100 Days Until City Splash

The exciting countdown starts NOW

Save the date for Saturday, July 18, 2026 on the Esplanade! Celebrate the joy of a swimmable Charles River at City Splash, the only sanctioned recreational public swim in the Charles. Swim slots fill up fast when swimmer registration goes live, so stay tuned for announcements. Subscribe to our newsletter or follow @CharlesRiverConservancy on Instagram to be the first to know when swimmer registration opens.

Interested in supporting our signature swim event as a valued sponsor? Learn more about City Splash sponsorship opportunities.

📷: Artemisia Luk

Watch Now: Graffiti Public Art Program at Skatepark

Brand-new video just dropped 🔥

Check out our latest showcase of the Graffiti/Street Artist-in-Residence Program and free walls at Lynch Family Skatepark, proudly produced in partnership with Cambridge Community Television (CCTV). Get a behind-the-scenes look at the artwork, the energy, and the creative spirit that make this space so special.

We’re getting hyped for the 2026 Graffiti Artist-in-Residence announcement soon to come (you’ll be the first to hear it). And save the date for Saturday, May 30—you don’t want to miss the Artist launch party at Lynch and celebration of all things skate, paint, and imaginate!

Cheers to Early-Season Volunteers

We're gearing up the parks for primetime

March started with snow and ended with… lots of litter left over from the snow! We are thankful that our first volunteer group of the 2026 season, National Grid (pictured above), was willing and able to remove 23.5 pounds of mostly microtrash from the Magazine Beach shoreline. With more volunteer events in April and beyond, including our annual Charles River Earth Day Cleanup, the parks will be looking clean and ready for the warmer months ahead!

You’re invited: Open Volunteer Event

Saturday, May 16th, 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Play a major part in our riparian restoration efforts! We are looking for volunteers to help with a native planting in Hell’s Half Acre. Tools, gloves, and guidance will be provided. Please email Sasha to RSVP (spots are limited): svallieres@thecharles.org.

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

City Splash x The American City Coalition

Annual Waterways Community Shareback goes swimmingly

On March 31, CRC’s Taylor Leonard and Drew McKenna attended the American City Coalition’s (TACC) Annual Waterways Community Shareback. Waterways is a TACC initiative focused on reducing community-identified barriers to accessing the waterfront and increasing the number of Roxbury and Dorchester residents benefitting from living in a coastal city. At the event, CRC highlighted our annual City Splash swim alongside longtime partner Community Boating, and we shared information about free and accessible ways to enjoy the Charles River during the summer. Through thoughtful conversations with attendees, CRC gathered valuable input on advocating for more inclusive, accessible waterways for all. Thank you for the feedback and fun!

Critical Environmental Funding Hangs in the Balance

Advocacy in action: Dispatches from the State House, and how you can help!

On March 23, CRC’s Executive Director Laura Jasinski testified before the Joint Committee at the Massachusetts State House in support of the Nature for Massachusetts ballot initiative—a statewide effort to secure lasting and consistent investments in land conservation, habitat restoration, and clean water without raising taxes. The future of our public lands and waters depends on our collective willingness to prioritize and fund their protection. Learn more about what’s at stake in this initiative and how it could change the course for conservation in our state in this recent Commonwealth Beacon article: Massachusetts ranks low in spending for land conservation. This ballot initiative is trying to change that.

In other money matters, we hope you can take a moment to call your Senator today to ask them to fund our parks! From forests to beaches, from pools to playgrounds, DCR manages an enormous portfolio across Massachusetts (including, of course, the beloved Charles River and its parks). However, years of chronic underfunding have left the agency struggling to meet the needs of our communities. Did you know that Massachusetts’ per-capita investments in parks and recreation are some of the worst in the country?

The Healey administration is proposing cuts to DCR’s already strained budget for FY27. In what is to be a tight fiscal year, our request is keeping DCR's funding steady from FY26 (with 3.5% increase to account for inflation) to ensure that essential environmental work and public services can continue without disruption. The Senate can make that happen, but they need to hear from you. Call your Senator today (find your legislator) and ask them to fund our parks because Massachusetts deserves it.

Rejoice! Riverbend Park Returns

Car-free Memorial Drive Sundays resume April 26

More fun for your Sundays start this month! Since it was written into Massachusetts Legislature in 1985 (you can read the full archived text of “An Act Authorizing the Metropolitan District Commission to Close a Portion of Memorial Drive in the City of Cambridge on Certain Sundays”), Memorial Drive in Cambridge is closed to vehicular traffic from 11am to 7pm from the last Sunday of April through the second Sunday of November, creating a large stretch of open space alongside the parklands to accommodate cycling, skating, running, and a range of other activities.

Important update: Due to ongoing construction associated with the Memorial Drive Greenway Improvements, Phase III project, car-free areas of Memorial Drive on Sundays will be temporarily modified throughout the 2026 season and will extend only from JFK Street to Western Avenue. Learn more about the West End Closure.

📷: Chris Rycroft, licensed under CC BY 2.0

Supporter Spotlight

Only 15 days until we kick off our 27th annual Charles River Earth Day Cleanup! Thank you to our 2026 Earth Day Cleanup supporters for helping to make this major event possible.

Instagram Action

Our athletic friends at the Charles River Swimming Club are hosting their 15th Charles River One Mile Swim on June 6, 2026! A competitive event designed for experienced open-water swimmers ONLY, the one-mile race loops right through the heart of the city along the Esplanade. As the only other DCR state-sanctioned swim event in the Charles River aside from our recreational City Splash public swim in July, the One Mile Swim celebrates the ongoing revival of the Charles River and highlights the importance of protecting one of the city’s most iconic waterways. Fun fact: Our very own Scott McCue, the CRC’s Impact Director, will be competing in this year’s mile swim: "I'm thrilled to join the Charles River Swim in June. How exciting to swim a mile right through the heart of the city, and to test the waters for CRC's City Splash in July!" Spectators are welcome to watch the action and cheer on the competitors from the river’s edge. Click here for more info on the race.