We would rather celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth day in person with you as planned, but instead we are pivoting and celebrating ALL MONTH long!
With a variety of ways to get involved—be it through virtual online events, solo, outdoor volunteer activities, hands-on STEAM education in your own backyard, or taking a quiet moment to acknowledge the value of our river, we hope you’ll join us. Here are some of the ways you can participate in our celebration:
#MysticTrashTag Challenge | Give Parks some TLC
Even though we’re practicing physical distancing, we can still give our parks and paths the TLC they deserve! With that in mind, we’re hosting an month-long cleanup inspired by the #TrashTag challenge. On your next walk or run take a bag with you and see how much litter you can find. Take a pic of what you collect and tag us on social media—the person who picks up the most litter will be crowned MyRWA’s EcoFest winner during our Earth Day virtual celebration! Always put safety first. Make sure to wear gloves, follow physical distancing rules, and refrain from picking up sharp objects. Again, please only do what you are comfortable with. Learn more about how to participate below:
Birds, Bark and Brews | Virtual Earth Day Celebration | April 24
Join us for two online Zoom workshops led by fantastic MyRWA staff and volunteers. Learn the basics of birding and tree identification, then raise a glass to Mother Earth with us. We will also announce how much trash was removed from the watershed—and who picked up the most—during the #MysticTrashTag challenge.
River Herring Migration | Collect Valuable Data
Everyday life as we know it has changed dramatically in the past few weeks. We know it’s hard to adjust—and that you’re probably looking for a mental escape amidst the chaos and an intentional way to get your dose of nature. One way we can help fill this need is through our river herring monitoring program. We’re looking for volunteers to help us gather data on this important species—last year more than 789,000 fish traveled up the Mystic, and we only know this number because of a cohort of enthusiastic volunteers like you. This solo activity only takes 10-minutes of your time once a week (unless you want to take on more counting shifts) and is a fantastic chance to get fresh air. Families welcome to count together.
Virtual Education | Learn in your own Backyard
Youth and families seeking hands-on educational activities, look no further! Explore, think, learn, connect with MyRWA’s hands-on STEAM education. New activities will be added throughout the month.
Visual Trash Assessments | Help Identify Litter Hotspots
All too often, litter on the street ends up in the Mystic River (find out how, here). We are developing a long-term plan to target the high-trash areas in our watershed and prevent this trash from entering the river in the first place. We’re launching a study of litter in the watershed, and we’re inviting you to participate in this solo, outdoors, impactful project!
You can help us get a big picture of the overall trash problem in our watershed by performing a visual assessment of litter in priority areas. This quick and indispensable measurement helps us determine the most polluted areas for further study. We’ll send you the location and the protocol. It's easy—walk, assess trash on the street, report back—and we'll explain it all! Sites will take approximately one hour to cover and are located in Medford, Somerville, Everett and Malden. We are also seeking volunteers to map new VTA sites in other communities. Sign up for either task using the button below:
iNaturalist | Document Biodiversity in the Mystic
Taking a walk? Explore and share your observations from the natural world while connecting with nature. Using the iNaturalist app helps scientists and resource managers understand when and where organisms occur--and you can help us celebrate the biodiversity of our watershed by sharing your finds. PS- you don't have to know the name of any plants or wildlife; the iNaturalist community will help ID! Learn More:
Remote Opportunities
We are seeking virtual volunteers to help with video editing, mapping new routes for visual trash assessments, and data entry and management for the litter program. Email erica.wood@mysticriver.org if interested!
