Join the next Malden River Advocacy Meeting!

Community leaders and members from Everett, Medford, and Malden are joining together to improve the future of the Malden River. This new group is looking for people to get involved! Please join the next community meeting on Thursday, May 9th in Everett. This meeting is free and open to the public.

May 9
Malden River Advocacy Meeting, 6:30-8pm
Everett City Hall, 484 Broadway, Keverian Room (3rd floor), Everett, MA

Stay tuned for a meeting agenda!

For more information please contact Beth or Patrick at the MyRWA offices at 781-316-3438.

ACTION ALERT: Support the Mystic

Two important amendments to the State Budget have been filed that will bring great benefit to Mystic River communities. MyRWA encourages you to contact your State Representative to ask them to support and co-sponsor House Budget Amendment 126, Water Chestnut Removal on the Mystic River filed by Representative Paul Donato and House Budget Amendment 187, Mystic River Master Plan filed by Representative Jason Lewis. Now is the time to insure that your State Representative signs onto these amendments as a co-sponsor. Your State Rep must act NOW as co-sponsors must be filed by the end of this week (Friday April 19th!) Thank you for your call or email to your State Rep!

Bike ride as part of the Mystic River Herring Run and Paddle

As part of the Mystic River Watershed Association's annual road and boat race (Mystic River Herring Run and Paddle), Bike to the Sea, in conjunction with the Somerville Bicycle Committee, has again been invited to lead a ride as part of day's festivities. 

The ride will take place along existing paths on both sides of the Mystic River through Somerville and Medford, in addition to the wildly popular Park at River's Edge along the Malden River.  The ride will also feature the brand new Wellington Greenway as well as the first Bike to the Sea segment in Everett.  

Plan on a 90 minute ride with an option for an additional hour.  Steady rain cancels the event.  ***PLEASE NOTE***Hybrid bikes (or a very sturdy road bike) are recommended due to some off-road sections that are non-paved.  This is a family-friendly ride. 

Meet at Blessing of the Bay Boathouse in Somerville @ 11 a.m. for the 11:15 ride kick-off.  For more information, contact Pete Sutton at beausutt@hotmail.com

Seeking volunteers to plant rain gardens in Arlington!

Time to dust off your work gloves... and help plant a rain garden (or two!) Please mark your calendars for the following events, and please RSVP here.

Hurd Field Rain Garden - Drake Road
Planting date: Sat. May 4th, 10am-1pm (or until it's complete!)

Hardy School Rain Garden - 52 Lake St.

Planting date: Sat. May 11th, 10am -1pm (or until it's complete!)

Learn more about rain gardens here.

Action Alert: Support the Mystic!! (posted 3/29/13)

The Mystic River Watershed Association encourages you to contact your State Representative and Senator in support of three FY 2014 budget items that we feel will help restore the natural resources of the Mystic River Watershed. (You can easily look-up contact information for your Representative or Senator here.) Thank you in advance for your phone call and/or email.

1. A $75,000 increase to the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s budget, 2810-0100 line item, specifically targeted for water chestnut removal in the Mystic River. Large portions of the Mystic River are almost entirely blanketed with water chestnuts, resulting in significant impairment of navigation and a harmful impact on native habitat. The plants are spreading rapidly; since 2001, the population has expanded from 1 to 30 acres. Water chestnuts form mats over the water surface, which in turn impede boating, fishing, and swimming, and crowd out native plants. If serious efforts are not made to remove the plants, recreational use of the much of river will become impossible in just a few short years.
   

2. Creation of a Mystic River Water Quality Commission to study the feasibility of bringing the water quality of the Mystic River to a level consistently safe enough for fishing, boating and swimming. The proposal to establish a Water Quality Commission has also been filed as a stand-alone bill, H.785, by Representative Denise Provost. The bill is a re-file from the 2011-2012 legislative session, during which it received a favorable report from the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.
   

3. A $500,000 increase to the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s 2800-0100 line item specifically targeted for the implementation of the Mystic River Master Plan (http://www.mass.gov/dcr/pe/MysticRiverMasterPlann-Final.11-09.pdf). The Mystic River Master Plan proposed comprehensive improvements to more than 370 acres of this park system which when complete will transform the park and the lives of more than 800,000 Massachusetts residents within easy reach of the park's amenities. The Department of Conservation and Recreation requires funding ($500,000) to complete design development plans and construction specifications for the park improvements that are delineated in detail in the Master Planning document. Once these plans and specifications are complete, DCR can apply for various State and Federal funds to construct these park improvements.
   

