Come Learn about the Mystic River Herring Run, 1/6/15

On Tuesday, January 6, 2015 please plan to attend the Mystic River Watershed Association’s monthly Committee Meeting to hear from Ben Gahagan, Diadromous Fish Biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

For more than two years Ben Gahagan has worked for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, including analyzing the Mystic River herring run and others across the Commonwealth. Ben will provide an overview of the Mystic River herring run – data collected through volunteer efforts with the Herring Monitoring Program – as well as a comparison to other runs in the area. Come learn more about these fascinating fish that call the Mystic home each spring!

Ben’s presentation will be followed by the Policy and Clean Water Campaign meetings. This meeting is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.

Join us on January 6, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., at Tufts University, Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room. (The Lincoln Filene Center is within the Tisch College building)

12/9/14: Stormwater Management; Finance Options

You're invited to this public presentation!

Arlington Engineering Division continues to host its Stormwater Awareness Series. The next presentation; "Stormwater Management; Finance Options” will be presented by Julie Conroy, AICP, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). She will present information prepared by MAPC and discuss financing mechanisms for Stormwater Management and provide details about a new toolkit available to Municipalities to consider while managing or preparing an effective stormwater management and maintenance program.

The presentation will be held on December 9th, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the Selectmen's Hearing Room at the Arlington Town Hall. 2nd Floor, 730 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington MA. For additional information on the Arlington Stormwater Awareness series, including links to ACMi online archives of past sessions please visit arlingtonma.gov/engineering.

Environmental GIS Intern Opportunity

Spring Internship with MyRWA!

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) seeks a GIS Intern to assist in a project investigating relationships between water quality data from stormwater systems and features of stormwater infrastructure, land use, population, and other variables.  The GIS intern may be asked to assist in other data projects, if appropriate.

The GIS Intern will develop, edit, verify, and analyze spatial data related to drainage basins, municipal stormwater infrastructure, and water quality within the Mystic River Watershed.  Experience with ArcGIS software and fluency with Excel are required.     

Interns will learn about efforts that a watershed association undertakes to advocate for water quality improvements. 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. Position begins in January and concludes mid-April - exact dates can be flexible depending on the candidate.

An interest in science, the environment and advocacy is encouraged. 
This is an unpaid position.

 Since 1972, MyRWA 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 to WQInternship@MysticRiver.org. No phone calls please.

Deadline for application: January 4, 2015.

Governor Signs Environmental Justice Executive Order

On November 25, 2014 Governor Deval Patrick signed into law an Executive Order on Environmental Justice that directs all state agencies to devote resources to protect the health, safety and environment for the most vulnerable residents of the Commonwealth. He was joined by the Massachusetts Environmental Justice Alliance (MA EJ Alliance), comprised of environmental and social justice organizing and grassroots groups from across the state.

Massachusetts became the eighth state in the country to pass an Executive Order on Environmental Justice. Environmental justice populations reside in 137 of the Commonwealth's 351 municipalities, including communities in the Mystic River Watershed such as Chelsea, East Boston, Malden and Everett. Residents in these communities, who are mostly low-income and people of color, live with substantially greater risk of exposure to environmental health hazards than the general population.

MyRWA applauds the Governor and the many environmental justice advocates for this great achievement! MyRWA will continue to advocate for policies that advance environmental protection, equity, and public health within the 22-community Mystic River Watershed.

Learn more about the event at our partners website, Alternatives of Community and Environment (ACE).

Spring Internship: Herring Monitoring Program Coordinator

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) seeks a Herring Monitoring Program Coordinator to assist in a scientific study on river herring populations from March 2nd to July 1st, 2015.

The Herring Monitoring Program Coordinator will assist in the volunteer-run Herring Monitoring Program that will gather data on one of the most significant spawning runs for river herring in Massachusetts. The program is designed to collect data on the presence, absence and temporal data that yields needed information on population size and health. The intern will also learn about efforts that a watershed association undertakes to advocate for water quality improvements.

Primary duties include herring monitoring at the Upper Mystic Lake Dam in Medford, coordinating and interacting with more than 70 volunteer monitors, and conducting public outreach and data entry. The intern may also develop education and outreach materials for the program and organize and recruit volunteers to monitor herring.

The intern will work both in and out of the office, and must be able to work independently and as a team. Experience in public speaking, Microsoft Excel and strong organizational skills are required, and experience in Microsoft Access would be a plus. This is a part-time position, approximately 15-20 hours per week. The candidate should be available remotely 4-5 days per week.

An interest in science, environmental education and advocacy is encouraged. Having reliable transportation is preferred and mileage will be reimbursed. Candidates must be 16 years of age or older. Exact dates can be flexible depending on the candidate. This is an unpaid position.

If interested, please send your letter of interest and resume to HMInternship@MysticRiver.org. No phone calls please. Deadline for application: January 16, 2015.

