Aaron Mearns is fundraising
Ipswich River Paddle-a-Thon 2020
It's mid-April, and our quarantine family unit of three is sitting in a quiet spot along the Ipswich River. Our daughter Brooklyn is taking delight in throwing pine cones, sticks and anything else she can reach with her little two-year-old hands into the river, watching them float away in the strong spring current, or get caught near the bank in a swirling eddy.
A week from now, I'll paddle by this same spot during my fifth Ipswich River Paddle-a-Thon, organized by the Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA). Setting out shortly after sunrise, I'll paddle the river from North Reading to Ipswich, a journey of 25+ miles completed in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers threatening the future of the river. At some point during the 8+ hour trip, as I pass from narrow woodland to wide meandering wetland, and maybe even as far as where the freshwater meets the incoming saltwater, I'll paddle my 100th Paddle-A-Thon mile. Paddling these miles has left me with a deep appreciation of the importance of the river.
But this year, the importance of the river has been brought into a new light. With sharp focus, the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for open spaces and wild places. On almost every day of quarantine, we'd seek these spaces- trails through the woods or sunny spots along the river- as a way to get out of the house during crazy times as a way that felt safe, healthy, and socially responsible. Over the past several months, we've seen several other families and individuals doing the same. It's felt like a great return to nature, and in some ways, an escape from the harsh realities of a world living with an unseen and little known virus. But as I think about and plan for my trip down the river, I can't help but think that rather than an escape from the real world, it's a return to it. It's a chance to go back to a world less-shaped by human hand- a world of beaver and deer and families of geese; of a meandering river beneath a thick canopy of foliage - the stuff that gives an appreciation of the rich complexity of the planet, of the way geological and biological evolution have worked in tandem over billions of years to weave a rich world whose timescales dwarf our time in isolation. It's the stuff that's been here, and the stuff that will continue to be here, if only we have the foresight to protect, restore and conserve it.
Our time in quarantine also allowed me the opportunity to complete another adventure that further drove home the need to protect our rivers. In early May, I hiked and paddled the North River from its source in Peabody to its outlet in Salem. Over its six mile run to the sea, the river is squeezed through culverts, forced underground through tunnels, and restrained between tall vertical concrete banks, in an effort to make way for highways, allow suburban development, and control flooding. The effect of all of this is to reduce the size and flow of the original brook, so that it now struggles to maintain a flow strong enough to clear overgrowth, which itself is enhanced through eutrophication by the fertilizer runoff from nearby lawns. Though its headwaters lie just a few miles from those of the Ipswich River, it feels like a completely different river. As I paddled down it, it was clear the the river had first tried to be controlled, and then was forgotten.
We need to do more to protect our rivers. We need to ensure that they will remain a healthy habitat for the wildlife who call it home. We need to ensure that they remain a place where people can go to reconnect with the real parts of the world. And we need to make sure that our children have a place to experience the same wonders that those of us who take to the river experience every time we dip our paddle, or sit quietly along the banks.
I'm honored and privileged to be part of an event put on by an organization whose mission is to do just that. Since 1977, the Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA) has worked tirelessly to ensure the river's health, that "there is enough clean water for people, fish and wildlife, today and for our children and theirs. " Thank you for taking the time to read this, to learn a bit more about my experiences on the river and the work IRWA has done to protect it. If you're able to donate, any amount helps and will go to support IRWA's continuing work. Thank you, and see you on the water!
Happy Paddling!
Aaron
More information about Ipswich River Watershed Association Inc (Irwa): The Ipswich River has been named one of the most endangered in the nation due to extreme low-flow conditions. The Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA) serves as the voice of the Ipswich River and its watershed. We work to ensure ecological integrity, healthy fisheries, adequate stream flows, clean water, reliable drinking water supplies, and outstanding recreational opportunities for the region. IRWA is dedicated to using sound science and management tools to balance human uses of the river with ecosystem needs.
A week from now, I'll paddle by this same spot during my fifth Ipswich River Paddle-a-Thon, organized by the Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA). Setting out shortly after sunrise, I'll paddle the river from North Reading to Ipswich, a journey of 25+ miles completed in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers threatening the future of the river. At some point during the 8+ hour trip, as I pass from narrow woodland to wide meandering wetland, and maybe even as far as where the freshwater meets the incoming saltwater, I'll paddle my 100th Paddle-A-Thon mile. Paddling these miles has left me with a deep appreciation of the importance of the river.
But this year, the importance of the river has been brought into a new light. With sharp focus, the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for open spaces and wild places. On almost every day of quarantine, we'd seek these spaces- trails through the woods or sunny spots along the river- as a way to get out of the house during crazy times as a way that felt safe, healthy, and socially responsible. Over the past several months, we've seen several other families and individuals doing the same. It's felt like a great return to nature, and in some ways, an escape from the harsh realities of a world living with an unseen and little known virus. But as I think about and plan for my trip down the river, I can't help but think that rather than an escape from the real world, it's a return to it. It's a chance to go back to a world less-shaped by human hand- a world of beaver and deer and families of geese; of a meandering river beneath a thick canopy of foliage - the stuff that gives an appreciation of the rich complexity of the planet, of the way geological and biological evolution have worked in tandem over billions of years to weave a rich world whose timescales dwarf our time in isolation. It's the stuff that's been here, and the stuff that will continue to be here, if only we have the foresight to protect, restore and conserve it.
Our time in quarantine also allowed me the opportunity to complete another adventure that further drove home the need to protect our rivers. In early May, I hiked and paddled the North River from its source in Peabody to its outlet in Salem. Over its six mile run to the sea, the river is squeezed through culverts, forced underground through tunnels, and restrained between tall vertical concrete banks, in an effort to make way for highways, allow suburban development, and control flooding. The effect of all of this is to reduce the size and flow of the original brook, so that it now struggles to maintain a flow strong enough to clear overgrowth, which itself is enhanced through eutrophication by the fertilizer runoff from nearby lawns. Though its headwaters lie just a few miles from those of the Ipswich River, it feels like a completely different river. As I paddled down it, it was clear the the river had first tried to be controlled, and then was forgotten.
We need to do more to protect our rivers. We need to ensure that they will remain a healthy habitat for the wildlife who call it home. We need to ensure that they remain a place where people can go to reconnect with the real parts of the world. And we need to make sure that our children have a place to experience the same wonders that those of us who take to the river experience every time we dip our paddle, or sit quietly along the banks.
I'm honored and privileged to be part of an event put on by an organization whose mission is to do just that. Since 1977, the Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA) has worked tirelessly to ensure the river's health, that "there is enough clean water for people, fish and wildlife, today and for our children and theirs. " Thank you for taking the time to read this, to learn a bit more about my experiences on the river and the work IRWA has done to protect it. If you're able to donate, any amount helps and will go to support IRWA's continuing work. Thank you, and see you on the water!
Happy Paddling!
Aaron
More information about Ipswich River Watershed Association Inc (Irwa): The Ipswich River has been named one of the most endangered in the nation due to extreme low-flow conditions. The Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA) serves as the voice of the Ipswich River and its watershed. We work to ensure ecological integrity, healthy fisheries, adequate stream flows, clean water, reliable drinking water supplies, and outstanding recreational opportunities for the region. IRWA is dedicated to using sound science and management tools to balance human uses of the river with ecosystem needs.
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