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Conservancy Update, January 2012
Making the Parklands more active, attractive, and accessible for all
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The winter is a great time for a walk or run along the Charles, even in the snow.
Painting by Valerie Isaacs
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Dear Friend of the Parklands,
Happy New Year. I invite you to take a stroll along the river during those crisp winter days. The play of light, water, ice, snow, and shadows is particularly mesmerizing. While we are holding regular tree pruning events throughout the winter, we are also planning a great year of events. We continue our advocacy for underpasses and former Governor Michael Dukakis moderated a round table discussion which was very constructive. Our efforts to bring back swimming included an important meeting of the full Commission appointed by the legislature to look at the economic benefits that swimming would bring to the region. On the skatepark front we are also happy to report good progress. With DCR confident that they can maintain the skatepark once constructed and with the Northbank Bridge getting close to completion, the Conservancy is now gearing up for the final design and construction.
For the summer we are planning an even longer season of Sunday Parkland Games, and we plan to have them along Memorial Drive between the Weeks and Anderson Bridge.
We are very excited about 2012. This promises to be a great year for the parklands and we look forward to your active participation.
If you sent us a gift as part of the year-end appeal, please accept our sincere thanks. And if you missed your chance, start your year by making a contribution. Click here to make a secure online donation. Only thanks to gifts from parkland friends like you are we able to continue our work. With gratitude Renata von Tscharner President, Charles River Conservancy
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Bridge Underpass Advocacy
The exchange of the 35 stakeholders at the Issue Forum held on December 15th and moderated by former Governor Michael Dukakis was very productive. State Rep. Marty Walz made a strong start by saying that the 2016 deadline that MassDOT claims exists, is a self-imposed policy and NOT a legislative mandate. That means there IS more time to carefully plan these bridges AND add underpasses where needed as this is a chance that will not come back for several generations. Two smaller working sessions are scheduled for January with another larger session planned for February or March. To learn more, click here and to see videos about the underpasses, click here.
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Parkway News
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The BU Bridge construction is completed with new bike lanes and improved pedestrian crossings. Thank you to Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Department of Conservation and Recreation for involving the advocates. Thank you also to the Livable Streets Alliance, who have worked hard and helped document the challenges that bikers and pedestrians face at this busy river crossing. Click here to see a video of the BU bridge crossing before improvements were made. Now we need to learn about the missed opportunities to improve access to the parklands at the other bridges.
Creating more revenue for the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and having beneficiaries of state owned land pay market rents has been an issue that the Charles River Conservancy has advocated for over the years. Read about the Commissioner's proposed review of rents and the DCR's revenue retention proposal, which are a step in the right direction.
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Swimmable Charles Initiative
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Charles River Water Quality Commission Moving Forward
The Charles River Water Quality Commission, which is studying the feasibility of returning swimming to the Charles River, continues to make good progress towards its November 2012 deadline. The Commission held its fourth full meeting on January 11th at the Statehouse. Commission members heard a presentation from Mike Nelson, a recent UMass Boston Environmental Economics graduate who presented his Benefit-Cost Analysis for a Public Swim Site on the Charles River. The Commission also reviewed plans for the Commission's Report, and began discussing the possibility of holding some public swim events in the Charles this coming summer to build on the popularity of the Annual Charles River One Mile Swim Race (to be held June 2nd, 2012 or June 17th in case of rain). For more information on the Commission's work see our website. |
Conservancy Volunteers
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This December, the MIT Kappa Sigma students helped clean up Magazine Beach! They did a terrific job raking leaves throughout the park and filled a whole dumpster full of compost bags! Students picked up garbage, making it more inviting for visitors. With wood provided by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, MIT students replaced the tops of some worn out picnic tables and gave them a fresh coat of paint. Nice job MIT students, Magazine Beach looks much improved from your efforts!
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Finished table at Magazine Beach
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MIT Kappa Sigma Students fix picnic tables at Magazine Beach
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Young Professionals Kickoff Event
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The CRC hosted it's Young Professional Kickoff Event January 18th, which was a well attended event at OM Restaurant in Harvard Square. We saw a short presentation of CRC programs by Ania, a CRC board member. We had the opportunity to mingle with some wonderful young professionals. Thank you to all of the local businesses that made donations to the Conservancy including: Harvard Book Store, JP Licks, Finale Bakery, Grendal's Den, Marathon Sports, Clear Conscience Cafe, Black Ink, Upper Crust, Harvard Coop, and Brattle Theater. Please see our Facebook Page for links to the webpage for all these local donors!
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| Upcoming Events |
Urban Wilds Speaker Series: Why We Need Wilds in the City
Dan Driscoll, Director of Recreational Facilities Planning, MA DCR will speak about the need for accessible, "wild" spaces in the city on January 19th from 6:30-8PM. Registration required. To register and for more information email info@bostonnatural.org or 617-542-7696.
Charles River Dam Tour
Join DCR for a tour of the facility that keeps the tides from reclaiming much of the Boston and Cambridge Riverfront on February 25th from 2-3PM. Meet at Flagpoles in Paul Revere Park. To see more information, click here.
Walking the Charles in Winter- Tree walk
Join DCR staff member to talk a walk along the Charles and view the trees in the winter landscape. Meet at the Plaza in front of the Museum of Science. Saturday, January 28th, 1:30-3:30PM. For more information, click here.
CRC's Young Professionals Snowshoeing Event
Join us for a Saturday afternoon outdoors this winter. You can rent snowshoes for $15/pair, or bring your own at no cost. Saturday, February 4th, 1-3PM. Click here for more information.
Esplanade Association's 2020 Vision Unveiled
Join the Esplanade Association for a talk of their future plans for the Esplanade on Thursday, February 9th at 6:00PM in the Rabb Auditorium of the Boston Public Library- Central Branch to present a community vision for the Charles River Esplanade. Please email Chris Timmel for more information at ctimmel@esplanadeassociation.org
The Lost Half Mile
Join DCR for a stroll of the exciting new parks where the Charles meets the Harbor. Meet at the Plaza in front of the Museum of Science. Saturday, February 11th, 1:30-3:30PM. For more information, click here.
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CRC and the Parklands in the Media
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 Click here to find CRC TV shows on YouTube, where you can hear CRC President Renata von Tscharner discuss the parklands with fellow river advocates and friends. Recent shows include a presentation with Ken Kruckemeyer, formerly with MIT & Livable Streets board member, on the history of connectivity along the Charles. |
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To support our work, please give online at www.thecharles.org or send your donation to the Charles River Conservancy, Four Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Thank you for reading! We hope to see you in the Parklands soon!
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