The SuAsCo CISMA (Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) is a partnership of organizations that intend to manage and control invasive species in the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord (SuAsCo) watershed. The partners in this CISMA wish to share information, educate, and plan strategies for dealing with invasive species. This CISMA will protect the biological, aesthetic, cultural, historical, and recreational values of natural areas, farmland, water resources, and scenic vistas by cooperating, coordinating activities, and sharing resources necessary for the prevention and control of invasive species on public and private lands across ownership boundaries within the CISMA.
Learn more about the SuAsCo CISMA (PDF Flier).
Invasives
Invasive species pose one of the greatest threats to the biodiversity, natural landscapes, agricultural interests, recreational activities, quality of life and scenic beauty of the watershed. There are many ways to deal with this threat including initial prevention, early detection, and control through manual removal, mechanical treatment, pesticide application, biological control, grazing and fire. Invasive species do not stop at ownership boundaries, and without a coordinated effort among a broad range of private and public land owners and land managers, these species will continue to invade our watershed, altering the habitat, reducing the biodiversity, and reducing the recreational and aesthetic value of the watershed. The intention of the SuAsCo CISMA is to guide management efforts within the watershed and determine priorities for management.
Geographic Scope
The SuAsCo CISMA (Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) is a partnership of organizations that intend to manage and control invasive species defined by the geography of the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord (SuAsCo) watershed. Thirty-six towns are part of the SuAsCo Watershed, and we are all connected by the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord river system. The watershed covers approximately 377 square miles and includes a variety of upland habitats, wetland habitats, historic sites, scenic sites and recreational areas. The towns, state and federal government agencies, and environmental organizations that hold land in the watershed all share an interest in the work of the CISMA.
To be expected, the boundaries of the SuAsCo watershed do not match up with the boundaries of the towns within the watershed. Listed below are the towns that are fully or partially within the watershed.
Our Partners
The SuAsCo CISMA has two types of participation in the organization: Principle Partners and Supporting Partners. Principle Partners are signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The Supporting Partners are not signatories to the MOU but are supportive of and interested in participating in some capacity in the SUASCO CISMA. Principle Partners are eligible to serve on the SuAsCo CISMA Steering Committee, the governing body.
Principle Partners
Acton Conservation Trust
Ashland Town Forest Committee
Berlin Conservation Commission
Bolton Conservation Commission
Carlisle Conservation Commission
Carlisle Conservation Foundation
Chelmsford Conservation Commission
Concord Land Conservation Trust
Concord Natural Resources Commission
Framingham State University, Biology
Framingham Conservation Commission
Friends of the Assabet River NWR
Harvard Conservation Commission
Hudson Conservation Commission
Hop Brook Protection Association
Lincoln Conservation Commission
Lincoln Land Conservation Trust
Littleton Conservation Commission
Littleton Conservation Trust
Marlborough Conservation Commission
Mass Audubon
Maynard Conservation Commission
Middlesex Conservation District
Natick Conservation Commission
Natick Garden Club
National Park Service
New England Forestry Foundation
New England Wild Flower Society
OARS: Organization for the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord Rivers
Southborough Open Land Foundation
Stow Conservation Commission
Stow Conservation Trust
SUASCO Watershed Community Council
SUASCO Wild & Scenic River Stewardship Council
Sudbury River Watershed Organization
Sudbury Valley Trustees
The Town of Hopkinton
The Trustees of Reservations
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service
The Walden Woods Project
Wayland Conservation Commission
Wayland Surface Water Quality Committee
Westborough Conservation Commission
Westborough Community Land Trust
Westford Conservation Trust
Supporting Partners
Acton Conservation Commission
Massachusetts Fish and Game – Division of Ecological Restoration
Mass Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program