Police Chief and Harbormaster Paul Nikas invites community members to complete a new online survey to help with the development of a short and long term management plan for many of Ipswich’s waterways.
The survey can be found here and will be open until Oct. 15. Community members including residents, business owners and employees, commercial and recreational fishers, and recreational boaters are invited to fill out the survey.
The purpose of the survey is to gather citizen and waterway user input to help shape the short and long term planning for Ipswich Bay, the Ipswich river and other marine waterways in Ipswich. The results will be included in a Harbor and Waterways Management Plan, which will be created by the Urban Harbors Institute at University of Massachusetts Boston.
The Town of Ipswich’s Waterways Advisory Committee will also be providing input for the plan and is spearheading this effort on behalf of the Harbormaster’s Office and the Ipswich Select Board.
Though online responses are preferred, hard copies can be picked up at the Ipswich Police Station lobby, 15 Elm St. or at the Town Clerk’s Office, 25 Green St. Once filled out, hard copies can either be dropped off at these locations or mailed to the Harbormaster at 15 Elm St., Ipswich MA 01938.
“We encourage all community members to fill out this survey in the coming weeks,” Chief Nikas said. “This input will allow us, with the help of the Urban Harbors Institute team, to develop a management plan that best fits the needs of all who use Ipswich’s waterways.”
For further information about this survey or the Harbor and Waterways Management Plan, please visit www.umb.edu/uhi/ipswichharborplan or contact the Urban Harbor Institute’s Senior Research Associate Kim Starbuck at Kimberly.Starbuck@umb.edu.