We've had a great month kicking off spring volunteer events and giving back to the parks. Vicinity Energy kicked off our spring season at Magazine Beach Park raking leaves, transplanting bulbs, and removing litter, and Gardner Pilot Academy joined us in Herter Park to remove litter.

Registration for the Earth Day Charles River Cleanup and C.R.E.W. are now closed. Since the parks need our help all season long, if you're itching to give back to the parks, consider scheduling a Conservancy Volunteers event for your company or group in May or beyond! Reserve your day and learn more about our event safety protocols by contacting Sasha at svallieres@thecharles.org.

With support from the MIT Community Service Fund, the Charles River Conservancy and MIT Sea Grant are working together to bring floating wetland activity kits to 6th grade classes in Cambridge Public Schools this spring. This unique educational initiative gives students a look into a real-life example of wetland ecology research on the Charles River and the CRC’s floating wetland on the river off Cambridge Parkway. Students get to witness the effects of wetlands on the environment as plant roots grow and interact with planktonic daphnia to restore ecological balance. The CRC and MIT Sea Grant are excited to bring hands-on activities and a walk to the floating wetland to MIT Open Space on May 7th. 

In March, the CRC, along with several other DCR friends' groups, drafted and sent a letter signed by over 40 organizations urging the legislature to implement budget increases to fund DCR. The recent DCR Special Commission report brought to light up to 300% increases in use of state parks, yet DCR funding (operating and capital) has decreased by 16 percent.

Read the letter and share with your local representatives (email template here) if you'd like to secure more funding for our state parks!

Established in 1978, InterSystems is the leading provider of next-generation data solutions for enterprise digital transformations in the healthcare, finance, manufacturing and supply chain sectors. InterSystems is committed to excellence through its award-winning, 24×7 support for customers and partners in more than 80 countries. InterSystems has partnered with the CRC for over 10 years, providing funds for our volunteer program and general operations, as well as hosting CRC events in their office overlooking the Charles. Thank you to InterSystems for supporting the Charles River and its parks!

The CRC and the Leventhal Map & Education Center are excited to host a night of trivia on our beloved Charles River! Join us on Thursday, May 26th from 6pm to 7:30pm in the Newsfeed Cafe at the Central Library in Copley Square. We'll test your ability to answer questions related to the river's history and surrounding geographies. Registration is encouraged but not required, and map prizes will be presented to the winning teams! The Leventhal Center's trivia series is presented through their current environmental justice exhibition, More or Less in Common: Environment and Justice in the Human Landscape.

Harvard’s big plans in Allston face growing pushback from the neighbors (The Boston Globe)

The Coalition for a Just Allston-Brighton, a coalition of community groups that seeks to hold Harvard accountable for their development in Allston-Brighton, sent a letter to Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu asking for multiple commitments from Harvard as development continues. The CRC is among the groups that signed the letter, and support all commitment asks, including a plan "that envisions a robust network of green space and green infrastructure connecting the neighborhood to the Charles River."

The cleanup of Boston Harbor is incomplete (Boston Globe)

Patrick Herron of the Mystic River Watershed Association and Emily Norton of the Charles River Watershed Association advocate for federal infrastructure funding to clean up the Boston Harbor - an incomplete process that sees hundreds of millions of sewage waste dumped into the Charles and Mystic Rivers (and therefore, the harbor) annually. Despite its efforts and progress, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) has failed to meet its goals to meet compliance for its combined sewer overflow outfalls.

Follow us on TikTok @charlesriverconservancy! Unbox the Floating Wetland Kit with Diego in our latest video. These kits will be found in 6th grade classrooms in Cambridge Public Schools. 👩🏽‍🔬🧑🏻‍🔬🔍🌱 

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