Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
WHAT’S NEXT?
Managing the
Environment After
State Reorganization
A Special Section
page 3
page 7 page 8
Fish, Fish
In Pursuit of a
Ladders, and Healthy Watershed
Run of the River: A Summary
the Volunteers of CRWA’s Advocacy Work
Who Love Them
Also in this issue:
. Mount Auburn Cemetery sets
example with water permit
SmartStorm®
. Annual Meeting notes
Project Update
. Fall foliage paddle photos
2003 Annual Report INSIDE page 11
2 STREAMER
Streamer
C h a r l e s R i v e r Wa t e r s h e d A s s o c i a t i o n
4 8 Wo e r d Av e n u e | Wa l t h a m , M A | 0 2 4 5 3
Restructuring Our
phone: 781-788-0007 | fax: 781-788-0057
c r w a @ c r w a . o r g | w w w. c h a r l e s r i v e r. o r g State Parks Agency
Over the past eighteen months Charles
BOARD OF DIRECTORS River Watershed Association (CRWA) has
Executive Committee Elizabeth C. Gilmore worked diligently to effect a
Philip L. Hillman, President Richard G. Gonci+ change in how the state man- MESSAGE
Kelly McKlintock, Past James Healy
ages its parks system. FROM THE
President Jonathan D. Katz
Working with other park
Ralph W. Abele, Vice Attila Klein*
advocates and concerned
P RESIDENT
President/ Environment Virginia M. Lawrence
Jane Sender, Clerk Elizabeth Levin legislators, we have seen the P HIL H ILLMAN
Elizabeth Levin, Treasurer Mindy Lubber fruits of our labor in the for-
John Clark, Assistant Charles D. McCrea
mation of the Massachusetts Department of
Treasurer* Brian O’Donovan+
John G. Palfrey, Jr. Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The
Bill Rieders+ excitement continues with the naming of the new Commissioner,
Lee P. Breckenridge
David Burmaster+ Robert F. Sproull Kathy Abbott. Ms. Abbott comes with strong management experi-
Stephen H. Burrington+ William J. Tedoldi ence and a desire to build a park system that works better for all its
John P. DeVillars constituencies.
Edward Englander * elected to Board for FY04
+resigned after FY03
We have the organizational structure in place. Now comes the
difficult part of changing the prevailing culture within that structure,
as well as upgrading our state parks infrastructure to where it needs
Streamer is published in June and December. to be in the short term. Across the board budget cuts will not make
Ms. Abbott's task any easi-
Moving? Send a change of address form to 48 Woerd er. Yet CRWA and our part- “We have the
Avenue, Waltham, MA, 02453. ners are committed to the
success of the new DCR. organizational
CRWA is a tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation established in
1965 to protect and enhance the health, beauty and accessi-
An increased focus on pub-
lic parks and river access structure
bility of the Charles River and its tributaries. CRWA is a mem-
ber of Earth Share and the Massachusetts Environmental
issues has been woven into
our strategic plan. Our
in place.
Collaborative. unique combination of a
skilled staff, an experienced
Now comes the
Streamer is printed on recycled paper.
board of directors and our difficult part
historical perspective make
C R WA S TA F F
Robert L. Zimmerman, Jr., Executive Director
us natural allies in this of changing the
effort.
Margaret Van Deusen, Deputy Director and General Counsel The successful restruc- prevailing
Kathleen Baskin, Project Manager
Kate Bowditch, Senior Environmental Scientist
turing of the state park
agency has huge implica- culture
Denise Trapani, Development Director
John Carney, Environmental Scientist
tions for the Charles River.
Parklands tie the river and
within that
Ariel Dekovic, Office and Publications Manager
the community together
and are the main place that
structure.”
Kenneth Dews, Finance Administrator
people interact with the river. Parklands also protect water quality
Anna Eleria, Environmental Engineer and provide important habitats. The more we can do to improve
James Fitzgerald, Laboratory Manager park maintenance and open space protection, the more we
Nigel Pickering, Senior Engineer enhance the health of the Charles River.