Thank you for your consideration. 

If you have any questions, please contact Tim Snyder at Senator Jehlen’s office at Tim.Snyder@masenate.gov or 617.722.1578, or EkOngKar Singh Khalsa at MyRWA at EK@MysticRiver.org or 781.316.3438.  For any questions regarding H.785, An Act establishing a Mystic River water quality commission, please contact Mark Kennedy in Representative Provost’s office at Mark.Kennedy@mahouse.gov, or at 617-722-2263.

Malden River presentation 4/2

At the April 2nd MyRWA Committee Meeting, a group of Tufts University graduate students enrolled in the Water: Systems, Science and Society (WSSS) program will present their practicum work on the Malden River. The WSSS program is a graduate research and education program that provides Tufts students with interdisciplinary perspectives and tools to manage water-related problems around the world. Please join us for the presentation at 7:00PM at Tufts University, Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room, Medford.

Citizen Scientist Training Workshop Announced

Please join MyRWA on Tuesday, June 11th for a Citizen Scientist Training Workshop. This workshop allows interested volunteers to learn about water quality monitoring methods and concepts. By completing this workshop, you’ll be prepared to join MyRWA’s Baseline Monitoring Program. The Baseline Monitoring Program requires a monthly commitment between 6am and 8am. No experience is necessary - all are welcome!

When: Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 6:00PM – 8:00PM

Where: Cambridge Health Alliance, 195 Canal St., Malden

This training will be held both indoors and outdoors (rain or shine). Please wear close-toed shoes. Pizza will be provided.

Space is limited! Please register today by emailing Beth@Mysticriver.org or calling 781-316-3438.

Defendants Pay $4.25 Million Settlement for Restoring Natural Resources at Industri-Plex Superfund Site in Woburn

State and federal officials have received a $4.25 million settlement from the Pharmacia Corporation and Bayer CropScience Inc. for damages to natural resources at the Industri-plex Superfund site in Woburn, Mass. Contaminants from this site significantly impacted resources in the Aberjona River and the surrounding watershed.

MyRWA would like to thank the dedicated team of professionals who worked on this settlement, including: Assistant Attorney General Matthew Brock, Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Environmental Protection Division; Karen Pelto and Jennifer Davis from MassDEP; Dale Young and Anna Blumkin from MA EEA; Karen Sughrue, Molly Sperduto, Kenneth Munney, Veronica Varela from the  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Mark Barash and Marcia Gittes from the  U.S. DOI Office of the Solicitor; Don Frankel from U.S. DOJ; and Ken Finkelstein and Gwendolyn McCarthy from NOAA.

Are you looking to get more involved with the Herring Monitoring Program?

Community outreach opportunity!

Volunteers are needed to assist in planning and staffing “open houses” at the dam. These events will be held in May during the afternoon/evening and on the weekends to allow the public to view the migrating herring from the fish ladder which is otherwise closed to the public. We are seeking a lead volunteer coordinator for this effort, as well as volunteers to staff the events for a minimum of one hour. Contact Beth at Beth@MysticRiver.org or 781-316-3438 to get involved and for more information.

Data Visualization Summer Internship

Another summer internship with MyRWA!

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) seeks a Data Visualization Intern to assist in the exploration and display of environmental data.  

The Mystic River Watershed Association has developed a sophisticated MS Access Database with nearly all water quality data collected during the past 15 years for the watershed.  The challenge is to take this information and convert it into figures, maps and statistics that will assist the public to understand existing conditions.  The Data Visualization Intern will develop and analyze spatial data related to water quality, drainage basins, green infrastructure, sediment contamination and demographics within the Mystic River Watershed.  The intern must be able to work independently and as a team. This is a part-time position that requires a commitment of two to three days a week during the Monday through Friday work week.

An interest in data visualization, science and the environment is encouraged.  Experience with either R or D3 is preferred. But if you have other programming/skills/design experience- we welcome your creativity!
Exact dates can be flexible depending on the candidate. This is an unpaid position.

 Since 1972, the Mystic River Watershed Association has played a unique role in the whole of the watershed by its science, advocacy, and outreach efforts. 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.

If interested, please send your resume and cover letter to DataInternship@MysticRiver.org. No phone calls please. 

Deadline for application: April 1, 2013.