Marion Stoddart - The Work of 1000

Meet Marion Stoddart:

Marion Stoddart became the most persistent advocate the Nashua River could have. She called on the mayor of Fitchburg so often that he eventually told his secretary to pretend he wasn't in. Eventually, however she won him over as she did other community leaders. Marion brought together friends, family and neighbors. She founded the Nashua River Watershed Association to fight for the river. The NRWA still thrives today and continues the fight to keep the river clean.

Meet Neal Anderson:

Neal Anderson, a former biology professor at Fitchburg State College and wetlands consultant, used to bring his students to the Nashua River to analyze the water quality and living organisms. At this time, the highest forms of life that was able to survive in the river were bacteria and sludge worms. Neal believes that the biggest change in the river is the quality of water that has allowed for the return of biodiversity. He credits Marion with being “unafraid of taking on a task that would have seemed enormous.” 

Meet Lisa Wong:

The former head of the Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority, Lisa brought hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in investment to the city. One of Fitchburg’s new generation of leaders, Lisa has worked with Marion to begin turning the land adjacent to the Nashua River into a greenway for the public. Her future vision? Biking, walking, and kayaking on the Nashua that will make Fitchburg a destination and draw in new residents. Says Lisa, “This is a wonderful natural resource for the citizens of Fitchburg…none of this would have been possible without the decades of cleanup.”

Meet Warren Kimball:

“Marion’s role is legendary with the Nashua River,” says Warren Kimball, the Watershed Manager for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. He should know: he’s responsible for taking water quality samples of the river. Since 1972, he’s seen the Nashua transform from a poster child for environmental degradation to a thriving river that once again is home to fish and other aquatic life. Most visibly, the state River Report Card he fills out for the Nashua has turned from a toxic red to mostly green.

Meet Lynn Cherry:

When children’s book author and illustrator Lynn Cherry read about Marion’s success story with the Nashua River she was inspired to turn it into a children’s story. A River Ran Wild – a story applicable to every society that has endured industrialization – is now used in almost all fourth grade classrooms in the United States and has been translated into multiple languages. Most impressing to Lynn is that her book has empowered children around the world to replicate Marion’s work in their own communities. She says, “It’s just had success beyond my wildest dreams in getting rivers cleaned up, getting kids involved, and making them active citizens.”

Meet Joe Schneider:

Joe, operator of the East Fitchburg Waste Water Treatment Plant, oversees the treatment process that went on line in the mid 1970s to clean up the Nashua River. Joe remembers the river in the years before the treatment plant as dangerously colorful and teeming with dead fish. “It would be a sorry state along this river,” says Joe, if the plant hadn’t been built.

Meet Denise and Dan Malloy:

Denise and Dan are the owners of Mill No. 3 Farm Stand in Fitchburg – formerly the site of the Mill No. 3 Paper Mill. Both life-long residents of Fitchburg, their families relied on the paper industry for their livelihood (Denise’s father worked in a mill and Dan’s worked on the railroad). These days, their income still hinges on Nashua River—but as a place for recreation, not heavy industry. Denise notes, “People come and they sit there and they tell us everyday, ‘I can’t believe I’m eating lunch on the bank of the Nashua River.’  They never thought it would happen.”

Meet Don at Arden Mills:

Don firmly believes that “water is magic.” That’s part of the reason he purchased the old Arden Mills site and decided to turn it into environmentally-friendly luxury condos with walking trails along the river’s banks. The biggest change from 30 years ago to today, from a real estate developer’s perspective? These days, the most desirable units overlook the Nashua.

Meet Heather:

Although Marion’s daughter, Heather, spent much of her childhood mapping trails around the Nashua River and helping to collect signatures for petitions, it wasn’t until she grew up that she was able to fully appreciate her mother’s work and her significance as a female role model.

Now an art teacher and a mother of three, Heather’s life is strongly influenced by her mother’s belief that you should leave the world a better place than you found it. Says Heather, “I remember my mother saying to us as children, when people would start saying ‘Why don't they clean up the river?’ and Mom would say, ‘Well, who are they? They are us and it’s our responsibility.’ And we've all taken that into our lives.”

Meet Hugh Stoddart:

Hugh, an inventor whose diverse work includes the measurement of fetal brain oxygen levels and monitoring the number of bones in Chicken McNuggets, met Marion while both were undergraduates in California. They settled in Massachusetts after Hugh completed graduate school at MIT and have been married for 55 years. Hugh – always an advocate for Marion’s efforts – believes that Marion’s contribution “goes beyond the river being clean…it demonstrates to other people that you can do these things. That may be almost as important as having cleaned up the river.”

Meet Detective Greathead:

When he was a boy, Detective Bill Greathead’s father used to warn him to stay away from the Nashua River. “It smelled like formaldehyde and rotting…and you could actually see the foam on the falls. It was horrible,” he recalls. Greathead, a Pepperell resident, is glad to see the river clean and looks forward to the renovation of the old Pepperell Paper Mill buildings.

Meet Neal Menschel:

The owner of Nashoba Paddler, Neal has been renting out canoes and kayaks on the Nashua River for the past 15 years—and sought Marion’s blessing when he started the business. For the past four years, he has run “River Classroom” youth education courses in partnership with the Nashua River Watershed Association, showing nearly 4000 kids the beauty of nature. Says Neal, “If you want to save the resource, people have to love it. And in order to love it, they have to experience it.”

Meet Lucas MoisSon:

Lucas, a graduate of Berklee College and a Groton native, spends his summers leading groups of children on canoeing and kayaking trips with Nashoba Paddler’s River Camp. A River Camp veteran himself, Lucas’ love for the river shines through in his work with children. The mills have stopped polluting, Lucas often reminds his campers, but it’s everyone’s responsibility help continue Marion’s work by picking up trash and keeping the river clean.

Meet Bill Flynn:

Bill Flynn, the former mayor of Fitchburg, remembers Marion as an activist who “didn’t run and hide when the tough moments came.” Their collaboration—Marion refers to him as “the great white knight” – led to a lasting partnership that enabled the two to work together to garner local support for the wastewater treatment plants in Fitchburg. Says Bill, “Somebody will say to me, ‘Pick a snapshot of your life and talk about the most significant thing you’ve done.’ I always go back to the Nashua River because that’s lasting—it goes beyond my lifetime, and we’ve made a difference.”