Macdonald Park Revitalization Kick-off Event
Massachusetts Rivers Alliance Presentation
MyRWA is thrilled to announce Massachusetts Rivers Alliance Executive Director, Julia Blatt, as a guest speaker at the October 4th Committee Meeting. Please join us!
We look forward to learning more about the Alliance and how we can support each other’s work. Come explore how we can enhance our effectiveness as clean water advocates.
This presentation is part of the Mystic River Watershed Association’s monthly Committee Meeting. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday October 4, 2016 at Tufts University, Tisch College of Citizenship & Public Service, Lincoln Filene Hall, Rabb Room, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford. Free and open to the public!
MyRWA Receives Grant to Address Stormwater in Arlington
MyRWA is pleased to share the announcement of funding through the 319 Nonpoint Source Competitive Grants Program for the Egerton Road Green Infrastructure Demonstration Project in Arlington. The project includes two curb extension bioretention basins at the Egerton Road/Herbert Road intersection - a site previously identified as best meeting technical criteria and community needs by a 604b‐funded development study. These bioretention basins will beautify the streetscape, decrease crossing distance for pedestrians, and reduce the discharge of pollutants into Alewife Brook. The project is expected to begin late spring 2017.
MyRWA and Medford funded to install green infrastructure
On Aug. 31, 2016 the Baker-Polito Administration announced $346,292 in grants to support local efforts to address and treat polluted runoff from roads and paved surfaces to protect coastal water quality. The grants, provided by the Office of Coastal Zone Management’s (CZM) Coastal Pollutant Remediation (CPR) Grant Program, were awarded to Medford, Milton, Plymouth, Salem and Yarmouth.
Medford - $125,000 - The City of Medford, in partnership with the Mystic River Watershed Association, will construct a gravel wetland to treat contaminated stormwater runoff from a municipal parking lot to reduce nutrients and sediment reaching the Mystic River. This project will improve water quality in the river, preserving critical habitat for river herring, and builds on previous work to prioritize stormwater treatment sites in the watershed.
MyRWA is thrilled to work with the City of Medford to address stormwater.
River's Edge Learn to Row Day 2016
Submitted from Preotle, Lane & Associates
Join student athletes from the Tufts University Rowing Team for the second annual River's Edge Learn to Row Day! On Saturday, September 17th, members of the Tufts varsity team will be leading 2-hour sessions at the Shoemaker Boathouse to enable members of the community to learn about this graceful and challenging sport. Rowing is an ancient sport that offers both a wonderful and peaceful way to enjoy the river, as well as a low-impact full-body workout.
No experience required--- just bring a willing spirit and curiosity to learn! Sessions are free of charge, children 12 and over are welcome to participate. Sessions will run at 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 2:00 pm. Sessions will not be physically demanding---the emphasis is on fun and learning about the sport--- but dress for athletic activity: comfortable, close-fitting clothes are ideal. No baggy shorts, please!
Q: Can I try rowing even if I've never done a sport before?
A: Absolutely. Sure, it helps to have participated in sports before but there are plenty of current rowers with rowing as their first sport.
Q: Will learn to row day be strenuous?
A: No, the LTR day is very relaxed and an easy day where we work on the proper technique. Anyone can participate, but expect to get a little sweaty.
Q: What should I wear?
A: You will be a little sweaty by the end of the session, so gym or workout clothes are appropriate. You may also get a little wet from being out on the water. And due to the sliding seat very loose or baggy clothing has a tendency to get caught so avoid wearing it if possible. Rowers typically wear trou (similar to bike shorts), t-shirt, and a hat and sunglasses are useful for the sunny days.
Q: I can't swim, can I still participate?
A: Yes, you absolutely can, we will have a coach nearby at all times with flotation devices handy. The risk of ending up in the water is very, very low, but we are ready to assist in the event that it happens. If you are nervous before going out please let a coach or member know.
Q: Is there a bathroom and running water?
A: Yes to both.
If you are interested in joining the fun please email your name, address, phone number, and what time you would like to participate to: dzanazzo@preotlelane.com. You will receive an email confirming your sign up time.
