species and block stream flow. In the heat, we also removed some invasive species at one of our park locations, continuing the battle against invasive species colonizing these areas. We got a lot done even though everyone was moving slower than usual. Hope you all were staying cool as well!
Thursday, we put in a few more brush mats on the DeSable river to help manage sediment and protect the banks of the river. We also measured water quality across all five watersheds. These 17 locations are measured using different parameters once a month throughout the summer season as a way to keep track of the state of the streams, even those we are not in all of the time.
Friday was a big day since it was Nout’s last day working for SSWA. At the end of the month he is heading off to pursue a degree in the Netherlands and we are very excited to see what he learns, although he will be missed on the crew with his hard work and sense of humor. We continued to work on the part of the Westmoreland River we have spent the past couple of weeks working in, and finally connected up to the section we had restored last year. Exciting stuff!
We hope you are thinking ahead to the end of August and the Swim for the South Shore! You can find out more information and register at this link, and check out our social media for some FAQs! It should be a great time with live music and prizes! Come on out and support the work that we do to keep the streams happy and healthy.
Be there or be square!
Love, SSWA