Louise Taylor, Membership Manager In the midst of our excitement let's not forget that the kind of
changes we want to see will require time, money and patience. As
Interns: Gina Barberio, Jill Conroy, Robin Curtis, Maura Kelly, DCR moves to a new level of accountability and transparency there
and Rebeca Monje is an expectation that we will get more people involved in this
Streamer logo: Lou Mucci process of change. Perhaps, by working creatively together, we
Streamer design: Ariel Dekovic can find the resources to make the necessary changes happen.
Photography: Anna Eleria, Kate Bowditch; other photos
courtesy of www.alongthecharles.com (credited)
Othographic projections: courtesy of MassGIS Phil Hillman, President
Printed by: Recycled Paper Printing CRWA Board of Directors
STREAMER 3
Making Reorganization Work fair decision-making processes. We want the “world class
by Kate Bowditch, Senior Environmental Scientist
park system” that Governor Romney dedicated himself and
The reorganization of the state’s environmental agencies his staff to building.
has begun, and CRWA, like everyone else, is still feeling our In an ideal system, the process might go like this. A good
way along, clear about our goals, but not quite sure how we project might be suggested to the DCR staff, who would then
will get there. At a recent meeting here at CRWA, the reality evaluate it and bring a recommendation to their senior man-
of reorganization hit home. We were trying to solve a prob- agement, and to the Stewardship Council. The project would
lem, and we needed the state to help. We began our plan- be evaluated based on a variety of criteria, and a decision
ning: who would contact which sympathetic state legislator, about the project’s importance and value would be made.
local official, or other community group to lobby to have the Issues to consider might include how the project fits with
money earmarked in the budget. regional plans and priorities, whether the public supports the
Suddenly we all realized what we were doing: busi- project, whether it meets the requirements of best current
ness as usual, based on the old practices, whether it is fair from an
system of getting things done with
the MDC. Environmental advo- “Suddenly, we all environmental justice perspective, and
how much it costs relative to other
cates are all used to this old way of
operating: make a lot of noise, realized what we needed projects. If a group feels their
project has not received fair considera-
attract the attention of your state tion, they can go directly to the
representative and senator, hope- were doing: Stewardship Council.
fully get your mayor or Board of The new DCR system will probably
Selectmen to make a couple of
calls; get your project funded in a
business as usual, not be perfect. Among other glaring
problems in the short term, the state
line item in the state budget.
That is a crazy way to
based on the old simply does not have enough money to
bring our parks and recreational
manage the environment. Special
interest decision-making, lack of system of getting resources up to where they need to be.
Institutional inertia is hard to overcome,
process, uneven planning: these
are the very problems that plagued things done at and the enormous volume of work from
management plan development to
the old MDC, and the very prob- staffing to retraining will be impossible
lems we fought hard to be fixed MDC... That is a to complete quickly. Next summer we
through agency reorganization. If will probably not see as much change
government reorganization is to
succeed, we have to change as
crazy way as we all wish for in park maintenance
and capital improvement.
well. We have to give up our old
methods and try to do things as
to manage the But the system should work better.
Decisions about which projects to fund
they really should be done.
The reorganization that was
environment.” should be more rational. Lines of
accountability, from an individual park
passed by the legislature and up to a whole region, should be clear.
signed into law by the Governor has just begun to be imple- Capital improvement projects should be tied to improved
mented. The transition team at the Executive Office of maintenance. Volunteers should be able to have their efforts
Environmental Affairs (EOEA) worked all summer and into welcomed and supported. Private supporters should be able
the fall to put together a strategy, evaluate budgets and set to contribute to projects with confidence that work will be
priorities. Commissioner Abbott, hired in October, has just done and commitments honored.
begun her search for senior management staff. Over this Commissioner Abbott and her staff need our help to
winter, the Stewardship Council will be appointed to work with make the system work as it should. Rather than call our leg-
DCR on issues including capital and operating budgets, man- islators right away, rather than pull strings and use our per-
agement plans for parks, and the decision-making process sonal connections to bump ourselves up on the list of impor-
itself. tant projects to get funded for next year, we should put
A summary of the new environmental agency structure together a rationale for why our project should be supported,
can be found on CRWA’s website (www.charlesriver.org), or and bring everyone together to gain DCR support. We need
at the EOEA’s homepage (www.state.ma.us/envir). More to keep the legislature in the loop, of course: they vote on
important than organizational charts and new agency names, DCR’s budget. And ultimately, if the new park managers
however, are the goals behind reorganization, goals we all don’t make sound management decisions, we will continue to
embrace. We want a professionally managed park system, demand better stewardship of the parklands and the river.
accountable to the public that funds it, with clear, open, and But the new DCR deserves a chance to do it right.
