OARS IS THE VOICE OF OUR 3 RIVERS AND WATERSHEDWe are a 501(c)(3) non-profit watershed organization located in Concord, Mass., founded by concerned river users in 1986. Anglers, hunters, hikers, birders, conservationists, and paddlers banded together to “Clean up our Assabet” by forming the Organization for the Assabet River (OAR). We added the Sudbury and Concord rivers in 2011, becoming OARS. In the decades since our founding, OARS has guided, advocated for, and monitored the transformation of our 3 (SuAsCo) rivers from clogged watercourses with foul-smelling biomass to the scenic rivers we all know and love today. The SuAsCo rivers and their tributaries now provide natural beauty and water resources as they pass through the 399-square-mile watershed and its 33 towns and three cities within easy reach of greater Boston. Our work is not done, and climate change challenges our progress. OUR MISSION & VISION Protect, improve, and preserve the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers and watershed for all people and wildlife. A watershed with resilient streams and rivers that provide healthy wildlife habitat, water supply, beauty, education, and recreational opportunities for all. OARS is an effective, innovative, inclusive, and science-based organization that works to achieve and sustain this vision into the future.