I-90 Project - Meeting tonight!

Several recent developments have significantly changed the context for the I-90 development project: (1) Boston University agreed to the use of a 10-foot strip of its land along the "throat" section of the project if the viaduct is replaced with an at-grade MassPike. (2) Houghton Chemical Co. reached an agreement with Harvard University to give up its rail spur that stretched through the project, and complicated highway and development plans. (3) Harvard University agreed to provide the land needed to relocate Soldiers Field Road away from the Charles River to allow construction of a new approximately 2.4 acre riverfront park. (4) The MBTA agreed to a smaller layover yard and fewer maintenance facilities within its property. For more information about the I-90 project click here.

A Public Information meeting will be held by MassDOT to discuss the Allston 1-90, Massachusetts Turnpike Interchange Improvement Project TONIGHT, Thursday, December 8, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. at the Jackson Mann Community Center Auditorium (500 Cambridge Street, Allston, MA 02134). Please come and show your support for more parks and transportation options with the improvements. (Stay tuned for details about a second meeting in Cambridge.)

A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered with the Conservancy in 2016! The Conservancy had 2,066 volunteers from the community work to remove over 1,000 bags of litter,  1,500 bags full of weeds and invasive plants from the Charles River parklands, and with the help of our  partners at Mahoney's Garden Center we were able to plant  10,000 daffodil bulbs. The Conservancy also continued our partnerships with YES to offer the Skateboarding for Good Program, teamed up with community groups and the Friends of Herter Park to rehabilitate the Herter Park Publick Theatre, painted park benches and picnic tables, pruned back low hanging branches, and helped maintain the garden beds.

A special thank you to MassDCR and all of the individuals, school groups, college students, businesses, corporations, organizations, and partners who helped make this work possible. We couldn't do this wonderful work without your support. For more information on the CV program click here. See you in 2017!

To schedule a work session for your group or business, contact Conservancy Volunteer Program Manager, Sasha at svallieres@thecharles.org or by phone at (617) 300.8173. Open volunteer events will resume in February 2017.

Since 2000, the Conservancy has been dedicated to the stewardship of the Charles River parklands. This year, our determination has seen great reward, but we need your help to keep this work moving forward into a promising new year! 

Your generosity translates directly into more active, attractive, and accessible Charles River Parklands from the Boston Harbor to the Watertown Dam. In this season of giving, will you take a moment to continue your support so that we can continue to work for you? 

If you received our year end appeal and wondered where you can find our 2016 News, click here for a digital version. If you didn't receive our year end mailing, but would like to receive future mailings, please let us know by emailing sjport@thecharles.org. 

Please click here to make a donation online. Thank you!

For gifts of stock or questions about tax deductions, please contact S.J. Port at sjport@thecharles.org or by phone at 617-300-8172. 

Watch a 3-min video with highlights of October's exciting Innoskate 2016 event. The Innoskate program was created to educate communities about skateboarding and explore the innovations behind it. The event was hosted by MIT's Lemelson Institute and the Smithsonian Institution and held at the Lynch Family Skatepark, with support from VANS. 

Community Preservation Act Passes

Imagine Boston 2030

The City of Boston has created a draft Strategic Plan for the future of the city. The plan includes input from Boston residents and community groups, who have indicated that they want "neighborhoods with vibrant open spaces and cultural life." After reading and reviewing the city's plan you can give feedback here. 

City of Cambridge - Participatory Budget Vote

If you live in Cambridge, make sure you vote on December 8 or 9 for the Participatory Budget projects. This vote will decide how to spend $700,000 of the city's capital budget! Residents can vote online here.

"Building Old Cambridge"

MIT Press published a beautiful and over 900-page oeuvre by

Susan Maycock and Charles Sullivan of the Cambridge Historical Commission. This comprehensive book about Cambridge's history and architecture also includes fascinating information about the Charles River, including maps and illustrations. If you love Cambridge, this is a must for your library and will serve as a standard reference for years to come. Click here for more information and to purchase.

1.Why did you join the Conservancy Board of Directors? I joined the Board to help enhance the parklands and to make stronger connections -- physical, ecological, social -- between the River and the communities it serves.

2. What is your favorite stretch of the Charles River parklands? Having spent several years working in Watertown, I am partial to the more natural areas around the Watertown dam and for all the flora and fauna that the River hosts there. I also enjoy walking along the Cambridge side of the Basin and taking in the amazing views of Boston and the Back Bay.

 

3. Which Conservancy program are you most passionate about? I think the I-90 development project represents a major opportunity to make direct and sustainable connections between the community and the River. To create a new park in the area that puts people first would be an amazing thing.

4. Interesting fact about yourself. I have not owned a car for the past several years, which means I experience the city mostly on foot. I really appreciate the slowed pace and perspective that it affords me.

- Jennifer Gilbert, Chair of the Conservancy Board's Swim Park Committee, gives an overview on the Swim Park project and why YOU should support it!