Earth Day Cleanup Recap

Doing good in the parks, together!

What a blast! For our 27th Annual Charles River Earth Day Cleanup, more than 700 volunteers showed up across 26 cleanup sites along the lower Charles River to roll up their sleeves and pick up litter and microplastics. Total tally? Volunteers collected over 550 bags (more than 1,000 pounds!) of trash. Along the way we found some unexpected items, from a lawn chair to plastic Christmas trees. We’re so grateful to everyone who gave their time, energy, and sponsorship to make this Earth Day cleanup such a success.

Don’t forget to check back on our website for newly added volunteer opportunities! For us every day is Earth Day, and there are so many ways to get involved year-round.

P.S. In case you missed it, watch this clip of our Executive Director Laura Jasinski on air in the studio with CBS Boston’s Chris Tanaka as they share how community action is making a real difference for the river. Teamwork makes the dream work!

Global Floating Wetlands Panel

The ultimate floating wetlands fandom event!

Thank you to everyone who attended our Global Lessons, Local Waters: Floating Wetlands for Urban Resilience floating wetland panel discussion in Boston this week. We had a packed room at the Barr Foundation Offices and great conversations with floating wetland experts from across the world—Chicago, Baltimore, Scotland—to share insights and learnings. The enthusiasm and exchange of ideas during the event inspires us to continue our work on a floating wetland expansion on the Charles River. Learn more about the Charles River Floating Wetland, and now that it’s officially open season at Paddle Boston, take a kayak out of Kendall Square to see it up close and personal!

Parks Field Trip: Watertown Edition

Why yes, the CRC team DID go down the 20-foot giant slide

Last week the CRC team took a field trip to Watertown to visit the recently redesigned Arsenal Park, an inviting green connection adjacent to the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway and DCR’s Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path on “little” Greenough Boulevard along the Charles River. (See it to believe it: Watch how the curvaceous park entrance paths are fully bikeable.) Staff from the City of Watertown led our site walk and shared project insights including park upgrades, accessibility, and community feedback. This shiny new version of the park has one of the tallest slides (20 feet high!) in Massachusetts, tennis courts, basketball courts, open fields, pavilions and seating areas, a skatepark (featuring a CrocPaints original piece, pictured), and a community garden. Thank you to Michelle Moon, Senior Planner – Open Space; Gideon Schreiber, Director of Planning and Zoning; Katie Swan, Environmental Planner/Conservation Agent; and Ernie Thebado, Director of Recreation for the warm Watertown welcome.

Speak Up for Wetlands

Strike "Anti-Wetlands" and "Anti-Clean Water" provisions from the Mass Ready Act

Breaking news: Last-minute additions to the “Mass Ready Act” threaten to eliminate local control over wetland protections, wastewater management, and derail funding for municipalities that have already taken steps towards watershed restoration and community resilience. Adequate housing and clean water are interdependent, mutually reinforcing rights. The state has made it clear that it seeks to prioritize affordable and transit-oriented housing. As a member of Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, we reject the notion that access to adequate housing and access to clean water are diametrically opposed interests and believe that the state owes clean water for consumption, recreation, and enjoyment to all residents.

Please reach out to your state representatives (find their names here) and ask them to reverse these amendments and preserve local wetlands protections as part of a thoughtful path forward. Massachusetts Rivers Alliance’s Action Alert makes it simple to send a clear message: Oppose “Anti-wetland” and “Anti-clean water” provisions in the Mass Ready Act. These provisions are antithetical to the resilience goals of Mass Ready and to the efforts of the Commonwealth to guarantee safe and adequate housing and clean water for all residents.

River Ecology & BioBus Pop-Up Lab

How well do you know your daphnia?

In April, the CRC joined 5th and 6th-grade classrooms at the William Monroe Trotter School to dive into river ecosystems and floating wetlands alongside BioBus, a partner organization focused on youth STEM education and programming. In the classroom, students explored daphnia (small planktonic crustaceans) and learned about their anatomy and physiology. These tiny organisms will be hatched as part of the STEAM Activity Kits that BPS students will continue exploring in the coming weeks. STEAM Kits help students understand the importance of the floating wetland, and how this green infrastructure functions, as well as better educating youth on the natural resources they have to explore in the city. Thank you to BioBus for partnering with us to bring this hands-on, pop-up lab experience to the Trotter School, and for providing the microscopes and daphnia expertise! 

If you are interested in learning more about BioBus and their programs, join them for a FREE community event at Family STEM Day this Saturday, May 16, at Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School.

Supporter Spotlight

We’re grateful to The Loop Lab, a Cambridge-based nonprofit that connects emerging creative talent with real opportunities in the media industry, for their partnership in bringing CRC’s story to life. Thank you to their team and project lead Andres Osorno for the care, craft, and creativity on producing this video highlighting the CRC community. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the CRC volunteers, supporters, and friends who shared their stories with us—and now, with you!

Instagram Action

We were thrilled to collaborate with Caroline Barry of @makebostonhome as she pitched in with fellow volunteers for the Charles River Earth Day Cleanup—one of the many exciting events featured during the Coalition for a Resilient and Inclusive Waterfront’s first Waterfront Wellness Weekend of 2026! We spent a beautiful spring day at Herter Park to help clear litter and care for one of our favorite green spaces in the city. Check out highlights from the day!