STREAMER 5
E n v i r o n m e n ta l A d v o c a t e s S e e Ye t A n o t h e r D r o p i n
Sta t e E n v i r o n m e n ta l Sp e n d i n g f o r F Y 2 0 0 4
MORE WORK, LESS MONEY As Kathy Abbott takes over the reins of mental community, this is a serious and long term issue.
by Kate Bowditch
the new Department of Conservation Parks are not the only place environmental spending is
and Recreation (DCR), her department will have enormous down. ELM’s work shows this year’s total environmental
financial challenges as well as organizational ones. According spending budget of $166,596,560 is down 5% from last year
to analyses done by the Environmental League of and down 21% from 2002. The Department of Environmental
Massachusetts (ELM), DCR’s total budget this year is down 6% Protection (DEP) budget is down 5% from last year, and 19%
from last year, and 23% from 2002 (using the combined budg- from 2002. DEP’s staff, as a result of cuts, early retirements
ets of DEM and MDC for comparison, since DCR did not exist and job attrition, has been reduced from 1215 to 926 employ-
last year). As we go to press, advocates hope to ward off more ees.
cuts for next year’s budget. Expectations are that capital Across the board budget cuts are the only way to balance
spending, paid for through state bonds, will be down signifi- the state’s budget without raising taxes, which no one is willing
cantly. to suggest. So the short term outlook for measurable improve-
How can the state’s park and recreational systems be ments in park maintenance, capital projects, and open space
improved with such enormous cuts continuing? Our state protection is grim. The good news is Commissioner Abbott’s
already spends a smaller percentage of our budget on our park management experience, agency reorganization, and
parks than most states, and many of our parks and recreation- improved accountability should lead to maximizing the limited
al facilities are in dire need of capital improvements. Kathy dollars we do have. In the long term, these improvements
Abbott’s efforts to improve efficiencies, form partnerships, and should give advocacy groups and the public the tools we need
set priorities will help, but the reality is that we need more to get more funds into the budget so that we will be able to build
money for our parks. For CRWA and the rest of the environ- a “world class park system” to last well into the future.
MIDDLE WATERSHED
Natick Golf Course Proposes New/Old Irrigation
. F r o m S o u t h N a t i c k D a m t o Wa t e r t o w n D a m .
L OWER WATERSHED
Expansion in the Longwood Medical Area
. From Watertown Dam to New Charles River Dam .
River mile 69 to 78.4
tems to recharge groundwater and potentially raise (MMOC), a citizen watchdog group that oversees the
The EOEA Secretary has approved the proposed groundwater levels and reduce stormwater runoff. project and protects the public investment.
expansion of the Joslin Diabetes Center, located in the CRWA has also recommended that the MFA work with
Longwood Medical Area of Boston . The the MA Office of Public/Private Partnerships, the Restoration of Memorial Drive
project calls for the construction of addi- Boston Redevelopment Authority, and the Muddy River The Memorial Drive Demonstration Project, a key
tional research facilities as well as Restoration Project to participate in the future mainte- component to the State Historic Parkways Initiative,
residential apartments in a high nance of the Back Bay Fens parkland. commenced in October 2002. The project will improve
rise building complex approxi- pedestrian and bicycle access, restore and preserve
mately 308 feet tall. This project Muddy River Project Update the historic character of the area, and upgrade the park
is part of a trend of redevelop- The Muddy River Restoration Project continues to and parkway drainage system to reduce uncontrolled
ment and expansion within the move along, slowly but surely. A decision from the US runoff and improve the quality of stormwater dis-
Longwood Medical Area, which Army Corps of Engineers - Washington on whether or charges to the river. These improvements include
CRWA feels is an opportunity for not to fund the majority (65%) of this $92 million dollar drain and catch basin cleaning, repair and upgrades;
implementation of innovative stormwater project is expected soon. the installation of water
control measures to reduce runoff from project sites The Corps money would quality units; and the con-
and potentially increase groundwater recharge. go towards dredging large “ A decision from the struction of swales and
CRWA encouraged the project proponent to work portions of the Muddy landscape improvements.
with the newly-created MA Office of Public/Private River, enlarging under- US Army Corps of These much-needed
Partnerships to establish an appropriate way for sized culverts, opening structural improvements
Joslin to participate in the future maintenance of up, or “daylighting,” two Engineers on funding the should serve as a model
the historic Muddy River parkland. sections of the river that
are currently buried,
majority of the for future roadway and
bridge improvements.