Cyanobacteria Bloom in Mystic River
Photo by Wilder Huckleberry
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed the presence of cyanobacteria at the Blessing of Bay area in Somerville. Algal blooms can produce toxins that are dangerous to people, animals, and the environment. MyRWA advises you to avoid contact with the river until the bloom has dissipated. MDPH will sample again on August 24.
Celebrate the Mystic - A Farewell Event for EkOngKar (EK) Singh Khalsa
You're invited to attend a farewell event for EK Khalsa on Thursday, Sept. 8th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Come celebrate the Mystic and all that has been accomplished under EK's leadership. The event will be held at the AC Hotel Boston North at Station Landing in Medford. Join fellow friends of the Mystic to wish him well on his next adventure! Get your tickets today.
Mystic River Paddle to the Sea
**EVENT AT CAPACITY, 9/21**
When: Saturday September 24th (rain date Sun. 25th) meet at 8:30 AM to launch by 9:00 AM
Where: Beginning below the Medford Boat Club on the Lower Mystic Lake with paddling & stops along the way to the Amelia Earhart dam where we’ll be going through the locks. We’ll pull out at the Schrafft Center in Charlestown where we can leave cars in advance for shuttling back to the start. Check out a course map.
Details: For experienced paddlers who can bring their own boat, paddles and Personal Floatation Device (PFD). Estimated return time is 1:00 PM. This will be a fun, relaxed trip with a lunch break at the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse in Somerville. We will determine the shuttle closer to the date. Estimated paddling distance is 7 miles.
Questions? Contact Beth at 781-316-3438 or beth@mysticriver.org
Strong Herring Migration Documented at Mystic Lakes
Since 2012, the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) has been working with hundreds of volunteers to count river herring passing through the fish ladder at the Mystic Lakes Dam to spawn in Upper Mystic Lake. In 2016, ninety trained citizen scientists counted the largest number of herring since the monitoring program began, documenting another strong Mystic River herring migration at nearly half a million fish. This estimate is similar to last year’s migration and represents nearly a 100% increase over the counts in prior years.
River herring collectively refer to two species of herring, Blueback (Alosa aestivilis) and Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus). These two species are referred to as “anadromous” fish as they live the majority of their life in salt water but lay eggs (spawn) in fresh water. The billions of river herring eggs that are produced in Upper Mystic Lake will develop into juvenile herring within just a few days. These juveniles will stay in the fresh water for up to 4 months before swimming downstream to live in estuarine waters. The river herring that survive will reach an age to reproduce after 3-4 years and usually return to the same waters where they were born.
The Mystic River is one of 78 river herring runs in Massachusetts. River herring are an important component of ocean fisheries, and they need access to freshwater systems to survive. Over the past several decades, populations of river herring have dramatically declined.
The Mystic River Watershed Association works each year to train a set of volunteers to perform visual counts at the fish ladder Mystic Lakes Dam. The volunteers agree to perform at least one 10-minute observation each week. Volunteers in the 2016 program performed 786 ten minute observations and counted 62,562 fish from April through June. The data are plugged into a sophisticated model developed by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA-DMF) that yields the population estimate of 448,060 +/- 48,113 for 2016.
Work is underway to build upon the successes of the Herring Monitoring Program. MyRWA is working with MA-DMF and local river herring advocates to install a fish ladder at the Center Falls Dam in Winchester to allow herring access to Wedge Pond and potentially Horn Pond in Woburn. Construction of the fish ladder is slated for Fall 2016. MyRWA is working with local municipalities to identify opportunities to improve habitat and water quality throughout the watershed.
Additionally, MyRWA will be bringing the herring migration into local schools through the installation of monitoring cameras at the fish ladder. Students will be able to count fish, interact with data and learn more about the river ecosystem through a new web platform dedicated to the Mystic River herring migration.
“We are excited to expand upon the Herring Monitoring Program and engage youth and the broader public in this annual rite of spring,” said Beth MacBlane, Outreach and Communications Director at MyRWA. “The herring are testament to a vibrant river system that needs to be cared for.”
The Mystic River Watershed is a vital natural resource for the more than 500,000 people who live in 22 Mystic River communities. For more information about the Mystic River Watershed Association please see www.MysticRiver.org.
