On Saturday, June 4, from 8am until noon, Groundwork Somerville, the Mystic River Watershed Association and the Friends of the Mystic River will host a community event to remove invasive water chestnuts from the Mystic River. Using canoes, kayaks, and small boats, volunteers will pull water chestnuts out of the water by hand and then deposit the harvested plants at a designated shore site. Volunteers who have canoes or kayaks are encouraged to bring their own. If you need a boat, Groundwork Somerville may be able to provide you with one (thanks to the generous cooperation of the Boys and Girls Club of Middlesex County). We only have 20 canoes available for volunteers, so please register for this event as soon as possible. Canoes are available on a first come, first served basis.
Volunteers should meet at 8:00 AM at the old DCR boat ramp adjacent to 75 South Street in Medford, MA. A limited amount of parking is available on South Street; additional parking is available on nearby Curtis Street, Maple Ave, Touro Ave, and Manning Street.
Or RSVP by email to jonathan@groundworksomerville.org. In your RSVP, please indicate your full name, phone number, and email address, and whether you will need a canoe. Subject line should read, “RSVP June 4 water chestnut event.”
Immediately following the hand-pulling event, lunch and refreshments will be available for volunteers at the put-in site.
Please Note: We also need volunteers on the riverbank to help move harvested plants from boats to dump trucks. Boaters are required to use life preservers/personal flotation devices.
To learn more about the water chestnut removal effort on the Mystic River, please contact Brad Arndt at brad@groundworksomerville.org or (617) 455-1127.
This event is sponsored by Groundwork Somerville, the Mystic River Watershed Association, the Friends of the Mystic River, the Riverside Yacht Club, the Mystic Wellington Yacht Club, the Winter Hill Yacht Club, and the Medford Boat Club.
