What We Risk by Not Looking

A fall walk along the Upper Quashnet reveals a trout redd in the headwaters—bright, newly turned gravel and the quick, urgent movement of fish using it. It’s the kind of detail that’s easy to miss and hard to replace once conditions shift. With a grandfathered development proposed beside this stretch of river, the focus isn’t simply on whether change happens, but on how it happens: how stormwater is handled, how wastewater is treated, how water balance is maintained, and how long-term operations and maintenance are enforced after construction fades from view. The piece also reflects on what’s at stake downstream—an already stressed bay and decades of restoration work—and why staying engaged in the “how” is one of the most practical things a community can do.