MyRWA’s Patrick Herron to Receive EPA Award

Patrick Herron, MyRWA’s Water Quality Monitoring Director, will receive the 2012 Environmental Merit Award from the Environmental Protection Agency New England Region 1. The award will be presented at Faneuil Hall on April 25 at a ceremony held from 1-3pm. Curt Spalding, US EPA Regional Administrator, will be at the program to greet all the honorees. Under Patrick’s guidance MyRWA put new attention on Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs) as a major source of pollution in the watershed, launched the Herring Monitoring Program, and provided leadership on the water chestnut removal project to name a few accomplishments. All are welcome to attend.

Congratulations Patrick!

Come learn about the herring migration!

Herring as seen from the viewing platform at the Mystic Lakes Dam, 4/18/12.MyRWA staff and volunteer Herring Monitors will be present to allow visitors access to the fish ladder at the newly renovated MA DCR Upper Mystic Lake Dam to (hopefully) see the migrating herring! Come learn about the incredible journey this fish makes. MyRWA staff will also have the American Eel monitoring box open for viewing. Free and open to the public. Drop by anytime during the time indicated.

Mystic Lakes Dam Open Houses

Thursday, April 26, 3-7pm
Sunday, May 20, 12-3pm
Thursday, May 24, 3-7pm
Upper Mystic Lake Dam, Medford (Head to the dam between the upper and lower Mystic Lake)

Spring Bird Walk Announced For May 5th

Magnolia WarblerEver wondered what birds are in the Mystic River Watershed?

On Saturday, May 5th from 8am to 10am MyRWA Board Member Michael Fager will lead a bird walk in DCR Torbert MacDonald Park, paying special attention to migrating birds. Please join us! All levels of birders are welcomed. Bring your own binoculars and a bird book if you have them. Please wear comfortable shoes. Meet in the parking lot.

Tufts University Student Presentation 4/3

  Join MyRWA for the monthly Committee Meeting, from 7pm to 8pm on Tuesday, April 3rd, for a special presentation.  The interdisciplinary team of eight Tufts graduate students is working with MyRWA and four watershed communities to identify optimal locations for best management practices (BMPs) to effectively control polluted stormwater runoff.  The team -- part of the Water: Systems, Science and Society (WSSS) certificate program -- is creating dynamic maps using geographic information systems (GIS) analysis, while also surveying and documenting the views of residents and local experts.  The team consists of grad students from the planning, engineering and nutrition programs, as well as three advisors -- including a Ph.D. student and two Tufts instructors.

Free and open to the public!

When: Tuesday, April 3, 7-8pm

Where: Tufts University, Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room, Medford, MA (http://campusmaps.tufts.edu/medford/?fid=m015). Parking is available on campus, on Boston Ave. and in Dowling Hall.

MyRWA brings acclaimed film Bag It to Somerville Theatre

When: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 - Bag It film screening

5:30PM, 7:00PM & 8:30PM, Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA

Reserve your seat here - space is very limited!

Please join the Mystic River Watershed Association, in collaboration with Somerville Climate Action, for a free screening of the award-winning documentary film Bag It at the Somerville Theater on April 11th. Space is limited – please reserve your seat today!

Produced by Reel Thing Productions in association with the Telluride Institute, Bag It is a powerful look at the impacts of plastics on society.  The film focuses on plastic as it relates to our throwaway mentality, our culture of convenience, our over consumption of unnecessary, disposable products and packaging – things that we use one time and then, without another thought, throw them away.  But where is AWAY??  Away is over flowing landfills, clogged rivers, islands of trash in our oceans, and even our very own toxic bodies.

Featuring interviews with scientists and experts from around the world, Bag It is a first-person documentary in the style of Michael Moore, asking how we can incorporate healthy, more environmentally friendly practices into our lives, our cultures, and our communities.

“I didn’t expect a movie about plastic bags to change my life in such a deep and profound way.  Gripping, funny, intelligent, and sure to change your life.”  - Louie Psihoyos, Director of The Cove

This event is co-sponsored by Groundwork Somerville, Ocean River Institute, Surfrider Foundation, The Herring Alliance,Preserve, Sustainable Arlington, Mass Sierra Club and Eagle Eye Institute.

Why:  The Mystic River, a beautiful resource for many local communities, faces many environmental challenges.  The Watershed Association is working hard to create a healthier river for the future and presents this movie to alert the twenty two communities in the watershed to potential river hazards. With Earth Day on April 22nd, this film inspires us to look more closely at the use of plastic in our lives, as well as the impact it has on our local waterways. The event is followed by Earth Day cleanups throughout the watershed on April 21st and April 28th.

This is the fourth in a series of events to celebrate Mystic River Watershed Association’s 40th Anniversary year - a year to highlight and promote the recreational opportunities of the Mystic, as well as the water quality testing and environmental policy efforts that the Mystic River Watershed Association has led over its forty year history.

