August E-newsletter

August 2022

Charles River Conservancy

Youth Groups Kayak

to Floating Wetland

The CRC has had a blast out on the water this summer and is grateful for the many youth organizations partnering with us to introduce young people to the Charles River in a new way. Children and teens from City Sprouts, Youth Enrichment Services, buildOn, Cambridge Community Television, Biodiversity Builders, and Green Cambridge kayaked to our floating wetland with us, demonstrating awesome curiosity, energy and insightful questions as they learned up close what we are working to achieve with this installation. Our thanks go out to Paddle Boston, who has generously donated the kayak rentals for these excursions. If your youth group is interested in a tour of the wetland, please reach out to tleonard@thecharles.org.

Floating Wetland

Cambridge Youth Programs

For four weeks, Cambridge Youth Programs interns worked with the CRC to learn about the floating wetland, envision wetland expansion, and identify community voices that should be represented during project development. The internship included a visit to architects and designers at Perkins&Will to learn about the importance of community engagement and equitable design processes. The trip inspired students to build a survey about the floating wetland where they collected 55 community voices to inform their work - and ours!

Conservancy Volunteers

July Recap

Thank you to our incredible volunteers who worked hard on some very hot days to keep the parks in great shape for summer use!

Youth Enrichment Services helped keep Magazine Beach healthy by removing litter.
Vertex supported Riverbend Park by collecting trash.
Community volunteers cut back vegetation along Charles River Road in Watertown.
MIT-Kamrin Lab removed litter along the Charles near their campus.
Groups from buildOn volunteered twice, doing invasive plant management in Hell's Half Acre and removing litter at Magazine Beach.
Tishman Speyer painted infrastructure and weeded at Herter Park.
Summer Search tackled invasive species in Hell's Half Acre.
Volunteers from around the country volunteered for an event in Herter Park organized by Rabobank, collecting large amounts of micro trash and weeding garden beds.

Open Volunteer Event

Our open volunteer events are free and welcome community members to participate in vital park maintenance. On Saturday, August 13 from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., we will be working along Soldiers Field Road to paint benches, remove litter and weed. Please email svallieres@thecharles.org if you would like to attend.

Charles River Vegetation Management

Upcoming Aquatic Invasive Species Treatment

The CRC has been partnering with DCR, the Charles River Watershed Association, The Esplanade Association, Charles River Alliance of Boaters and other advocates to develop a multi-year plan to help remove harmful invasive species impacting the Charles. In order to address the proliferation of milfoil in certain areas of the Charles River, DCR is planning an initial aquatic herbicide application in the river on August 17. This treatment is safe and recreation will not be limited during the application, but DCR requests that those on the river avoid treatment areas and boats. For more information, check out this helpful one-pager from CRWA.

Supporter Spotlight

Zipcar

The CRC is partnering with Zipcar as part of the company’s Drive to Donate program, a program established to support local like-minded organizations. Zipcar has custom-designed and wrapped 10 Zipcars placed around Boston, and for every hour a car is booked they are donating $1 to the CRC. Zipcar’s mission of enabling simple and responsible urban living by giving people access to cars on demand without having to own one aligns with the CRC’s work of giving Bostonians access to open green space for a healthier, more sustainable city making them a great partner for the CRC. Zipcar has also awarded the CRC a grant program to assist CRC employees in need of transportation to their different initiatives throughout the city. Thank you to Zipcar for supporting sustainable urban living and giving back to the Charles River and its parks!

Learn more at www.zipcar.com/charlesriver and sign up to book.

Jukebox at the Foundry

Stories of Cambridge

As we shared in our July edition, the CRC was honored to be a part of the first 25 stories produced by artist Elisa Hamilton for a community public art project called Jukebox. You can now listen to the CRC’s story about the Lynch Family Skatepark here and listen here to what will eventually grow to be 100 stories of the Cambridge community! In addition to living on the web, stories will be available to listen on a jukebox at the Foundry, a new community space opening this fall.

In the News

Memorial Drive changes are off to a good start, but groups still share five significant concerns (Cambridge Day)

The Memorial Drive Alliance, a coalition of Boston and Cambridge advocates including the CRC, are pleased with DCR's road diet plans for Memorial Drive between the Eliot Bridge and Hawthorn Street. The group recently shared remaining concerns and priorities for the project in a letter to the agency, which was also published by Cambridge Day.

Water quality in Boston's rivers was mostly good in 2021. But sewage and climate change threats remain. (WBUR )

Earlier this month, the EPA released its Three Rivers Report Card, revealing mixed results for the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset. The Charles River scored from A to C- in its six segments, with the Muddy River tributary scoring the lowest. The Lower Basin scored a B-, which was a notable decline from recent years. Heavy rainfalls, drought, nutrient run-off and climate change are some of the complex factors that contribute to poor water quality.

Photo via Jessie Costa, WBUR

Event Highlight

The CRC is grateful to be one of two charities that will benefit from the August 2022 Dine Out Boston Giving Initiative. Visit the auction website August 8-24 to bid on $100 gift certificates from participating restaurants and proceeds will go to the CRC and Future Chefs. Thank you to Boston Duck Tours for nominating the CRC!