Museum of Fine Arts Plans for Proposed
Expansion
removing the huge phrag-
mites stands that have
$92 million dollar Removal of a section of
east-bound travel lane
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston recently pre-
sented plans for major expansion of its building, which
overtaken the river banks
and stream channel, and
Muddy River Restoration between Longfellow
Bridge and Fowler Street
will include additional museum wings as well as restoring banks and wet- project is expected soon.” and creation of new park-
reopening the Fenway entrance and new landscaping lands. Some additional land is already near com-
along Forsyth Way. CRWA, while supporting the elements of the project, including restoration of impor- pletion with construction of Phase I to be finished by
expansion, is concerned about potential environmental tant historic park structures, and major improvements July 2004. Phase II, which will begin in the spring of
impacts to the nearby Muddy River and Stony Brook, to the stormwater drainage system, will be funded by 2004, is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2007.
as well the likely expanded public use of the Back Bay the state, Boston and Brookline. CRWA continues to CRWA is participating in this project as a member of
Fens parkland, and increased traffic on the Fenway. chair the Muddy River Restoration Project the Historic Parkways Initiative Steering Committee.
CRWA has recommended that the MFA implement sys- Maintenance and Management Oversight Committee
10 STREAMER
>>ANOTHER WATERSHED
EVENT (clockwise from
below): two CRWA members
prepare to come ashore at the
Waltham boat ramp while a
flock of Canada geese looks on;
members pause to chat with for-
mer CRWA Board President
Kelly McClintock; fearless
leader Ralph Abele readies his
craft; two members depart from
the Charles River Canoe and
Kayak dock in Newton.
STREAMER 11
Balancing Environmental N
MOUNT AUBURN CEMETERY WATER WITHDRAWAL PERMIT
the Charles by raising CRWA and MAC agreed that these
by Nigel Pickering, Senior Environmental Engineer
the water tempera- two streamflow limits were suitable and
Founded in 1831, Mount Auburn tures, increasing nutrient concentrations would be applied using daily flow data
Cemetery (MAC) is a 175-acre cemetery and algae levels, and limiting fish popu-
that has a lush arboretum with 5,500 lations. >> Mount Auburn Cemetery officials worke
trees, three ponds, and a vernal pool. Because of these concerns, members to develop a water withdrawal
MAC is a popular bird-watching site and CRWA worked closely with MAC and needs with the needs of the environment.
green space within the metropolitan the Department of Environmental first of its kind in our watershed.
Boston area. It is located in Watertown Protection to develop a permit that
near the Cambridge border and is most- includes streamflow-based water
ly in the Charles River Watershed. In management. MAC is an innovative
springtime, many people visit MAC to group and had already adopted many
see the variety of ornamental flowers and good water management practices,
enjoy the migratory birds hiding in the so they were very cooperative in
luxuriant foliage. developing this new
Part of keep-
ing MAC looking
“CRWA has approach for their
WMA permit.
good is an irriga- detected a decline in CRWA’s task was to
tion system to define the stream-
water the ceme- baseflows, which flow trigger (a
tery. Most of
MAC is irrigated
raises the water streamflow level at
which some man-
using water temperatures, agement action
trucks and needs to be taken)
portable sprin- increases nutrient and specify the
klers except for
newer areas and
concentrations and appropriate water
management tech-
a 15-acre “active algae levels, and nique(s) required at
cemetery” area each trigger.
near Willow Pond limits fish Recent studies
that have in-
ground sprinklers.
populations.” of the Ipswich River
established that
The irrigation water supply at MAC is a summertime streamflow require-
groundwater well. In the past two dry ments for adequate fish habitat are
summers, well withdrawals have been in close to the August median flow pro-
the 200,000 gpd (gallons per day) range, posed in the Aquatic Baseflow policy
which far exceeds the 100,000 gpd with- developed by the US Fish and
drawal threshold requiring a permit under Wildlife Service. In the Charles River,
the Water Management Act (WMA). the August median flow is about 0.41
Therefore, MAC recently applied for and cfsm (cubic feet per square mile).
