“Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000”

AYER – The positive environmental effects of one local woman’s extraordinary actions and dedication to her community are still being felt today, over six decades later. 

The 30-minute film “Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000” (vimeo.com/821661303/77152526e9) focuses on the now 97-year-old town resident’s efforts to mobilize the community to clean up the Nashua River many years ago. According to Wikipedia the 37.5-mile body of water is a tributary of the Merrimack River in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and flows through several cities and towns in Massachusetts including Shirley, Lancaster, and Fitchburg to join the Merrimack in New Hampshire, with its watershed occupying a major portion of north-central Massachusetts and a much smaller portion of southern New Hampshire.

The movie description states that the Nashua River was one of the 10 most polluted rivers in the country in the 1960s, clogged with multicolored, toxic sludge from nearby paper mills. The award-winning film made by Susan Edwards and Dorie Clark in 2010 that details one of state’s most dramatic environmental success stories has been distributed to schools and universities across the United States and screened widely for conservation and education groups. 

“Marion very kindly gave me permission to make the film, which I began in 2007 and completed in 2010 after fundraising through events large and small, grant writing, and assembling an extraordinary team of dedicated collaborators,” Edwards said about the important project. 

After living in Groton for roughly 60 years, Stoddart moved over the line into Ayer a few years back when she downsized. While living in Groton she was a stay-at-home mom with young kids and was looking for purpose in her life, so she decided she would clean up the Nashua River. 

“By having a vision and getting others involved, from mayors, select boards and senators to townspeople and paper company owners, she accomplished her goal,” said Massachusetts Dept. of Fish and Game Land Agent for the Northeast District of MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Anne Gagon. “The Nashua River and other local rivers are now swimmable destinations for wildlife and for human recreation.

“Marion is an example of a true local hero and a great overall person,” she continued. “She accomplished so much cleaning up the Nashua River and helping to get the Clean Water Act passed with no training. If you don’t know her story, Google her and be inspired to do your own advocacy work.”

Stoddart, whose 98^th birthday is coming up in May, began her campaign to clean up the heavily polluted Nashua River in 1962 after moving to Groton. Her work, which involved building coalitions and pushing for legislation, led to the passage of the Massachusetts Clean Water Act in 1965, with the river becoming swimmable by the 1980s.

“Once sewage from paper companies and municipalities was treated before being dumped into the waterway, the river started cleaning up almost immediately in the mid-70’s,” Gagon said. 

She shared that “A River Ran Wild” by Lynne Cherry “is a beautifully illustrated book that describes Marion’s work to restore the river” and that Stoddart likes to say, “The work is never done.”

“She continues to inspire locals and advocate for strong environmental laws and enforcement to prevent back-sliding into contamination,” Gagon said of the community hero. “She also promotes the completion of a 300-foot-wide greenway of protected open space along all local rivers and streams to maintain habitat for nature and people and to protect water quality, quantity, and flood control.”

Edwards said Stoddart “learned through her work with the League of Women Voters, as well as through extensive reading and conversations with experts,” which makes sense seeing as how one of Stoddart’s personal credos is this -- “Educate yourself first on the issues, then educate others, and they will want to do the right thing.”

Other things Stoddart likes to say is “Strength is in numbers. The more people you can enlist, the greater the power for change,” and “Synergy develops — and it’s very exciting to work together.” Edwards said those perfectly align with what Stoddart and the others who joined her efforts were able to do with the Nashua River. 

“Marion understood that meaningful environmental progress required mobilizing a large, informed citizen effort, grounded in facts and driven by persistence, working with community leaders and elected officials,” Edwards said. 

Edwards imparted that Stoddart is the founder of the Nashua River Watershed Association (NRWA) (nashuariverwatershed.org), “which continues her legacy of caring for and protecting the Nashua River and its tributaries for the benefit of all.”

NRWA hosts many free and public programs, from outdoor walks and hydrology education to engaging talks about watershed wildlife. Edwards said Stoddart “has an extraordinary mind for retaining facts and names” and shared a quote of hers that that captures Stoddart’s commitment to the Nashua River and greenway -- “I wanted people to get out on the river or by the river — to love it, take it into their hearts, and then they would want to care for it and protect it.”

“Marion is especially proud of NRWA’s River Classroom program, which has brought more than 50,000 children onto the river to learn about and love it,” Edwards said. “Some of those children are now grown adults working at NRWA — a legacy she treasures.”