December E-newsletter

December 2020

Charles River Conservancy

Support the Parks!

This past year was deeply challenging and unprecedented, and highlighted the critical role parks and greenspaces play in our personal and public health. In our time of need, the Charles River and its parks provided us safe places to exercise, socially distance with loved ones, and take reprieve from the stress of it all. This holiday season, we hope you will consider supporting our work stewarding and enhancing these essential places through park maintenance, ecological projects like our floating wetland, and impactful advocacy! Check out 2020 Year-end Newsletter and donate today.

Advocacy

MassDOT Postpones Decision in Allston

Despite receiving hundreds of letters in support of the "Modified All At-Grade" design, which will reconnect the Allston neighborhood to the river and work in tandem with river restoration strategies, MassDOT decided last month to postpone selecting a "preferred alternative" for the Allston Multimodal Project. This decision will push back construction by a year or maybe more. Read coverage from The Boston Globe, CommonWealth Magazine, and Mass StreetsBlog.

Conservancy Volunteers

2020 Recap

Our 2020 volunteer season has come to an end, and we cannot thank our amazing volunteers enough for their help keeping the Charles River parks a welcoming space for recreation, respite, and safely gathering with loved ones in an unprecedented year. Over 115 volunteers joined is in 2020 to remove litter, rake leaves, weed garden beds, and cut back invasive vegetation. Despite a shorter than normal season, together they:

donated 230 hours of labor valued at $5,678
removed 60 bags of litter from the parks and banks of the Charles River
removed 150+ bags of invasive plants and organic material

Join us in 2021

Our Conservancy Volunteers season will pick back up in the spring of 2021, and we hope to see you then! Review our calendar of 2021 available dates and email Sasha at svallieres@thecharles.org to schedule your event. We are committed to providing a safe working environment, and implement COVID-19 safety protocols developed in collaboration with the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Volunteer Spotlight

In celebration of the CRC's 20th anniversary in 2020, we are highlighting some of the groups and individuals who have made our Conservancy Volunteers program such a success!

All Our Community Volunteers

We are so very thankful to all the wonderful individuals who have joined us over the years at our monthly, Saturday volunteer events. At these events, students, families, community groups, and people from all different backgrounds come together in the spirit of stewardship to make a positive impact on the Charles River parks. Thank you to everyone for your dedication to the community and for making our public green spaces safer and healthier for all!

Find us on TikTok!

Are you on TikTok yet?! If so, we hope you'll follow our recently launched account: @charlesriverconservancy. You can expect short, fun, and informative videos about plant identification and our horticulture practices in the parks. Check us out and let us know what content you'd like to see more of in the comments!

Instagram Action

The five-year anniversary of the opening of Lynch Family Skatepark was in November! We celebrated with some throwbacks on our Instagram feed (@charlesrivercrc).

Park News

Great Environmental Budget News!

Last week, the Massachusetts legislature's budget conference committee released their budget for FY21. We were pleased to see significant increases in the state agencies that protect water, land, and wildlife, including the Department of Conservation and Recreation (MassDCR)! Learn more about the increases and how you can thank state representatives from our partners at the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance.