As part of Earth Month at Grace Church in Medford:
Wednesday, April 15th, 6:45 p.m. (community meal at 6:00 p.m.)
Grace Episcopal Church, 160 High Street | Medford, Massachusetts 02155
“Let Justice Roll on Like a River” A Presentation about River Stewardship and Access
Russell Cohen, Rivers Advocate at Division of Ecological Restoration/ Riverways Program, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game
Russ Cohen will address the adverse impact of urbanization – particularly impervious surfaces on water quality and quantity – and provide examples of Best Management Practices being used to mitigate this impact.
Russ Cohen currently serves as the Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration. One of his areas of expertise is in riparian vegetation. He has compiled a list of native plant species suitable for planting in riparian areas; written numerous fact sheets on the ecological and other beneficial functions of naturally vegetated buffers along rivers and streams intended to aid the effective implementation of the Mass. Rivers Protection Act; and (with the Appalachian Mountain Club) prepared Trees, Paddlers and Wildlife, a set of outreach materials intended to raise the awareness of paddlers, riparian land-owners and managers, and others about the ecological benefits of retaining trees and other woody vegetation in and along rivers and streams.
Cohen has won numerous awards for his rivers work, including: the 2013 Education Award from the New England Wild Flower Society in recognition of both his rivers work and foraging programs; the River Steward Lifetime Achievement Award from the League of Women Voters and Sudbury-Assabet-Concord River Stewardship Council in 2012; a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Massachusetts Wetland Scientists in 2011; an Environmental Merit Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2003; and the Public Servant of the Year Award from the Environmental League of Massachusetts in 1997.
Richard Beinecke, Professor in the Suffolk University Institute for Public Service
Dr. Beinecke will discuss opportunities for public access to the Mystic River, addressing issues many citizens are unaware of – which could use advocacy with “the powers that be” to effect lasting change – including full pedestrian access to/along the river near I-93, part of the Mystic River Master Plan.
Richard Beinecke is a professor in the Suffolk University Institute for Public Service, where he teaches courses on leadership, and U.S. and global health policy and conducts research on management of mental health programs (most recently on the mental health response to the bombings) and leadership (three books on Change Leadership due out May 2015). The author of The Mystic River A Natural and Human History and Recreation Guide, he made over twenty-five presentations on the Mystic during the past two years. He led historic/birding canoe and kayak trips for over thirty years on area rivers (currently on the Mystic River with the Mystic River Watershed Association). He was a Board member of the Massachusetts Audubon Society for over ten years, and was the “Green Man” leading Concord’s Earth Day festivities for many years. He is an active birder, fisherman, and cyclist.
