Mystic River Watershed Association

09/06/2026

Falling in love with Center Falls! 😍 Have you been to Center Falls Dam in Wi******er? It's a beautiful spot with cascading water and an abundance of bird life.

If you visit, you can see the entrance to a fish passage (see last photo) that was constructed at the Center Falls Dam in 2016 to allow river herring to progress further upstream, a precursor to the new fish passage under construction at Horn Pond.

📸 : thank you to James Fessenden for sharing these great photos of Center Falls with us!

09/05/2026

🌊 Have you ever wondered who is standing behind the MyRWA table at fun community events (often in a cool MyRWA hat)? That could be you!

We're looking for volunteer River Reps to help represent MyRWA at festivals, farmers' markets, community celebrations, and other events throughout the watershed! It’s a great way to meet people in your area and to welcome others into our organization’s work.

No previous experience is necessary. Just fill out the quick form below, and we will contact you with information about River Rep training that can be completed online or in person at our office.

Fill out our interest form >>> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehvvqKW4ZvUaes1kyqPWYoOXPAzW2M66hLc-EHBtIwstur6Q/viewform

09/04/2026

We had a blast learning to sample water quality at Mill Creek with community members! 💧

Want to try your hand at water quality testing? 🙋

Learn how MyRWA samples and monitors water quality at our upcoming Water Quality Monitor Training on Saturday, September 19th from 10AM-12PM! No prior experience is necessary. Completing this training is the first step to becoming part of our volunteer monthly baseline water quality monitoring program!

More info and register at https://mysticriver.org/events/water-quality-monitor-training

📸 : Marissa Zampino & Shannon Collins

09/03/2026

The best ? A FREE tree for your yard!! See below for an opportunity to get a free tree through TreesMedford 🌳

And if you live in , , , or , check out Mass Urban Canopy's free tree program here >>> https://www.maurbancanopy.org

Step One: Decide what kind of tree you want from this list of trees. Step Two: Use the form below to request the tree. For the best selection, please request your tree by September 20th. Step Three: People who want to contribute or want delivery, and those who live in Medford outside of South Medfor...

09/01/2026

The Clippership Connector is a half-mile waterfront path that opened in 2025! This important path runs between Medford Square and Riverbend Park, connecting more than 10 miles of continuous greenways.

Want to help take care of the path? Join MyRWA, Rewilding Massachusetts, and the Medford Invasive Plant Task Force at an upcoming volunteer event to remove invasive species and protect the newly planted native plants and trees!

🌱 Tuesday, Sept 1 from 5:30PM-7:30PM (THIS EVENING!)
🌱 Saturday, Sept 19th from 10AM-12PM

Register at https://mysticriver.org/volunteer. All supplies and training provided!

📸 : Thank you to students for kicking off the work! Earlier this week, they helped build a new storage box for tools and removed an impressive 29 bags of invasive plants 🤩

+ Shoutout to MassDCR for the work they do on park and path connections like this one statewide!

08/31/2026

Looking for a fun bike ride this fall? The Boston Globe recommends the Northern Strand Trail, which starts right here by the Mystic!

We're so excited to see a little part of our watershed and the great work of Bike to the Sea featured in the Globe!

Read the article >>>

Boston is becoming a world-class hub for two-wheeled adventures.

08/30/2026

This summer, MyRWA piloted our first-ever Mystic Mini-Grants for inclusive programming at Mystic Lakes State Park and the Alewife Brook and Mystic River Reservations. The program was made possible by a generous grant from the Barr Foundation. We are exceedingly grateful to our grantees, Coloring Club, Mystic Merfolk, Mouli Pal and Phil Scarff, and Class Insecta for running four fabulous events!

Photos:
1) Coloring Club at the Mystic Lakes
2) Mystic Merfolk leading "SAFER SUMMER," a free water safety course at the Mystic Lakes
3) Mouli Pal and Phil Scarff present Fluid Soul on the Mystic River in Macdonald Park
4) Kinsey Mustafa-Widberg leads Pollinators of the Mystic at the Alewife wetland

08/29/2026

Calling , , , and Residents!! You can get a FREE tree for your yard through our partners at the Greening the Gateway Cities Program. Call (617) 626-1400 to request a tree and set up a site visit for a DCR Urban Forester to help you pick a tree and location.

The Greening the Gateway Cities team will plant the tree for you and share instructions for how to care for it. Importantly, your new tree will need watering once a week for the first three years!

A tree in your yard has so many benefits:
🌳 Cools your home and neighborhood
🌳 Reduces energy usage and related cooling and heating costs
🌳 Increases carbon sequestration
🌳 Improves air quality through pollution absorption.
🌳 Enhances stormwater management (reduced runoff).
🌳 Improves public health and well-being (reduced stress, improved mental health).
🌳 AND Increases biodiversity and wildlife habitat creation

Learn more at mass.gov/ggc

Mass Urban Canopy

08/28/2026

What a beautiful tribute to MK the bald eagle ❤ Thank you Mystic River Mural Project, David Fichter, student artists, and Save Arlington Wildlife for raising awareness about the harmful impacts of rodenticides!

You can view the Mystic River Mural Project along Mystic Ave in Somerville near Blessing of the Bay + check out https://www.savemasswildlife.org for educational resources on rodenticides and actions you can take to prevent these poisons from harming more wildlife.

GORGEOUS--JUST GORGEOUS!! And what a way to raise awareness and hopefully--encourage action on rodenticides!

This week the Mystic River Mural Project revealed their new mural expansion, which focused on the issue of rodenticides and its fatal impacts on the Mystic River watershed eagles, especially MK!

In June I met with David Fichter to discuss the issue and fill him in on the background of the eagles and how these poisons are harming so many of our local wild animals. Then last month, I was a guest speaker in classroom with the kids, presenting to them about MK and her family and what we have learned about rat poisons and what actions have (and have not) been taken up on this issue.

This mural is so beautiful and though I knew it would be wonderful, I couldn't prepare myself for how breathtaking it is.....these kids are so very talented.

This comes at a delicate time when the Somerville City Council is finally considering codifying a prohibition of anticoagulants on their city properties and filing Home Rule petition legislation. If you live in Somerville, please reach out to the Mayor Jake Wilson & the Somerville City Council member to tell them you wholeheartedly support these measures.

Photo by David Fichter.

Save Somerville Wildlife