Environmental Pioneer to Speak Feb. 8
This Post has been archived and its content might be outdated. If you are looking for recent content, please check this Department's Homepage.
Contact: Nancy Brumback
978-440-8304
nbrumback@comcast.net
The woman who single-handedly spearheaded the cleanup of the Nashua River will speak at a public forum Sunday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m. at the Grange Hall in Sudbury.
Marion Stoddart will discuss how one person can make a difference and show a brief film clip for a feature documentary on the recovery of the Nashua River. The film is expected to be released this fall.
The forum is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Sudbury, and is free and open to the public. The Grange Hall is located next to Town Hall at 326 Concord Rd.
Stoddart launched her efforts to reclaim the river in the early 1960s when she moved to Groton. At that time, the Nashua River was ranked one of the 10 most polluted rivers in the United States, and at times ran red with dumped chemicals. Her efforts helped get the Massachusetts Clean Rivers Act passed.
She received an award from the United Nations, has been profiled in National Geographic, and is the subject of a children’s book.
Before she moved to Groton, Stoddart was one of the first presidents of the Sudbury League, and credits the League with preparing her for the river campaign.
“When I first started the cleanup of the Nashua River, I had no special training. Except through the League of Women Voters. And through the League, I learned how the political process worked, and we studied water resources on the state and national level, and then on a regional and local level,” Stoddart said in an interview for the documentary.
The film, Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000, is being produced with a grant from the Massachusetts Foundation of the humanities and emphasizes how one person can make a difference. For additional information on the film and on Stoddart, visit the website, www.workof1000.com.
The League of Women Voters of Sudbury is a non-partisan organization.. For membership information, visit the League’s web site, www.SudburyLeague.com, or contact Marilyn Ellsworth, 978-443-5752.