Belmont Public Forum on Storms, Floods, and Pollution

Sponsored by the Belmont Citizens Forum

Where: Winn Brook School Cafeteria, Belmont

When: 7:00 – 9:00 pm, Thursday September 13, 2012

How can you as a homeowner make a difference in improving water quality and reduce flooding in your community?

Clean water is becoming an increasingly precious resource. Managing water from storms such as the mid-July series of thunderstorms that drop inches of water at a time is a critical challenge, given the increase of impervious surfaces in our urban communities. Such surfaces don’t allow the slow infiltration into the earth needed to cleanse water and refresh aquifers, resulting in floods followed by low water levels in waterways, affecting their entire ecology. Water from increasingly severe storms gets into our sewers, overburdening them and sewage treatment plants, leaving sewer overflow damage behind.

Come hear experts discuss local and regional storm water management issues. Find your home on official FEMA maps showing flood patterns in the Winn Brook and other Alewife Brook watershed neighborhoods. Find out what difference citizen voices can make to government decisions about the prevention of flooding and pollution caused by excess storm water.

Bring your questions and concerns!

Panelists:

Kathy Baskin         Director of Water Policy, Mass. Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs

Glenn Clancy        Belmont Director of Office for Community Development

Patrick Herron      Mystic Monitoring Network Director, Mystic River Watershed Association

Ralph Jones          Belmont Selectman

Richard Vogel       Director, Tufts University’s graduate program, "Water: Systems, Science, and Society"

Moderator: Fred Paulsen, Belmont Town Meeting Member

Non-Profit Cosponsors:

• Sustainable Belmont

• Mystic River Watershed Association

• Friends of Alewife Reservation

• Coalition to Protect the Belmont Uplands

Call for Submissions: Volunteer of The Year

Do you know a MyRWA volunteer who goes above and beyond? Here at MyRWA, we rely upon the gracious efforts of our volunteers throughout the year and for a variety of projects. Each year, we select one volunteer to honor at our annual meeting (October 25, 2012).

Who is your volunteer extraordinaire of 2012? Please submit your nomination of someone who has performed significant work towards protecting and restoring the Mystic River Watershed. This person could be a volunteer at MyRWA or another organization, but must be working to improve environmental conditions in the Mystic River Watershed.

Submit your proposals to Beth@MysticRiver.org or by calling Beth at 781-316-3438.

Please include:

• Your full name, email address and phone number.

• Full name, email address and phone number (if you have it) of your suggestion for Volunteer of the Year. Include a short explanation of this person’s contribution to a healthier Mystic River Watershed.

• Volunteer of the Year nominations are due by Friday, September 14, 2012.

Special Presentation Aug. 7 on Herring Monitoring Program Results

This spring, MyRWA coordinated the Mystic River's first Herring Monitoring Program at the Mystic Lakes Dam. This citizen science program relied on 85 volunteers who collected 685 observations over the 82 day program. This data can be used to extrapolate herring run size in the Mystic River. Given that the 2012 program was MyRWA's first, there were many bumps along the road. However, we met program goals, collected valuable data, and learned a lot. Join MyRWA staff, Katrina Sukola and Herring Monitoring Intern, Meghna Marjadi  as they present MyRWA's findings on the Mystic River herring run and how to improve the program for next year's herring run.

When: Tuesday, August 7, 7-8pm

Where: Tufts University, Lincoln Filene Center Rabb Room, Medford

Free and open to the public!

Help Remove Invasive Water Chestnuts 8/4

Come do your part to remove the invasive plant, water chestnut, from the Mystic! The next event is on Sat. Aug. 4th, 9am - 1pm, at the DCR Blessing of the Bay Boathouse, 32 Shore Drive, Somerville, MA. Please REGISTER as there are a limited number of canoes available (or bring your own boat). 

High Cyanobacteria Levels Close Beaches

MyRWA cyanobacteria monitors found high levels of the potentially harmful blue-green algae at both Horn Pond in Woburn and Wedge Pond in Winchester on July 25. MyRWA contacted the Department of Public Health with this data and the Towns have since posted advisory signs at the beaches to alert the public of this potential health risk.

Paddling Tour Aug. 13

Join the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) on Monday, August 13th 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.

Outreach Committee Chair opening - Can you step up?

Would you like to see a cleaner, healthier Mystic River Watershed?

The Mystic River Watershed Association seeks an Outreach Chair for the active and enthusiastic, volunteer-based Outreach Committee.  This leadership role requires attending the monthly Mystic River Watershed Association Committee Meetings (generally the 1st Tues. of the month at Tufts University), drafting the committee agenda and providing the meeting minutes. The chair works with Mystic River Watershed Association staff and volunteers, and should be organized and self-motivated. The chair has the opportunity to really influence the Committee's role and function - be it event focused, environmental education, PR or otherwise.  Can you help promote the work of the Mystic River Watershed Association?

Are you interested in this volunteer role? Please email Beth@mysticriver.org or call 781-316-3438

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!