Pictured: Mike Moros
The Mystic River Watershed Association thanks Mike Moros for over a decade of volunteer service to our watershed. Long before dreaming of becoming a citizen scientist, on his own Mike once cleaned up the lakeshore along the grassy field near Shannon Beach – then known as Sandy Beach. He then went on to participate in many MyRWA sponsored river clean ups in Medford.
Later, he focused on Mystic Valley Parkway by Lower Mystic Lake in the vicinity of Lakeview Ave. in Medford, again on his own. Coincidentally but fortuitously, the water level of the lake was drastically lowered for a construction project downstream. This allowed him to also wade into the water – much further than normal – and retrieve countless broken bottles from the lake bottom. He notes these initial efforts seem to have provided an impetus for others to help maintain the site.
A hydrogeologist by training, Mike became a volunteer water quality monitor for MyRWA in 2009. He has collected water samples at Belle Isle Inlet, early in the morning, during every month of the year, in all sorts of weather conditions.
More recently, he focused his efforts on Grove Street in Winchester, where he grew up. Systematically, he combed the shoulders several times per year for several years in that vicinity, including a parcel of DCR land by Fenwick Road. During this time, he similarly took on Mystic Valley Parkway in Arlington by Lower Mystic Lake.
What makes Mike’s efforts so impactful is how meticulous he is about cleaning an area, striving to pick up everything, leaving not even one tiny fragment of plastic.
Photos of areas completely cleared of trash by Mike Moros on Christmas Day, 2018.
He says there is a noticeable difference after cleaning up an area – not only is the land pristine, but the air feels cleaner. And all that trash isn’t going to end up in the lake. When asked what has motivated him to continue volunteering his time to protect our watershed, Mike says “It’s my home.” Thank you, Mike, for all that you’ve done for the Mystic River watershed over the years!
Interested in volunteering? Check out our Volunteer page!
