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2025 River Restoration through Dam Removal

A River Runs Through It II:

River Restoration through Dam Removal and the impact on the Landscapes of New England

Thursday July 10, 8:30am – 3pm
West Boylston MA

Overview of the Quinapoxet Dam (photo: MWRA website)  

Join us for an educational day covering dam removal, river restoration, and land use in Massachusetts and throughout New England. Hear from professionals in the field from Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration, The Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, the Division of Water Supply Protection, and U.S. Geological Survey’s Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. The afternoon will include a tour of the recently removed Quinapoxet Dam site adjacent to the Wachusett Reservoir.

Be an active member of the Southern New England Chapter of SWCS and engage with fellow conservation professionals!

Certificates of Attendance documenting professional development hours will be provided upon request.

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Presentations

Agenda

8:30 – 9:00 AM Registration and Refreshments

9:00 – 9:10 AM Welcome and Introductions from Chapter President, Timothy Randhir

9:10 – 9:40 AM Dam Removal and Ecological Restoration

  • Chris Hirsch, Dam Removal Program Manager, MA Division of Ecological Restoration

9:40 – 10:00 AM Massachusetts Rivers Alliance and the DamBuster’s Program

  • Anna Renkert, Development & Engagement Manager at the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance

10:00 – 10:45 AM Restoring Aquatic Habitats Through Dam Removal

  • Dr. Allison Roy, USGS’s Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 

10:45 – 11:00 AM Break

11:00 – 11:30 AM Land Management in Massachusetts through Division of Water Supply Protection

  • Kenneth Canfield, Chief forester for the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Water Supply Protection 

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM Background of the Quinapoxet Dam Removal

  • Kathryn Parent, Program Coordinator; Brian LaRochelle, Assistant Regional Engineer; Dan Crocker; Environmental Analyst, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Water Supply Protection

12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch (provided)

  • 12:30 – 12:45 PM Chapter meeting during lunch

1:00 PM Carpool or drive to Quinapoxet Dam (1 mile away)

  • Thomas Street Parking Mass Central Rail Trail. 155-199 Thomas St, West Boylston, MA 01583

1:00 – 3:00 PM Field tour of Quinapoxet Dam Removal Site


SNEC has covered similar topics at past summer meetings.   Dam removal and stream restoration projects are complicated and fascinating !

    Speaker Biographies:

    Chris Hirsch
    Dam Removal Program Manager , Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration

    Bio:

    Chris has a master’s degree in restoration ecology from the University of Wisconsin. Chris started his dam removal journey while working for the Neponset River Watershed Association. He has been with DER since 2020. In his current role, Chris manages dam removal projects throughout the Commonwealth, supports a team of restoration specialists, and works to further develop and advance the practice of dam removal in Massachusetts.

    MDER Dam Removal Program online
    Allison Roy, PhD
    Research Fish Biologist

    Bio:

    Dr. Allison Roy is Unit Leader with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Dr. Roy works closely with state and federal agencies to co-produce research that characterizes anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems and assesses responses to conservation and restoration. Her field-based research typically employs large spatial gradients to identify stressor responses and species-habitat relationships within lakes and streams. Her graduate students and postdocs have worked on numerous projects in New England that have informed winter lake drawdown guidance, dam removal prioritization, water conservation, freshwater mussel restoration, and river herring management.

    Presentation:

    Restoring Aquatic Habitats Through Dam Removal

    Online Profile
    Bryan LaRochelle, P.E
    Assistant Regional Engineer for the Wachusett and Sudbury Section of the Division of Water Supply Protection

    Bio:

    Bryan is the Assistant Regional Engineer for the Wachusett and Sudbury Section of the Division of Water Supply Protection. He has been with the agency for over seven years working on maintenance and improvement projects for our stormwater systems, roads, dams, and other infrastructure. In recent years, his work has also involved stream restoration projects. He had a prior career as a civil engineering consultant. He is also a member of the Hubbardston Conservation Commission, and he enjoys spending time out on local trails, paddling different water bodies, and playing music.

    Dan Crocker
    Environmental Analyst for the Wachusett and Sudbury Section of the Division of Water Supply Protection

    Bio:

    Dan is an Environmental Analyst for the Wachusett and Sudbury Section of the Division of Water Supply Protection. He has been with the agency for over 11 years and currently manages water quality and hydrologic monitoring programs for the Wachusett watershed and tributaries. Prior to working for DCR, Dan worked in southeastern PA for a county water resources authority, working on projects related to flood-protection and drinking water supply reservoir. He initially became interested in problems of drinking water supply and water quality as a Peace Corp volunteer in Paraguay. While not working Dan enjoys many outdoor activities, traveling, and tinkering with computers and electronics.

    Anna Renkert
    Development & Engagement Manager at the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance

    Bio:

    Anna Renkert is the Development & Engagement Manager at the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, where she wears many hats including fundraising, communications, event planning, and outreach to connect individuals and member organizations in support of river conservation across the state. She supports Mass Rivers educational programming, like the Dam Busters webinar series, to build community and share knowledge that advances the movement for rivers. Anna holds a B.A. in Political Science from Colorado College. Outside of work, she enjoys playing soccer, mountain biking, and backpacking.

    Monica Driggers
    Deputy Director at Mass Rivers Alliance

    Bio:

    Monica Ghosh Driggers spent her childhood following her dad, a civil-environmental engineer, around the country as he worked on water quality issues. She began her own career examining water rights issues in the Intermountain West and went on to spend nearly 30 years working with policy makers in California, Massachusetts, and other states to make changes to criminal and civil justice processes . In her current role as the Deputy Director of the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, Monica oversees work on the organization’s programs, such as the popular Dam Busters webinar series and the Rainwater Readiness stormwater workshops, as well as managing grants and publications. She holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver and an A.B. from the University of Chicago.

    Online Profile
    Kenneth Canfield
    Chief forester for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Water Supply Protection in the Quabbin and Ware River watersheds

    Bio:

    Ken Canfield is the chief forester for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Water Supply Protection in the Quabbin and Ware River watersheds. He helps manage 80,000 acres of state-owned watershed land. Since receiving a degree in forestry from Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) Ken has worked as a forester for twenty-five years on private, state, and federal land in northern California, Alaska, Maine, and Massachusetts.

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