Please join the Southern New England Chapter of the Soil & Water Conservation Society for their annual summer meeting. This year we will learn of the role played by the Merrimack River in making Lowell, MA the first successfully planned industrial city in America. Through dams, locks, gatehouses and a network of canals, the river powered the great textile mills of the 1800s. Today the river provides recreational opportunities along its banks and in its waters. It supplies electricity to Lowell and many surrounding communities, and is also the second largest surface drinking water source in New England. Formerly one of the 10 most polluted rivers in the country, efforts to clean up from a century of industrialization and urbanization have come a long way. The Merrimack, however, still faces challenges. Anadromous fish populations are low, despite stocking and construction of fish ladders. Combined sewer overflows continue to contaminate the river, and waste incinerator emissions are one of many identified nonpoint sources.

A National Park Service ranger will take us on guided tour of historic textile mills and a canal boat ride. The Merrimack River Watershed Council, a nonprofit citizen outreach group that was formed to restore the Merrimack River and its 5,000 square mile watershed, will tell us about current efforts to clean and protect this vital watercourse. Afterwards, we will picnic (lunch provided) on the banks of the Merrimack, and hold a business meeting.

WHEN:Thursday, July 15, 1999

WHERE: Meet at Lowell National Historical Park Visitors Center, Lowell, MA

TIME:??10 AM - about 3:00 PM (guided tour runs 2¹/₄ hours)

COST: Adult $15, Children $8

REGISTER BY: June 30, 1999

QUESTIONS: Call Saiping at (978) 692-1904; or email: stso@ma.nrcs.usda.gov

Directions: Lowell is 26 miles north of Boston.

Route 495 to Lowell Connector (Exit 35C), or Route 3 to Lowell Connector (Exit 30A). Then take Lowell Connector to Thorndike St. (Exit 5B). Follow brown and white "Lowell National and State Park" signs. Free parking is available in the visitor parking lot next to Market Mills. Meet in the Visitors Center at 10 AM.