What an exciting start as the new interim executive director of WRWA. Before I share a little of that start with you, let me begin by echoing Chairman Tom Schmitt's thanks to Matt Patrick for his outstanding service as WRWA's executive director over the last three years. Of course, for me Matt's legacy is a double-edged sword: His leadership in creating and fostering the wonderful array of WRWA projects to improve and maintain the health of the Westport River make this an exciting job to step into. However, it also means he's a tough act to follow!

But how can I complain when during the first weeks on the job I:

• Joined WRWA's education director, Shelli Costa, and her crew of instructors on a sunny day on Westport Beach where 40-some children were learning the natural wonders of life along the shore. (Maybe Shelli will train me some day to be an instructor.)

• Found myself on the Westport River at 7 am with osprey parents bringing in fish for junior's breakfast while I and volunteers Ron Price and Catherine Williams assisted Roberta Carvalho, WRWA's science director, conduct water quality sampling up and down both the east and west branches.

• Worked with former EPA scientist Ken Perez, Westport shellfish constable Gary Sherman, and scientist from SMAST to initiate an oyster study in the river (see article).

• Helped our advocacy director, Betsy White, continue our collaboration with Chris Gonsalves, Westport's highway surveyor, to inventory road-stream crossing to identify deteriorating culverts that impede stream flow, fish movements, and other aspects of stream quality, as well as causing flooding problems.

• Marvel at the tireless work of Gay Gillespie, our development director, and numerous devoted volunteers as they round up fantastic auctions items and organize myriad details for WRWA's annual Summer Gala.

• Am infused daily with the contagious upbeat, boundless energy-aah, youth!-of our administrative assistant, Dachelle London, as she balances everything from our financial books to the competing demands of staff, board and visitors vying for her attention.

• Enjoy incredible support from a board of directors of such diverse talents who volunteer more time and hard work for WRWA and the health of the river than any other nonprofit I've ever known.

• See families from throughout the watershed having fun participating in River Day festivities at the Head of Westport.

• Have met scores of WRWA members who share our commitment to ensure that the Westport River will be one of New England's healthiest rivers for future generations to enjoy and who generously support WRWA's efforts to meet that vision. I can't wait to meet more of you so I can thank you personally for sharing our vision and dedication.

As the saying goes, it's tough job, but someone has to do it.

A sincere thanks to everyone who has helped me get on my feet-and made flying catches to cover my stumbles-during these first weeks.

As you know from the June's River News, we're making great progress working with the Town of Westport, MA Department of Transportation and Army Corps of Engineers to move ahead with the rubble removal under Hix Bridge to restore the natural flow of the Westport River in this area. One of the major goals of the project is to restore the large and healthy oyster beds that existed above the bridge years ago, but have declined in large part because the rubble is reducing the velocity of flow near, and thus allowing sediment to build up on, the bottom of the river. Both the reduced velocity of flow and the silt are generally bad for oysters.

To better understand how changes in flow velocity with removal of the rubble may affect oysters above Hix Bridge, in June we launched an experiment conceived and designed by former EPA scientist Dr. Ken Perez, who is generously volunteering his expertise and time. The basic experimental design is to place oysters at three different levels above the river's bottom, and then monitor over the next several months if oysters near the bottom of the river, where the flow velocity is slowest, grow slower than oysters further from the bottom where flow velocity is higher. To do this, we used two large wire cages (see photo), each with three shelves to hold the oysters at different levels-roughly ½, 2 and 3½ feet above the bottom of the river.  

To get started we fortunately benefitted from the help of shellfisherman John Borden who collected several hundred oysters for us. Then, thanks to Kenny Tripp lending us the use of his dock just below Hix Bridge, shellfish constable Gary Sherman, Dr. Perez and I placed about 60 oysters in each shelf of the cages. We loaded the two oyster-laden cages onto Gary's boat, motored above the bridge about 50 yards, and dropped each cage into the river.

To establish a baseline for the average size of the 360 oysters in the cages, we kept a representative sample of 20 oysters to weigh and measure. Thanks to the cooperation of the Coastal Systems Program at the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) in New Bedford, Dr. Perez and I used their facilities to measure the shell length and, more importantly, the dry weight of the oysters. SMAST will also run tests on shell hardness.

Over the next few months we'll monitor growth rates by collecting a few oysters from each shelf in the cages to measure and weigh. We'll report the results in River News later in the year.