Methane in Upper Mystic Lake Presentation

On Tues. July 10th join MyRWA for the Committee Meeting with guest presenter Ben Scandella, an MIT graduate student. Ben will share his methane research in which he claims the Upper Mystic is a lake split between two personalities. At its surface, the sun-warmed water invites both herring and humans to enjoy a swim. But beneath, in the murky bottom water, mud settles down, records a history of pollution and war, and burps bubbles of natural gas. This presentation will delve into the dark side of Upper Mystic Lake and what it could teach us about our impact on the Earth.

Free & open to the public.

July 10, 7-8PM, Tufts University, Lincoln Filene Center Rabb Room, Medford.

Herring Receive Greater Protection

The New England Fisheries Management Council took steps to more closely regulate the industrial trawlers in the Atlantic Herring fishery to protect river herring and other small forage fish at their June 20th meeting.  Prior to the June 20th meeting Herring Alliance leadership invited MyRWA's Executive Director to meet with them and Secretary Richard Sullivan of the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to add our organization's voice in support of these much needed regulations.  The dedicated work of MyRWA volunteers counting river herring and working for their preservation made MyRWA's representation at this meeting important and consequential.


 

MyRWA Welcomes Summer Interns

This summer MyRWA is working with nine interns on a variety of group projects including a watershed mapping project, cyanobacteria monitoring and herring habitat assessment.  Each intern also has their own independent project from working with Chelsea youth on a sustainable, green infrastructure project and investigating sediment in the Malden River. Welcome aboard!

Herring Count Surpasses 21,000

The first year of MyRWA's Herring Monitoring Program has come to a close, with final count figures surpassing 21,000 fish at the Mystic Lakes dam.  MyRWA is currently reviewing the data and working with the model, but early estimates of the herring run are in excess of 150,000 in the Mystic River! Stay tuned for more information. Many thanks to our dedicated fish monitors for a terrific first year!

Tour of the Mystic Offered

Join the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) on Wednesday, July 18th as we explore the Mystic River and hear from Rick Beinecke about the rich history and natural life of the river. Trip will start/end at the Mystic Lakes Dam, Mystic Valley Pkwy, Medford. 6:00PM – 8:00PM. Limited to 15 people. Bring your own boat and PFD. Heavy rain cancels the event.

RSVP (required) to Beth@MysticRiver.org or 781-316-3438.

Solstice Canoe & Kayak Celebration on the Mystic

Join the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) on Wednesday, June 20th as we explore the Mystic River and hear from Rick Beinecke about the rich history and natural life of the river. Trip will start/end at the Mystic Lakes Dam, Mystic Valley Pkwy, Medford. 6:00PM – 8:00PM. Limited to 15 people. Bring your own boat and PFD. Heavy rain cancels the event.

RSVP (required) to Beth@MysticRiver.org or 781-316-3438.

Shop to save a River!

On Tuesday, June 5th the Whole Foods Market in Woburn will donate 5% of the day's sales to the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA). The funds will support the Mystic River Watershed Association’s water quality monitoring programs, land and water use advocacy, as well as outreach and education in the Mystic River Watershed. Stop by the MyRWA table at Whole Foods to learn more about our work and the condition of the Mystic River.

On June 5th, 2012 from 8am to 9pm support the Mystic River Watershed Association at:

Whole Foods Market-Woburn, 400 Cambridge Rd, Woburn, MA 01801

Does your office need to get some sun?

Come tackle the invasive water chestnut with MyRWA!

MyRWA has Community and Corporate Event opportunities for groups of 5 to 85 in June and July.  A 4 hour event with 40 volunteers can remove nearly an acre of plants from the Mystic River! MyRWA coordinates the day, while volunteers are hand-pulling water chestnuts from canoes and kayaks and helping out on land as well. 

Water chestnut (Trapa natans) in the Mystic River causes a deterioration of value in the river for recreation and habitat.

Are you interested in hosting a corporate water chestnut event? Please contact Patrick Herron at patrick@mysticriver.org or 781-316-3438.

Read more about the Water Chestnut Removal Project here.

MyRWA Receives Cambridge GoGreen Award

On May 22, the City of Cambridge awarded MyRWA a 2012 GoGreen Award for Community Sustainability (Stormwater Management). Starting in 1998, the annual GoGreen Awards have recognized the environmental sustainability initiatives of Cambridge businesses and organizations in the areas of transportation, waste reduction/recycling, energy, storm water management, climate protection, and initiatives by community organizations. MyRWA’s Executive Director, EkOngKar Singh Khalsa, accepted the Award, presented “in recognition of MyRWA’s outstanding contribution to environmental protection.” The event was hosted by the MIT Museum.

Thank you City of Cambridge!

The official proclamation is as follows:

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS:           The City of Cambridge is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating a more sustainable city; and

WHEREAS:           It is important to recognize outstanding community-based efforts that have a significant positive impact on reducing Cambridge's greenhouse grass emissions; and

WHEREAS:           The mission of the Mystic River Watershed Association is to protect and restore the Mystic River, its tributaries, and watershed lands for the benefit of present and future generations and to celebrate the value, importance, and great beauty of these natural resources; and

WHEREAS:           The Mystic River Watershed Association works to protect and improve environmental conditions for the more than one half million residents within the twenty-two-community Mystic River Watershed, which includes parts of Cambridge around Fresh Pond, North Cambridge, and Alewife Brook; and

WHEREAS:           The Mystic River Watershed Association tracks water quality in the Mystic River and its tributaries, including Alewife Brook, monitors storm water discharge and combined sewer overflows and other water quality threats, playing a key role as it watches over the river; and 

WHEREAS:           The Mystic River Watershed Association trains citizen scientists to perform water quality sampling and count herring as part of the Herring Monitoring Program (new this spring), along with water chestnut removal efforts, environmental education, rain garden implementation, and a herring habitat assessment of Alewife Brook; now therefore be it

RESOLVED:          That I, Henrietta Davis, Mayor of Cambridge, go on record as awarding the 2012 GoGreen Award in the community sustainability category to the Mystic River Watershed Association.

Mystic River Receives "D" Grade For 2011 Water Quality

Lynne Hamjian, US EPA, and EkOngKar Singh Khalsa, MyRWAThe Mystic River Watershed received a grade of "D" for water quality conditions for the calendar year 2011 as part of the US EPA's annual Mystic River Report Card. The announcement was made at the 2012 Mystic River Herring Run and Paddle held at the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse in Somerville. The grade is based on bacterial contamination, and the monitoring data is collected by MyRWA’s trained water quality monitors as part of the Baseline Monitoring Program. This grade indicates that water quality met swimming standards only 46 percent of the time, while boating standards were met 87 percent of the time.

“This year’s grade shows that persistent impairment of water quality caused by ancient sewer and stormwater systems continues to bedevil the Mystic River Watershed,” said EkOngKar Singh Khalsa, Executive Director of the Mystic River Watershed Association. “These water quality problems will be severely compounded by the increased flooding and larger numbers of severe storm cycles that are anticipated to occur as a result of New England’s changing climate. Fortunately the solutions to the problems we face are well understood and implementation of these solutions will produce honest work and good jobs for local residents. The Mystic River Watershed Association, through its Monitoring Network, is working to develop a clear understanding of the watershed’s current physical and environmental conditions.  This understanding will insure that precious financial and human resources engaged to restore our area infrastructure and the local natural environment will be deployed effectively.”