OAR's Mission and Vision

Mission
The mission of the Organization for the Assabet River is to protect, preserve, and enhance the natural and recreational features of the Assabet River, its tributaries and watershed.

Vision
The Assabet watershed is our home. It embodies our sense of place in the landscape. The Assabet River, its tributaries, and associated wetlands provide scenic beauty, drinking water, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, agricultural irrigation, wastewater assimilation, and hydroelectric power to the 177,000 residents of the 177 square mile watershed. A watershed is a complex web of interrelated components—human, plant, animal, soil, air, and water. A change in one part may be reflected throughout the system. The health of the river and our community depends on regaining and sustaining the fragile balance between competing demands placed on our water resources. We all benefit when water resources are protected.

Water
Our vision is a river system in which the water provides a healthy aquatic habitat and is clean enough for swimming, whose flow approximates natural cycles, and manmade impoundments are free of contaminants.

Habitat
The Assabet watershed, its river corridor, and tributaries should support the full range of native species typical for a New England river with its flow characteristics and surrounding habitat. Healthy ecosystems in the watershed will directly contribute to a healthy Assabet.

Recreation
The Assabet River system and areas of the watershed offer outstanding scenic beauty and opportunities for recreation and nature-watching. Our vision is a watershed where scenic vistas are protected and recreational opportunities are abundant, accessible, enjoyable, and safe.

Cultural and historic resources
The Assabet River is tied to a rich literary, historical, and cultural legacy. Our vision is a watershed where this legacy is well-understood, accessible, and integrated into planning decisions.

Stewardship and education
We all share responsibility for the care of our rivers and streams and for the watershed in which we live. Our vision is a community where every resident is a well-informed steward of our natural resources. Land areas contributing to the health and beauty of the Assabet River system, including flood plains, wetlands, steep slopes, and groundwater recharge areas, should be managed with sensitivity to the effect on our water resources.