Youth A.C.T.

Earth Day is coming up soon, and the Mystic River Watershed Association is organizing community cleanup events for the Lower Mystic River Watershed on April 21 and 28. Volunteers can show up to an event and participate in trash pick-up, trail clearing, and planting. Watershed clean-up efforts are taking place the next two weekends in Cambridge, East Boston, Somerville, Chelsea, Malden, Medford, and Everett.

For more information about how to get involved, see the Mystic River Watershed Association website about the watershed clean-ups.

Efforts to build rain gardens in Everett are underway by the Mystic River Watershed Association in collaboration with the City of Everett and the community. Installing rain gardens help restore water quality in sensitive areas, reduces flow from impervious surfaces, and reduces the load of pollution.

The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 7 at 7 PM at Everett City Hall located on 484 Broadway. The meeting is open to the public, and those wishing to get involved in the project are encouraged to attend.

For more information, visit the Mystic River Watershed Association’s Rain Gardens page or download the Everett Rain Garden Meeting Flyer.

The Mystic River Watershed Association is seeking “superfans” to connect with their communities and promote awareness of the organization’s work, events, and meetings. Each superfan will be the MyRWA representative in each city who will handle local media contact, event advertising, and volunteer recruitment. The association is seeking volunteers for the following communities:

• Burlington
• Cambridge
• Chelsea
• East Boston
• Everett
• Lexington
• Melrose
• Stoneham
• Wakefield
• Watertown
• Wilmington

For more information, contact Beth of MyRWA at (781) 316-3438 or [email protected]

The first public Malden River Design Forum will take place on Wednesday, December 14 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The forum will feature a gallery of redesign projects by Boston Architectural College students for improving the Malden River corridor. Summer youth employees who worked at Tri-CAP will also present their work on the Malden River. In addition, Mystic River Watershed Association representatives will be present to showcase how these designs fit into the overall Mystic River Watershed.

The event will meet at the Malden Public Library on 36 Salem Street across from Malden High School. Light refreshments will be served courtesy of the Malden Redevelopment Authority. The event is hosted by Tri-CAP, Boston Architectural College, Mystic River Watershed Assocation, and the City of Malden.

For more information, contact Nick Cohen of Tri-CAP at [email protected] or (781) 322-4125 x237.

Download a flyer (PDF, 505 KB)

Download a press release (Microsoft Word, 53 KB)

Students of the Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy painted a large sign at the Malden-Everett River Cleanup event in April 2011 as part of the larger Mystic Community Earth Day cleanup collaboration. Progress has now begun on the trail on Canal Street in Malden. Photos of the groundbreaking ceremony with elected official of Malden can be seen on Malden Patch.

Many thanks to Clay Larsen of Bike to the Sea and the contractors for working to “save” the sign and all the the students who painted it!

Photo by Paul Hammersley

The Mystic River WaterShed Association will be holding its annual meeting this coming Tuesday, October 25th at the Arlington Senior Center at 27 Maple Street. Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 6 PM, and the meeting will begin at 7 PM. The meeting is free and open to the public.

The Mystic River Watershed includes the Malden River, Medford, and parts of Malden and Everett. The annual meeting will feature Melissa Hoffer, Vice President and Director of Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice at the Conservation Law Foundation, as the keynote speaker.

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Preotle, Lane & Associates, Tufts University, and Tri-CAP will be hosting the Second Annual Malden River Festival this year at the Park at River’s Edge. The event will feature live entertainment, family activities, food vendors, giveaways, demonstrations, and performances through out the day. Artist exhibits will also grace the festival showcasing works by artists from the surrounding communities including Malden, Medford, and Everett.

The festival will take place on Saturday, September 17 with a rain date of Sunday, September 18. Artists works will be shown from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and all other activies will take place from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Admission is free, and free parking will be available at the site location.

For more information about the event or volunteer opportunities, contact Tri-CAP via phone at (781) 322-4125 or e-mail [email protected].

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The Mystic River Watershed Association and Tri-CAP will be hosting a workshop for training in water quality sampling. The workshop will take place on June 8th, 2011 from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Malden located at 195 Canal Street.

Space is limited, so register today. Contact Beth Meserve via e-mail at [email protected] or call (781) 316-3438 to reserve a space. No previous experience is necessary. Youth are welcome to register (under 16 should be accompanied by an adult).

Download a flyer (PDF)

Celebrate the new walking path of the Malden River this Saturday on May 21, 2011. There will be a health fair, a free raffle for a bicycle (donated by JRA Cycles of Medford), and a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to unveil the new walking path. The event is free and open to the public and will run from 9 am to 11 am. The celebration will take place at 195 Canal Street in Malden, home of the Cambridge Health Alliance. Free parking is available at Anthony’s Restaurant.

For more information visit the Combined Properties website or download a flyer (PDF).

From the Mystic Community Earth Day press release:

The Chelsea Creek Action Group (CCAG), a partnership between Chelsea Green Space and Recreational Committee and East Boston’s Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, will hold the annual citywide clean-ups in both Chelsea and East Boston.

On Friday, April 29th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., the residents of East Boston will meet at the Condor Street Urban Wild. Snacks and refreshments will be provided at the Condor Street Urban Wild. Contact: Melinda Alvarado-Vega, (617) 567-5882, [email protected] (East Boston)

On Saturday, April 30th from 9AM to 12 Noon, the Chelsea Green Space & Recreational Committee along with the City of Chelsea and Chelsea Neighborhood Developers will host a city wide clean-up in honor of Earth Day. We will gather in front of Chelsea’s City Hall (500 Broadway) at 9 am, followed by a celebration at the Creekside Commons Park (behind Beth Israel – 1000 Broadway Chelsea) at Noon. There will be food, music and much more! Contact: Yaritza Gonzalez, (617) 889-6080 x 107, [email protected] (Chelsea)