Skate, Paint, Imaginate This Saturday

Bring something well-loved to the mending workshop!

Join us at the Lynch Family Skatepark on Saturday, August 15, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for a completely free pop-up mending workshop! Skate, paint, and imaginate with Graffiti/Street Artists-in-Residence Victoria DelValle and Ananda Toulon and learn how to make, mend, and repair with local fashion-focused artist Sean Hargrove. To keep the vibes going, the event features live music by @DJLenore and sound system provided by @bbbrazennn. Bring your wheels, spray cans for the free walls, or just drop in to say hi! Free, all ages, and everyone is welcome.

📷: Rayven Heath

Come One, Come All, for Cleanup Fun

Summer brings the sun, smiles, and volunteers

You’re invited: COASTSWEEP Cleanup

When: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 10am-12pm

Where: Richard McKinnon Park (Cambridge) and “Little Greenough Boulevard” (Watertown between Arsenal St. and North Beacon St.)

What: Bring your family and friends to participate in a community cleanup! All ages welcome.

Please email Sasha for more information and to RSVP (spots are limited): svallieres@thecharles.org. 

The parks are astir as the summer season peaks! Thank you to all of the 136 volunteers who joined us in July:

• ATWIN Education campers (pictured) removed litter in Riverbend Park.
• Community volunteers worked along Charles River Road in Watertown weeding garden beds, removing litter, cutting back overgrown vegetation, and removing invasive plants.
• The MIT Office or Government and Community Relations team removed litter, weeded around trees, and managed invasive plants along Memorial Drive.
• Youth from Pine Manor Institute of Student Success at Boston College and St. Peter's Episcopal Church removed litter in Herter Park.
• Harvard Business School managed invasive plants in Hell’s Half Acre
• Hi Marley removed litter and managed invasive plants in Magazine Beach
• Asymmetry cleaned up garden beds, managed invasives, and removed litter in Herter Park

Don’t forget to check back on our website for newly added volunteer opportunities! 

River Tour with New Urban Mechanics

Innovators, start your kayaks!

Our team was honored to host a group from Boston’s MONUM (Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics), the Mayor's civic research and design team, on a field trip paddling to the floating wetland and exploring the Lynch Family Skatepark. MONUM partners with departments and communities to “explore, experiment, and evaluate new approaches to government and civic life.” The CRC is delighted to serve as a resource and inspiration to partner municipalities and organizations as we collectively innovate new ways to build resilient communities.

Magazine Beach, Soon Better Than Ever

Lots of work underway for improvement updates

Magazine Beach’s Phase 2.2 improvements are coming together! Ongoing work for the Grassy Beach Project will be wrapped up this fall for a December re-opening. (The pool is not affected by construction and is expected to continue operating on its regular schedule.) The new observation deck and dock (pictured) are complete, while new lawns, accessible paths, picnic tables, benches, and other gathering spaces are on the way. Utility work is also moving forward, with power restored to the Powder House. Once complete, these improvements along Magazine Beach will offer more ways to relax, recreate, and connect with the Charles River.

📷: mass.gov

Redesigning a Complex Cambridge Intersection

Public comments open on Reid Overpass replacement

Last week, MassDOT hosted a public meeting regarding the project to replace the aging Reid Overpass (Memorial Drive) over Brookline Street and the Grand Junction railroad tracks. Addressing a generous turnout of attendees at the in-person meeting at the Morse School, the project team presented two early-stage concepts—an at-grade design and a two-lane rebuilt overpass. Advocates appreciate the improvements made since design alternatives were first shared in January. As plans develop, the CRC continues to appeal to MassDOT to maintain close coordination with DCR, invest in meaningful traffic calming to enforce slower driver speeds, and prioritize a design that fits Memorial Drive’s role as a dense urban parkway and greenway—not a highway. We invite you to email public comment to cambridgereidoverpass@DOT.state.ma.us by August 28. 

Lookback: Leadership Career Panel

Lifting up the next generation in Massachusetts

Investing in the next generation of leaders is the gift that keeps giving! CRC Park Resilience Project Manager Pablo Brenes-Coto recently joined the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Leadership Friday Career Panel at the Fort Point Room at Atlantic Wharf in Boston. Pablo got a chance to share his experience working in non-profits, climate resilience, and about CRC's work—many of these teens will continue to engage with CRC later this summer with kayaking trips to the floating wetland. Pablo shared his career journey with the program’s summer youth staff alongside co-panelists Jennifer Delgado (Mystic River Watershed Association); Jenna Kremer BSN, RN, CRRN (Spaulding Rehab); Lauren Grocott (Fidelity); Caroline Lapp (Quincy Public Schools); Philip Dure (BR+A Consulting Engineers); and Manuela Villa Gomez (Sen. Edwards).

Supporter Spotlight

A huge thank you to Cambridge Community Television (CCTV) for their continued partnership, creativity, and enthusiastic support of the Charles River Conservancy! Their work helps bring our city’s stories, celebrations, and community spirit to life for everyone to enjoy. We’re especially excited to share their City Splash 2026 video. Don’t miss the City Splash attendees expressing joy for a swimmable Charles River and breathtaking moments of drone footage that capture the energy and joy of the Esplanade from above. 

Instagram Action

Take a deeper dive of our Charles River floating wetland with CRC Park Resilience Project Manager Pablo Brenes Coto! In this Q&A along @massDCR Cambridge Parkway, Pablo talks about what he does at the CRC to support the floating wetland, the research and potential expansions to the floating wetland along Broad Canal, and his insightful thoughts about the project. Watch now!