SAUGUS — The Saugus River Watershed Council hosted its annual meeting, where the Council gave out its stewardship awards, a presentation by member Steve Fantone, and the chance to learn more about the Rumney Marsh Conservancy.
The Council’s executive director, Mary Lester, gave an update on how the Saugus River is doing at the moment.
“We’re still, despite all of the snow that we’ve had, still in quite an incredible drought. So we did not see our normal 5,800 American eels pass over the ramp into Reedy Meadow this past year,” she said.
She also noted that the Council has been collaborating in the past year with different grants with McAllister Engineering, and it is currently applying for a continuation for a water quality grant.
“We’re looking at areas of stormwater treatment running along Finton Avenue and South Side Avenue. We’re looking to capture the runoff prior to entering the Saugus River,” she said.
Lester also commented that the Council has been successful in working with Revere, Malden, Everett, and Lynn.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen these individual towns and cities come together in a watershed and working together for a brighter, safer future… Knowing that the watershed has no borders. And I know moving forward with everyone working together, we’ll reduce the ongoing future threats to our watershed,” she said.
Council President Debra Panetta announced the recipients for the stewardship awards: Bill Leuci and Stephanie Shalkowski.
Panetta described Leuci as an unsung hero in town and handed him the River Stewardship Award for outstanding contribution toward protecting natural resources, the public health, and the Saugus River Watershed.
Panetta noted that Shalkowski has done “amazing environmental work” for the town and though she was not there to receive the award due to a flight cancellation, her parents were.
A part of the effort to protect the area surrounding Saugus is the new Rumney Marsh Conservancy.
The conservancy is a volunteer-led organization that is dedicated to protecting, restoring, and deepening public understanding of the marsh and surrounding ecosystems.
Rumney Marsh is considered an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and is one of the the largest and most ecologically important salt marsh systems in the state according to the conservancy.
The conservancy was formed in October 2025 and relies on donations for work, including website hosting, mapping and data tools, filing fees, and the groundwork for spring and summer field work, education, and community events.
Upcoming events include Birding with Nature Man Mike on March 29 from 8-10 a.m. and Webinar: Mitigating Environmental Impacts of the Abandoned I-95 Embankment across Rumney Marsh from 7-8 p.m.
