May E-newsletter

May 2021

Charles River Conservancy

A Successful Earth Week Charles River Cleanup

Our 2021 Earth Week Charles River Cleanup was officially a success! Over the course of six days, we worked with 20 volunteer groups, welcomed over 375 registered volunteers into the parks, and hosted four community cleanup sites in Cambridge, Boston, and Watertown. Our volunteers made a huge impact along the river, removing litter and debris that included a trash can, a broom, shoes, and a lot of plastic food/beverage packaging. We're so grateful to everyone who participated, as well as our generous sponsors at Resilience Boston, Acceleron Pharma, HMFH Architects, and The Green Engineer!

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Conservancy Volunteers

April Recap

Thank you to everyone who volunteered with us this April and helped prepare the parks for the warmer months ahead! We're grateful for all their efforts, including the work of a fantastic team from Berkshire Partners, who removed garlic mustard, picked up litter, and did spring cleaning in the Herter Park Amphitheater.

Open Volunteer Events

Our open volunteer events are free and welcome community members to participate in vital park maintenance. In June we will be working in Herter Park to weed garden beds and paint benches. Spots are limited, so don't delay signing up!

Saturday, June 12 , 9:30-11:30am - Learn more & register

Schedule a Volunteer Event

Looking for a way to see friends, enjoy summer weather, and do some good for the community? Consider scheduling a Conservancy Volunteers event for your company or group! Reserve your day and learn more about our event safety protocols by contacting Sasha at svallieres@thecharles.org.

Floating Wetland

Floating Wetland Video Game Debuts at Science Fest

A team from the Glocal Challenge, named "Faucet Failures," has been hard at work over the past year creating graphics and designing a video game that can teach students about the Charles River, water conservation, and our own floating wetland. The team debuted a beta-version of the game at the Cambridge Science Festival in April. Stay tuned for opportunities to play the final game in the future!

DCR Special Commission

Friends Group Letter

With CRC Executive Director Laura Jasinski an appointed member, we've been pleased to participate in the State's recently assembled DCR Special Commission, dedicated to finding ways for the Department to improve its management, operations, and asset conditions. To ensure a robust and transparent stakeholder engagement process that makes the most of this opportunity, we sent a letter to EEA Secretary Theoharides, co-signed by 35 friends groups and organizations, advocating for an extended timeline and other important improvements. Read the letter.

Public Listening Session

A DCR Special Commission virtual public listening session will be held on May 25th, 2021 from 4-6pm, where community members can share ideas for the Commission to use in developing their recommendations. We hope you'll consider participating!

Allston Advocacy

Group Advocacy Letters

With a coalition of park, transportation, and community activists, we're continuing to advocate for a better Allston Multimodal Project. In March, we signed onto a group letter to Highway Administrator Gulliver with suggestions for improving the project's public process. We also recently sent a group letter to Massachusetts' Federal Delegation requesting support to secure federal funds for the project and ensure an all at-grade design.

Supporter Spotlight

Paddle Boston

If you've kayaked along the Charles River, you're likely already familiar with Paddle Boston, a kayak rental company with multiple locations throughout the city. But you may not know that Paddle Boston is an important community partner to the CRC! They generously provide kayaks for our floating wetland researchers and tour groups, as well as for our in-river cleanup events. We are so grateful for their support, as well as their everyday work engaging community members along the Charles River!

Instagram Action

With warmer weather here to stay, where are you venturing along the Charles? Tag and follow us on Instagram for action shots and reposts of your spring & summertime adventures.

Park News

Beer Gardens Open along the Charles

Night Shift Brewing has opened for the season their Owl's Nest Beer Garden located on the Charles River Esplanade. The company plans to open their Herter Park location later this month. The beer gardens offer a unique opportunity to enjoy a drink while catching gorgeous river views.

Herter Park Amphitheater Opens for the Season

Thanks to our partners at the Friends of Herter Park, the Herter Park Amphitheater is back in action for the season! Be sure to check out their line-up of outdoor performances and events.