OARS—Watershed Organization for the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers

OARS—Watershed Organization for the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers Join us! With your support, we can continue to protect & preserve our rivers, tributaries, & water

OARS is the watershed organization for the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers. The watershed lies about 20 miles west of Boston, stretches from Lowell to Hopkinton, Berlin to Wayland and includes 29 miles with the Federal designation of "Wild & Scenic Rivers." OARS uses research, advocacy, and education to ensure that these beautiful rivers will continue to provide clean and abundant water, exce

ptional recreational opportunities, and rich wildlife habitat for the benefit of all our communities—all within a short drive of Boston, Lowell, and Worcester.

OARS’ 2nd Annual Concord River Race was a success! Thank you to all our participants, staff, and volunteers for coming o...
05/13/2026

OARS’ 2nd Annual Concord River Race was a success!

Thank you to all our participants, staff, and volunteers for coming out in the rain and making this event possible.

The utmost thanks to our 2026 race sponsors for their gracious support: , Warren Insurance Agency, & !

Also thanks to & for their delicious food donations! 🍕🧁

And a special thanks to & for their support of this event.

See you all next year! Same time, same place 👀🛶

Join us and The Concord Film Project TOMORROW night at the Umbrella Arts Center () for a special screening of the film R...
04/27/2026

Join us and The Concord Film Project TOMORROW night at the Umbrella Arts Center () for a special screening of the film RIVER.

Directed by Jennifer Peedom & Joseph Nizeti, and narrated by Willem Dafoe with music by the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Radiohead, the film is a cinematic musical odyssey and a stunning exploration of the timeless relationship between human civilization and Earth's rivers.

And...be the first to hear a special announcement of a new OARS event coming this June!

Get your tickets to see the film at the link in our bio and read more about the work of The Concord Film Project.

Join OARS and The Robbins House for a night under the stars this Thursday, April 23🎬 Starting at 6:30pm, we will be scre...
04/22/2026

Join OARS and The Robbins House for a night under the stars this Thursday, April 23🎬

Starting at 6:30pm, we will be screening three masterful works for a movie night focused on Black activists, environmentalists, and farmers. This event is free and open to all. We’ll see you there!

What you’ll see:
A Mystical Ornithology (directed by Jeremy Seifert and Benjamin James Roberts) is a short film about poet and ornithologist J. Drew Lanham, bird song, nature’s transcendence, and seasonal change.

Paul Cuffe Is Me (lyrics by Daniel Laurent, music by Roy Studmire, and dancers from Brickhouse NYC) is a music video introducing The Cuffe Project, a narrative film about late 18th century Black and Wampanoag entrepreneur and abolitionist Paul Cuffe, whose values of community and common good remain pressing today.

SEEDS (directed by Brittany Shyne) is a Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award-winning feature film about centennial farmers in the American South, the decline of generational Black farmers, and the significance of owning land.

This Thursday, April 23, join OARS, , and for a reading of The Noisy Puddle at Haute Coffee from 3-4pm! Learn all about...
04/19/2026

This Thursday, April 23, join OARS, , and for a reading of The Noisy Puddle at Haute Coffee from 3-4pm! Learn all about vernal pool species, then put your skills to the test as you look for images of these species around Concord in Vernal Pool Bingo!

Turn in your completed bingo cards to be entered to win special prizes!🦎🐸

This Earth Day, on April 22, join Julia Blatt, former executive director of O.A.R. and Massachusetts Rivers Alliance and...
04/17/2026

This Earth Day, on April 22, join Julia Blatt, former executive director of O.A.R. and Massachusetts Rivers Alliance and initiator of the Wild & Scenic status process in our watershed, and Barbara Moran, WBUR climate and environmental reporter and award-winning science writer, for an engaging conversation on what the Wild & Scenic designation means and how part of the SuAsCo earned this status.

This event kicks off our Wild & Scenic Film Festival and will take place at Concord Academy’s Centennial Arts Center. Please register to attend in advance, seats are limited! We’ll see you on April 22 at 5:30pm!

Join us during this year’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival to learn more about nature’s engineers: beavers!🦫On Friday, April...
04/15/2026

Join us during this year’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival to learn more about nature’s engineers: beavers!🦫

On Friday, April 24 from 5-7pm, four amazing photographers will open a month-long exhibit at the historic Wright Tavern showcasing beavers in their natural habitats. Come enjoy these beautiful photographs, drinks, and light bites at the opening reception!

The following day, on April 25, meet your friends and neighbors at Wright Tavern for our Beavers & Beer event! Enjoy a cold brew while admiring the photo exhibit and learning about the Tavern’s history. This family-friendly event will be open 11am-4pm and will have live animals from 12-1pm for kids and adults alike to see.

We’ll meet you at Wright Tavern!

Earlier this March, we joined our community for some wonderful events celebrating art, science, and policy.On March 7th,...
04/09/2026

Earlier this March, we joined our community for some wonderful events celebrating art, science, and policy.

On March 7th, we joined hundreds of people for the Concord Lantern Parade. It was a heartwarming gathering bringing together people of all ages and interests. Thank you to Art For All for the beautiful OARS lantern, the creatively colorful fish now hanging in our office!🐟

Earlier that same week on March 5, we hosted our very first Egg Rock Readers book club with Yenny Vega Cárdenas, lawyer and champion for the Rights of Nature. An inspiring conversation that highlighted the power of communities in enacting change, we thank Yenny for her time, knowledge, and energy in introducing us to environmental legal personhood. A recording of this conversation is now available to watch on our website at the link in our bio, and at oars3rivers on YouTube. 📖

And finally, on March 14, we hosted Sounds of Science at Concord Art with a moving presentation by Dr. Laura Kloepper, bioacoustics researcher at UNH, who spoke on what nature is telling us through sound. Using recordings from our very own SuAsCo rivers, Dr. Kloepper demonstrated that sound can indicate the health of an ecosystem, and that a silent ecosystem is a major cause for concern. Thank you, Dr. Kloepper, for your expertise, passion, and motivation, and to our community for joining us at this event! 🔊

We are lucky to be protecting and advocating for our rivers alongside you all! 🦦

Each week leading up to our annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival, coming to Concord on April 22-26, we'll be highlighting ...
04/09/2026

Each week leading up to our annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival, coming to Concord on April 22-26, we'll be highlighting some of the events happening throughout our 5-day celebration🎥

First, the annual film festival event itself! Join OARS for our 18th year hosting Wild & Scenic Film Festival On-Tour screenings on Saturday, April 25 at the Concord Scout House. This year's films feature river adventures, restoration projects, thought-provoking animations, and heartwarming stories of how people connect to nature.

Tickets are on sale now at the link in our bio, or at oars3rivers.org/events/event/wsff/🔗

And... action!🎥 Get ready for OARS' 18th Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival on April 22-26!This year, in celebration of ...
04/09/2026

And... action!🎥 Get ready for OARS' 18th Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival on April 22-26!

This year, in celebration of Earth Day and OARS' 40th Anniversary, we're bringing the festivities to Concord for FIVE DAYS of community-focused events. Check out the full schedule, presented in partnership with some awesome local organizations and individuals.

Tickets are on sale now on our website and at the link in our bio! We can't wait to see you in April!

Address

23 Bradford Street
Concord, MA
01742

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(978) 369-3956

Website

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