received a WMA permit for a maximum This value is regarded as a Moderate
withdrawal of 250,000 gpd. Stress trigger. Previous “minimum”
Even though MAC’s water withdraw- streamflow limits in the Charles River
al volume is relatively small compared to were set at 0.21 cfsm by the Department from the United States Geological
municipal withdrawals, the cumulative of Conservation and Recreation (former- Survey gage at Waltham. Having firmed
impacts on the Charles River from new ly the Department of Environmental up the streamflow thresholds and the
water withdrawals, like MAC’s, within the Management). This value was not par- appropriate stream gage to monitor, the
past decade are considerable. CRWA ticularly biologically based but rather, more difficult task of defining the water
has detected a decline in baseflows sought to balance human needs against management activities at each trigger
(streamflow during dry periods) especial- environmental impacts. This value is level began. Since MAC already used
ly in the summer. Low baseflows impact regarded as an Extreme Stress trigger. progressive water management, many of
STREAMER 13
A
al permit that balanced human
nt. The resulting permit is the public notice that the potent tools for advocacy. Every month, General
Moderate Stress Counsel Margaret Van Deusen reviews the list of
level has been Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) put forth in the
reached and that watershed. She chooses projects that either threaten
special water man- the health of the river or watershed in a substantial way,
agement practices or smaller projects where a favorable outcome could
are in place. This serve as an example or case study for future develop-
trigger limits irriga- ments (the Mount Auburn Cemetery project is a good
tion to once a week example of the latter type of project). The EIR is
and during this peri- reviewed by a CRWA staff scientist, and a report, in the
od MAC’s ponds can form of a letter, is created which identifies potential prob-
lems with the EIR and recommends solutions. These
to be filled in antici-
letters are submitted Masschusetts Environmental
pation of drier condi-
Protection Act (MEPA) Office for review.
tions. Under Severe
According the
Stress (below 0.21
MEPA website, the Act
cfsm) the permit “requires that state “MEPA requires
requires a similar agencies study the
public notice. This environmental conse- that state
trigger requires
water management
quences of their
actions, including per-
agencies use
practices like night-
time irrigation,
mitting and financial
assistance. It also
all practicable
watering limited to requires them to take all
feasible measures to
measures to
less than once a
week, and the shut- avoid, minimize, and minimize
down of ornamental mitigate damage to the
fountains. environment.” damage to the
MEPA further
We commend
MAC in taking a pos- “requires that state environment.”
itive approach and agencies use all practi-
cable means and measures to minimize damage to the
working with CRWA
environment, by studying alternatives to the proposed
to develop this per-
project, and developing enforceable mitigation commit-
mit. The permit
ments, which will become permit conditions for the proj-
ratchets down
ect if and when it is permitted.”
appropriately on “MEPA review is not a permitting process. MEPA
water use when the requires public study, disclosure, and development of
river flows are low- feasible mitigation for a proposed project. It does not
cfsm) imposed a substantially est and should help protect the pass judgement on whether a project is environmentally
new set of water management river and fisheries. This kind of beneficial, or whether a project can or should receive a
activities for MAC. streamflow-triggered WMA per- particular permit. Those decisions are left to the permit-
Under normal conditions mit is the first of its kind in the ting agencies. MEPA review occurs before permitting
(greater than 0.41 cfsm), the Charles River watershed and agencies act, to ensure that they know the environmen-
permit requires good water we hope it will serve as a model tal consequences of their actions.”
management practices such as for future permits.