Mystic Earth Day Cleanup 4/28

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) and Gentle Giant Rowing Club will host a river cleanup in celebration of Earth Day as well as MyRWA’s 40th Anniversary on Saturday, April 28th from 10:00am until noon. Please join us at Assembly Row along the water front in Somerville (165 Middlesex Avenue, Somerville, MA). Parking is available in the Staples parking lot and volunteers are needed to remove trash along the banks of the Mystic. At noon volunteers can join the City of Somerville at the DCR Blessing of the Bay Boathouse  on Shore Drive for a spring clean-up BBQ.

This is one of MANY Earth Day event throughout the watershed. Please see /watershed-clean-ups/ for more information and to find an event near you!

Work of 1000 Draws a Crowd

EkOngKar Singh Khalsa, Marion Stoddart, Susan Edwards, Beth MacBlane, Patrick Herron.MyRWA hosted the award-winning film The Work of 1000 and a discussion with the film's central figure, Marion Stoddart, at the Capitol Theater on March 22nd. Ninety people attended the event, which was sponsored by Boreal Renewable Energy Development. Marion's success on the Nashua River served as inspiration for the work ahead in the Mystic River Watershed. Susan Edwards, film maker, attended the event as well.

After the documentary, the audience had a chance to ask Marion and MyRWA staff Beth MacBlane and Patrick Herron about their experiences and work underway. Marion reiterated the need to have vision and commitment in watershed clean-up efforts.

"What a difference one person can make!!" stated one attendee.

In recognition of her work, Stoddart has received many awards including the United Nations Environmental Programme's Global 500 Award (1987).

MyRWA's Beth MacBlane and Marion Stoddart at Medford High School.She was profiled in National Geographic (1995) and in an award-winning children's book A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry; she was a National Women's History Project Honoree as "One of the Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet" (2009); and has published an essay in Written In Water by the National Geographic Society (2010).

Earlier in the day, Marion and MyRWA's Beth MacBlane showed the film at Medford High School, followed by a Q&A.

Summer 2012 Paid Internship

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) seeks a motivated, well-organized intern to assist in organizing an effort to remove the invasive species Water Chestnut (Trapa natans) from the Mystic River. Responsibilities include recruiting, scheduling and managing teams of volunteers to remove plants from the river by canoe.  The effort to recruit partners would occur in the beginning of Summer 2012 with the majority of events occurring during the month of July and first week of August.  (Exact dates are to be determined.) Intern will work both in and out of the office, and must be able to work independently and as a member of a team. This is a full time position that requires strong commitment between the months of June and July. Intern will be compensated on an incentive based system for the amount of volunteers brought to the river and the amount of water chestnut cleared from the river.  This is a great opportunity to be involved with a small non-profit doing work on behalf of the community and environment.

Qualifications:

• An interest in science, the environment and advocacy is encouraged.

• Having reliable transportation is required and mileage will be reimbursed.

• Candidates must be 16 years of age or older.

• Ability to navigate a canoe

The Mystic River Watershed Association is based in Arlington, MA and is accessible via several bus routes. The Mystic River Watershed Association is an equal opportunity employer.

Deadline to apply is April 1, 2012. If interested, please send your resume to WQInternship@MysticRiver.org. No phone calls please. For more information about the invasive Water Chestnut see www.mysticriver.org/invasive-species/.

Do you like to party? Help plan one!

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2012! MyRWA is planning a series of fun events to celebrate. Event planners, volunteer coordinators, local fans and activists are encouraged to get involved in the planning! We have much to undertake and many great ideas about how to celebrate 40 years of dedication to our local rivers. You can play an important role in the future of MyRWA and we hope you get involved today!

Contact Beth@MysticRiver.org or call 781-316-3438 for more information.

Herring Monitoring Program Announced – Seeking Volunteers!

Did you know there is a fish that lives in the ocean and swims all the way to the Mystic Lakes in Arlington to lay its eggs each spring?

Help document the river herring’s migration by volunteering to be a fish monitor! The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) will begin a new program to monitor river herring at the Mystic Lakes Dam fish ladder in April. We need volunteer fish monitors to count herring and support our data collection so that we can estimate run size. No previous experience or knowledge is required. Volunteers should commit to attending a two hour volunteer training on March 17th and to counting for at least one ten-minute period per week from April 1st –June 1st.Monitors must be at least 18 years old unless accompanied by an adult. You must register for the training.

To find out more about this volunteer opportunity and program please contact Herring@MysticRiver.org or visit our website at www.MysticRiver.org/herring-monitoring/

March 17
Herring Monitoring Training, 1-3pm
27 Maple St, Arlington Senior Center, Arlington