J.P. Noonan Transportation Penalized for 9,600-Gallon Oil Spill into the Mystic River in 2013

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued the following news release on November 12, 2014.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has reached two settlements, totaling $55,100 and $7,187 respectively, with J.P. Noonan Transportation, Inc. of West Bridgewater for Natural Resource Damages (NRD) and Clean Water Act violations that resulted from a 9,600-gallon home-heating oil spill into the Mystic River on May 31, 2013.

The spill occurred on Route 60 in Arlington when an oil tanker truck crashed while going around a rotary on the Mystic Valley Parkway. As a result of the crash, the 10,000-gallon compartment of the tanker was breached, dumping nearly all of its contents onto the roadway, which then flowed into storm drains and subsequently into the nearby Mystic River. Emergency response crews from Arlington, Medford, other nearby towns, MassDEP and a private contractor hired by J.P. Noonan were able to contain and clean up virtually all of the oil that spilled during the ensuing days and weeks.

"The recovery of the Mystic River and its continued protection will not be set back by this unfortunate incident," said MassDEP Commissioner David Cash. "The NRD Trust will use the settlement to directly assist in repairing the damage done to natural resources there, and the funds will help MassDEP continue our important work protecting the environment from a host of hazardous materials."

"We are very happy that MassDEP has successfully pursued Natural Resource Damages in response to this spill," said Mystic River Watershed Association Executive Director EkOngKar Singh Khalsa. "Support for the restoration of the Mystic River provided through this settlement is an important component of strong state and local response to the accident. MassDEP emergency response and local fire and DPW personnel also deserve much credit for fast action that prevented more catastrophic impacts from this oil release."

In April 2014, J.P. Noonan submitted documentation stating that all necessary remediation responses had been completed and a permanent cleanup had been achieved along the river in the Arlington and Medford areas. The cost of that cleanup was borne by J.P. Noonan as the responsible party, and its insurance company.

The $55,100 settlement for NRD damages will be deposited in to the NRD Trust, which is administered by MassDEP, and will eventually fund projects that will restore natural resources that were damaged by the oil spilled into the Mystic River. The restoration projects are expected to improve water quality within the river in the area of the spill. The $7,187 penalty is to resolve the Clean Water Act violations that occurred as a result of the spill.

MassDEP is responsible for ensuring clean air and water, safe management and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes, timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources.

Support MyRWA while shopping at Amazon.com

Did you know you can support MyRWA while shopping at AmazonSmile - at no cost to you? The next time you visit Amazon, be sure to designate the Mystic River Watershed Association as the recipient organization of AmazonSmile's donations. Just visit AmazonSmile to start. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to MyRWA with no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Mystic River Watershed Association.

Planning for Climate Change, Dec. 2

On Tuesday, Dec. 2nd please plan to attend Mystic River Watershed Association’s monthly Committee Meeting to hear from John Bolduc, Environmental Planner for the City of Cambridge from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

John Bolduc has been the City’s environmental planner in the Community Development Department since 1997. During John’s tenure he has played a key role in alerting the City to the dangers posed by climate change and helping to fashion the City’s response: the City’s Climate Protection Plan. He will also be reviewing the recently released report, The Urban Implications of Living with Water.

John’s presentation will be followed by the Policy and Clean Water Campaign meetings. This meeting is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.

Join us on December 2, 7-9 p.m., at Tufts University, Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room.

Chelsea Creek, Malden River Receive Funding

The Patrick administration awarded nearly $239,000 in grants to projects in the Chelsea and Malden/Medford areas that will help to repair damage done to natural resources from past oil spills into the Lower Mystic River Watershed and open up these restored areas to the public.
The funds, awarded through the Massachusetts Natural Resource Damages (NRD) Trust, will provide $220,205 to the Chelsea Collaborative, Inc. for a project to repair damage done to Chelsea Creek and Mill Creek, and provide $18,505 to the Mystic Valley Development Commission to repair damage done to the watershed that includes the Malden River and the Lower Mystic River in Medford.

Silver Maple Forest Update

As you may know, the Silver Maple Forest in Belmont has been the site of a controversial development for some time. In the last week the developer has cut down many of the trees. This has been met with civil disobedience and has resulted in 13 people being arrested on trespassing charges. A temporary restraining order against tree-clearing in the Silver Maple Forest went into place late Monday morning (10/20), after a weekend in which developers went on cutting as a judge mulled the issues. The restraining order was then reversed on Tuesday.

In light of all that is going on with the forest, the City of Cambridge Committee on Health and Environment will hold a hearing on the impact of the Silver Maple development on the Alewife flood plain on Tuesday, Oct. 28th at 3 p.m., 831 Massachusetts Avenue, Basement Conference Room, Central Square, Cambridge. EkOngKar Singh Khalsa, Executive Director, Mystic River Watershed Association will be on the panel with many qualified scientists.

MyRWA Executive Director EkOngKar Singh Khalsa recently wrote an opinion piece, Forest Preservation versus Development along the Alewife, which you can read here.

The Cambridge Day newspaper has several articles on recent events. Photo from Cambridge Day.

We'll be sure to keep you updated on this situation!