Congratulations, Seine Swimmers!

Triathletes and open-water marathoners make history

Kudos to world athletes who showed everyone a swimmable Seine. Not only did they flex incredible skill through competition, these Olympians physically embodied the importance of clean urban waterways. Paris has proven on a global stage that a resilient river overhaul is not just a dream but a dazzling reality. C’est super! As for closer to home, hear about similar ambitions for the Charles River from CRC’s Executive Director Laura Jasinski on NBC10: “Olympics shine light on Seine's progress as advocates work to improve Charles River.”

📷: "Olympic rings in the Place du Trocadéro in Paris" by Anne Jea. is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cheers to Volunteers!

Register now for volunteer event on Aug 24

July brought the heat and the volunteers! Thank you to the over 200 individuals who contributed their time and efforts to the Charles River parks:

• 2seventy bio worked in Magazine Beach, cutting back bittersweet, removing mugwort and litter, and painting benches.
• Youth Enrichment Services (Y.E.S) youth counselors helped to stop the spread of black swallow-wort by removing seed pods from plants in Magazine Beach and the surrounding area. 
• Boston Consulting Group’s Bruce Henderson Summer Program teens removed litter and cut back bittersweet in Riverbend Park (pictured above).
• Ducker Carlisle harnessed the power of friendly competition between coworkers to remove over 200 pounds of litter from North Point Park and the Lynch Famiy Skatepark! They also cut back invasive plants and painted benches.
• Community Volunteers weeded newly landscaped areas along Charles River Road in Watertown.
• Mediahub cleaned up long-neglected garden beds and removed invasive burdock and ailanthus in Herter Park.

Open Volunteer Event: Saturday, August 24

Join us from 10am-12pm in a section of park called “Hell’s Half Acre” in Cambridge. We will focus on invasive plant management. Come learn about our restoration efforts in this area, learn plant identification and removal techniques, and spend the morning in the beautiful parks with your fellow community members!  Please email Sasha to RSVP: svallieres@thecharles.org. Don’t forget to check back on our website for newly added volunteer opportunities!

Coolest Hangout Ever: Floating Wetland

Educational kayak tours and fish-fluencers!

This month, student groups from CitySprouts and Cambridge Youth Programs joined the CRC for a kayak trip to see and explore the floating wetland. Youth learned about the function of the floating wetland and how it is helping maintain healthy Charles River ecosystems and hosting wildlife. Youth also discovered the floating wetland fish camera! 

Speaking of fish…

Check out our fish friends! Aren’t they awesome? They’re (most likely) bluegills treating themselves to a snack. We’d love to give these river buddies some names. Have ideas? Email what you think we should name these two fishes to crc@thecharles.org—we might announce yours in our next newsletter!

📸: CitySprouts

📹: Captured with the HelioCase Solar-Powered Remote Field Camera, developed by Kevin Bennett et al. with MIT Sea Grant

Hands-on Floating Wetlands at Roxbury Prep

Bringing the river to back-to-school carnival

The CRC recently participated in Uncommon Schools Roxbury Prep’s back-to-school carnival. The students and their families learned about our mission to make the Charles River and its parks more inviting and engaging. They also learned about our floating wetland and had the opportunity to design their own wetland prototype. The students experimented with recyclable materials to design a structure that would float in water and had a blast bringing their ideas to life!

Culture Spotlight: SunSetsBoston

Who's in for a pop-up dance party?

Led by Bryan DeLong, DJ collective SunSetsBoston is all about good vibes and great times popping up in different (and daring) locations in the city. You’ll often catch them bringing the beats to spots like Lynch Family Skatepark and areas along the Charles River, creating epic moments that unite nature and music lovers alike. They spun immaculate vibes for our City Splash river swim, energizing the crowd throughout the day’s events. Follow them on social media @sun.sets.boston to stay in the loop on the next dance party.

Advocacy

Allston Multimodal Project: Ongoing

The CRC continues to be engaged in MassDOT’s Charles River/Throat Area Working Group, with the final (closed) meeting scheduled for August 13, 2024. (The public meeting scheduled for July 17, 2024 has been indefinitely postponed.) We are grateful to MassDOT for a seat at the table and allowance to provide feedback. The CRC is committed to advocating for significantly more sustainable options that align with our goals for the Charles River area. However, our participation, comments, and involvement in MassDOT’s working group meetings do not equate to an endorsement of any of the proposed designs.

We remain dissatisfied with persistent reluctance to discuss reducing the number of roadway lanes. All proposed designs include a whopping 12 lanes of I-90 and Soldiers’ Field Road (with all the noise, emissions, and impervious pavement associated with them) adjacent to the Dr. Paul Dudley White bike path and riverfront parkland, despite the planned addition of a new “West Station” commuter rail station (Framingham/Worcester Line). We continue to appeal for creative, sustainable, innovative Throat designs that prioritize safety and comfort for both recreational and commuter path users, thriving parklands, and a sloped and vegetated river’s edge.

What do YOU think?

Curious what MassDOT’s designs look like? Want to add your voice and perspective? Please take a moment to fill out the survey hosted by Charles River Alliance of Boaters (CRAB), and remember to indicate "CRC" as your River Affiliation. Thank you!

Year of the Dragon Mini Festival on Magazine Beach

Where 🐲 meets 🛶 meets 🌊

Join in the fun at the Year of the Dragon Mini Festival on Friday, August 16 with the Ohana New England Dragon Boat Club and Mass Audubon at Magazine Beach Park Nature Center in Cambridge. Paddle with the Ohana New England Dragon Boat Club (available times kick off at 5pm), then unleash your creativity with a dragon paper-cutting activity. The evening culminates in a (what else?) dragon-themed dance performance at 7:30 PM. This free event is perfect for all ages—don’t miss out on this exciting celebration! Registration is required only for Dragon Boat paddling.

📷: "Chinese dragon" by Randy OHC is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Supporter Spotlight

We’re grateful for our partners at Community Boating, Inc. (CBI) for their generous support and active engagement in our initiatives. Their contributions were vital for our annual Charles River swim, providing essential boats and supplies that were key to making City Splash a safe and fun community event for all. Beyond this, CBI's commitment to promoting educational opportunities and accessible outdoor activities fosters an inclusive environment for all river enthusiasts to enjoy. Thank you CBI for all you do!

Instagram Action

The CRC is proud to be a founding signatory of the recently launched Swimmable Cities charter, facilitated by the Swimmable Cities alliance. Swimmable Cities supports a global, grassroots movement for swimmable urban waterways. With signatories from 31+ cities and 16+ countries, the Swimmable Cities Charter champions the right to swim, celebrates urban swimming culture, and honors the sacredness of water.