DePAVE the WAY with Somerville Climate Action!

Take part in the greening of Somerville

for clean water, healthy soil & natural beauty

Cador & Lenni from Somerville Climate Action are organizing a Depaving Party:

* * Saturday Sept. 7th from 11:00 to 1:00pm * *

Gwen Ruta's house at 9 Banks Street (right behind the Porter Square Shopping Center)

Rain date: Sunday, Sept. 8th from 11:00 to 1:00pm

Please sign up on this Google Groups form to let us know you'll be there.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFFZbE1OS05XblFXYl9EQUc2UzVKcmc6MQ

For safety, we ask all active participants to be at least 14 years old.

Younger children must be supervised by a parent at all times at the event.

See the TEDxSomerville DePAVE the WAY video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlTG0Y_zknc

Check out the time-lapse Depaving Maple Avenue video:

http://somerville.patch.com/articles/residents-rip-up-18000-pounds-of-asphalt#video-2291440

For a high-energy party we need:

* Hands-on work:

- Wield a sledgehammer and pick axe to pry up the asphalt

- Haul chunks of asphalt in a wheelbarrow to the dumpster

* Tasty food

* Energizing music

* Help in organizing volunteers

* Help organize publicity

* Organize clean-up

* Organize safe participatory activities for kids under 14

* Provide live entertainment - play music

Come to meet great people and add to the merriment!

Invite everyone you know!

Sept. 10: Friends of the Malden River Meeting

What is your vision for the Malden River? Please join the newly formed Friends of the Malden River for a meeting with special guests John Preotle, Founder, Preotle, Lane and Associates and James Errickson, Executive Director, Department of Planning and Development at the City of Everett. Preotle and Errickson will talk about current and planned projects along the Malden River.

Join us for a public meeting...

Tuesday September 10, 2013, 6:30 - 8:00pm

Everett City Hall, Keverian Room

484 Broadway, Everett, MA

Join an enthusiastic group of residents from Malden, Everett, and Medford in advocating for improvements to the Malden River!

Questions? Call Beth at the Mystic River Watershed Association at 781-316-3438.
For more information see: http://maldenriver.wordpress.com/

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 2013).

Who is your volunteer extraordinaire of 2013? 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 Monday, September 16, 2013.

An Act Promoting Awareness For Safe Recreation In Public Waterways

MyRWA is happy to support this proposed bill, as it ties in with the Mystic River Clean Water Campaign. This bill would institute a statewide sewage discharge notification system so that MA residents will know when their rivers are safe for recreation and when Combined Sewer Overflow discharges make them unsafe. Stay tuned for upcoming action alerts to support this initiative!

Read more here: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~nsanders/cso/

National stormwater calculator helps manage stormwater runoff

The US EPA’s new calculator will help property owners, developers, landscapers, and urban planners make informed land-use decisions to protect local waterways from pollution caused by stormwater runoff. Preventing stormwater runoff, which can impact drinking water resources and local ecosystems, protects people’s health and the environment.

Read the full press release here.

More information about the National Stormwater Calculator: http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/wswrd/wq/models/swc/

Clean Harbors Releases Oil Spill Immediate Response Action Plan Report

In response to the May 31st oil spill in Arlington, MA, Clean Harbors has released Oil Spill Immediate Response Action Plan Report.

IMMEDIATE RESPONSE ACTION PLAN

No. 2 Fuel Oil Release

188 Medford Street (at Mystic Valley Parkway)

Arlington, Massachusetts

DEP Release Tracking Number: 3-31576

CHES Job No.: EO5401971

Download the report here (282 pages).

Mystic Photo Contest Seeking Submissions

Give us your best shot! The Mystic River Watershed Association is seeking photographs that illustrate the beauty and challenges of the Mystic River Watershed. Contest categories include Wildlife, Landscape, Recreation and Best Overall. The photo contest is open to all photographers of any age. Submissions are due by September 6, 2013.

Vote for MyRWA at Blue State Coffee!

Head to Blue State Coffee in Boston to vote for MyRWA now through December as part of their donation program. Blue State Coffee donates 2% of sales to local non-profits and MyRWA is one of four beneficiaries. Get a token when you purchase a drink or food, and vote for one of the four causes.

Vote here: 957 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

New Mystic River Guide Coming This Fall

Suffolk Professor and MyRWA member Rick Beinecke will publish a new book, The Mystic River: A Natural & Human History this fall. The book is approximately 280 pages long, and includes detailed historical and recreational information for the towns of Winchester, Arlington, Cambridge, Medford, Malden, Somerville, Everett, Charlestown & Chelsea. MyRWA is happy to support Ricks' efforts in bringing attention to the Mystic!

Email rickhbeinecke@comcast.net for information on the book’s publication and visit: www.mysticriverrick.com.

New Fish Project Needs Your Help

Do you fish or know someone that fishes in Boston Harbor or the Mystic River?  

Have you ever fished on either side of the Amelia Earhart Dam?

Would you be willing to participate in a short survey about your experience?

MyRWA is a partner on a project to learn more about what species of fish are caught and consumed in the saltwater section of the Mystic River and Boston Harbor. The outcome of the project will be an improved fish advisory for the Lower Mystic area. 

Partners on the project include Conservation Law Foundation, Chelsea Collaborative, Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, and University of Massachusetts-Boston.

To participate in the survey or if you can offer any assistance, please contact Patrick Herron by email at patrick@mysticriver.org or by telephone at (781)-316-3438.