Friends of Alewife Reservation special event

Friends of Alewife Reservation will host their Board Meeting with a special Guest Speaker: Nancy Hammett, MA Rivers Alliance Staff (former Executive Director of the Mystic River Watershed Association & former member of Watertown's Conservation Commission and Stormwater Advisory Committee.) Nancy Hammett will discuss the expanded US-EPA federal regulations concerning storm water, and what we might consider at Alewife to improve Little River's EPA issued "D- " Water Quality Report Card. Call 617-415-1884 for more information.

Thursday, March 10, 7-8pm: Speaker- Nancy Hammett, MA Rivers Alliance

Lesley University Room 2-026 (Second floor by information desk, glass room)

Free and open to the public!

Go Green & Earn $ for you and MyRWA!

MyRWA has partnered with Viridian Energy to offer our friends 50% green energy at a 5% savings while automatically supporting the Association. We also have a special offer that ends March 7th!  Enroll as a customer or associate by Monday, March 7th.  As an Associate you can earn monthly residual income and weekly bonus like $400 if you sign up by 3/7 and get 3 customers. You get rewarded and so does MyRWA, mankind and the earth!

To learn more contact Doug Turner anytime 781-820-7467.

Does your office need to get some sun?

Volunteers remove water chestnuts from the Mystic River in Somerville.

Come tackle the invasive water chestnut with MyRWA!

MyRWA has Community and Corporate Event opportunities for groups of up to 100 people this summer! Volunteers hand-pull water chestnut from canoes during this fun and rewarding stewardship event.  A four hour event has tremendous impact, visibly clearing the river of the invasive weed. By sponsoring a corporate event, your company will participate in a major green initiative while providing a great team-building opportunity on the river for your employees. We have worked with many organizations and companies over the past six years, and supply all the materials and expertise necessary.

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

Celebrate Earth Day with the Mystic River Watershed Association

Calling all volunteers!

Join together with Mystic River communities in the celebration of Earth Day (April 22nd) by cleaning up litter and removing invasive plants in Medford's Torbert MacDonald Park, part of the Mystic River Reservation. This event is also part of DCR Park Serve Day - MassParks annual statewide day of volunteer service during Earth Week.

WHO: Community volunteers - please RSVP

WHAT: Earth Day River Clean Up to improve DCR's Torbert MacDonald Park sponsored by the Mystic River Watershed Association

WHERE: DCR Torbert MacDonald Park, Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford, MA
*Meet in the parking lot by the Medford State Police barracks

WHEN: Saturday, April 30, 9:00AM-12:00PM

Addressing stormwater to cleanup our rivers

In response to the Boston Globe's 2/22/2016 article, EPA forcing towns to clean up Charles River, By David Abel, MyRWA's Executive Director, EkOngKar Singh Khalsa offers the following response:

Stormwater pollution is a real problem for rivers, lakes and streams throughout the Commonwealth. 

he Mystic River Watershed Association applauds US EPA's determination to address these problems in the Charles River. Thi represents an important step to eliminate significant impairmen to the local natural environment. 

the Mystic River, as in other urban rivers throughout the country, water quality is significantly impacted by untreated runoff from city streets and municipal stormwater systems. 

As the negative impacts of this runoff become more eviden, the need for a more effective and sophisticated approach to stormwater management becom more apparent. 

Maintaining healthy, clear and free flowing waterways is ell orth the costs.

Volunteer as a Fish monitor this spring!

Photo by Patrick Herron

Did you know there is a fish that lives in the ocean and swims all the way to the Mystic Lakes in Arlington to lay its eggs each spring?

Help document the river herring’s migration by volunteering to be a fish monitor! MyRWA will begin the 5th year of the Herring Monitoring Program to monitor river herring at the Mystic Lakes Dam fish ladder in April.We need volunteer fish monitors to count herring and support our data collection so that we can estimate run size. No previous experience or knowledge is required. Volunteers should commit to attending a two hour volunteer training on March 19thand to counting for at least one ten-minute period per week from early April to mid-June. Monitors must be at least 18 years and able to swim. Youth aged 12 to 17 may assist under the direct supervision of a guardian.You must register for the training.

Saturday, March 19th 10:00 a.m. - noon: Herring Monitoring Training
Medford Boat Club, Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford
Register here (required)

Special Presentation: EPA Water Quality Buoy

Have you ever noticed the buoy in the Mystic River near the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse in Somerville? While deployed, this solar-powered buoy takes water quality measurements every 15 minutes and sends this information to the EPA website, allowing public access to near real-time conditions. On Tuesday, March 1st, hear from Tom Faber, Water Quality Environmental Engineer, US EPA, about the results of this program to date. This presentation is part of the Mystic River Watershed Association’s monthly Committee Meeting. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. on March 1, 2016 at Tufts University, Tisch College of Citizenship & Public Service, Lincoln Filene Hall, Rabb Room, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford.

Will Your State Representative Support the Green Budget?

The Mystic River Watershed Association is pleased to be an endorser of the Fiscal Year 2017 Green Budget, produced by the Environmental League of Massachusetts. Right now your State Representative is waiting to hear whether funding for environmental programs is important to you. 

The Massachusetts House of Representatives is in the midst of making funding decisions for state programs. YourState Rep can make a difference by prioritizing one of our Green Budgetrecommendations in his/her requests to House Leadership. Our funding recommendations focus on state programs that are essential to fostering healthy communities, great parks, and clean, abundant water. 

Will you call your State Rep to ask him/her to select a Green Budget line-item (see below) to include as a budget ask to House Leadership? We encourage you to place the call by Friday, February 12.

TAKE ACTION 

Every State Representative has received the Green Budget. It can also be viewed at www.environmentalleague.org/greenbudget. 

What To Say: 

Hello. I live in your district and I'm calling to ask you to support the Environmental League'sGreen Budget funding recommendations. I urge you to select a Green Budget line-item to include in your budget request to House Leadership. Thank you!

Malden River as Top Priority for Everett Mayor

In the January 28th Everett Independent article, Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria names the Malden River as an area of focus for the next two years. Specifically, Mayor DeMaria mentions the creation of a public canoe and kayak launch near BNY Mellon Bank and pursuing a cleanup of the river’s sediments. Read the article here.

Mystic River Watershed Association's 2015 - 2020 Strategic Plan Now Available

The Mystic River Watershed Association’s Strategic Plan 2015-2020 builds upon our history of sound scientific practice and community engagement. The Plan places special emphasis on increasing our role in climate resilience and determining impacts and possible solutions to these new conditions. Since our founding in 1972 we have utilized volunteer efforts to achieve our goals. Grassroots community support and engagement is essential to our work and we look forward to expanding our community connections and partnerships to improve environmental conditions in the Mystic River Watershed.

Our vision is for a Mystic River Watershed where:

• There are opportunities for safe boating and swimming

• Rivers, lakes, and streams host abundant fish and wildlife habitat

• Well-designed and accessible parks and open spaces along the Mystic River allow pedestrians and bicyclists to move easily and safely in connected spaces along the waterfront

• All local, state, regional and national stakeholders – from local municipalities to federal regulators – take seriously and ambitiously their role as stewards of the watershed, and value and invest in its future.

While seeing water quality improvements takes time, we are confident in our approach outlined in the Plan. Together with our members, donors, partners, volunteers and state, federal and local policy-makers we will protect and restore the Mystic River for future generations.

Read the Strategic Plan.

Please note, if you would like a more detailed version of our 2015-2020 Strategic Plan please contact us.