monitoring (precipitation, soil
14 STREAMER
INTERVIEW WITH KATHY ABBOTT, NEW DCR HEAD continued from page 3
process, get buy-in, and actually make these changes happen. zens reengaged and excited about what they own. We need
Of course the budget situation is another huge challenge. With people to believe this is worth doing and to help get it done by
the state’s growing fixed expenses, no new taxes, and a slow getting everyone to become stewards. Short term, for the
economic recovery, it won’t be easy to do all this. And just in department, that means developing a new story to tell, and
terms of practicalities, there are both financial and political doing it quickly. People need to see change within the next
challenges. We need to really define the year. We need to create a baseline, to figure
state’s responsibilities, based on article
97 for example [which protects public
“We need to out where we really are in terms of our
resource conditions, our services, our staffing,
parkland]. Citizens have a right to clean
air, clean water, protected resources,
reconnect our budget, and our mandates. Some of that is
going to be bad news, but that’s okay. We
scenic beauty. What are the state’s
responsibilities to achieve those, and
conservation and need to know where we are, decide where we
need to be, and then figure out how to get
then how do we build on that base with recreation there. In the immediate term, I’m working
partnerships, new models, new ways to directly and intensely with staff. Then I need to
coordinate all the partners in the effort? to public health, move out to work with the legislature and local
CRWA: Can you talk a little bit more government officials, and with partner groups.
about partnerships? safety and CRWA: What do you think about the new
Abbott: Well, at this point, there’s Stewardship Council?
less and less public funding available for education.” Abbott: Basically, it’s my board of direc-
parks, and I can’t see us going back to tors. Of course the department is answerable
the days of government paying for everything. Having worked to others as well. We are mandated by the legislature to do
with one model that was fairly successful, I really believe that a certain things. We have a budget, and the rest of state and
multifaceted partnering approach is the future. But we have a local government we have to work with. But the Stewardship
lot to learn. What is the right model, not just for capital projects, Council is a great concept, and I hope it will be a terrific
but for operations? If we build partnerships for our parks, how resource. I see it as a group to advise the department in the
well will they hold up in economic downturns? How do we development of our vision, policies, strategy, implementation,
make sure everyone remains at the table and participates? In and planning. I think they will help leverage other resources
my experience, people don’t walk away once they’re invested and create productive partnerships. I’m looking forward to see-
in the process. We also need to reconnect conservation and ing it built, and I hope it can craft its mission in the most pro-
recreation to public health, safety and education. That’s all part ductive way possible.
of building partnerships. CRWA: You seem pretty upbeat in spite of all the work
CRWA: What are some of your specific goals, short term ahead of you! How do you feel?
and long? Abbott: I’m having a great time!
Abbott: A big long term goal is getting all the state’s citi-
The Run of the Charles also includes the Professional Flatwater Canoe Marathon, plus 19-, 9-, and
6-Mile canoe and kayak races. All races end at the Finish Line Festival at Herter Park in Boston
with food, music, awards, and displays.
Join nearly 2000 paddlers and thousands of fans at the 2004 Run of the Charles Canoe and
Kayak Race. Visit www.charlesriver.org, call (508) 698-6810, or email rotc@charlesriver.org.
STREAMER 15
CRWA held a number of Likewise, we are very grateful to the following
THANK YOU activities this year to give Headwater Society members ($1,000 to $2,499) for their recent
you, our members, a chance to enjoy the Charles River donations. They include, Honorable and Mrs. Levin H.
and meet new friends through participation in our Fall Campbell, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Chandler, Carolyn and John
Foliage Paddle, the Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak Clark, Earl Collier, Anne and Jim Davis, Carole and Chris Ely,
Race, Take Me to the River Kid’s Fair, or volunteering for Elizabeth Gilmore, Betsy Harper, Mrs. Sturtevant Hobbs,
projects such as Water Quality Monitoring, Earth Day Jonathan Katz and Norah Wylie, Carolyn and John King,
THANK
Charles River Clean-Up, and the Moody Street Fish Ladder Elizabeth Levin, Margot C. Pyle, Margaret E. Richardson, Jane
Clean-Up in Waltham. We hope you had a great time. Your Sender, Dan and Carmen Wheeler, and one anonymous gift.
involvement is always welcome and highly regarded. Unrestricted donations were given to CRWA by the
On the financial front, we are pleased to report that the Beacon Hill Garden Club, Earth Share, Kahn Charitable
FY03 (10/1/02 – 9/30/03) contributions from members and Foundation, the Silver Tie Fund, and Sun Life Assurance
friends totaled $358,086. Your contributions were critical Company of Canada. Thank you!
to CRWA’s work during a year in which we experienced Restricted grants awarded to CRWA came from
reduced financial support from government sources and Crossroads Community Foundation with $85K for the
foundations. Bellingham Restoration project, and $40K from the Jessie B.
We have launched our FY04 Annual Appeal. Your con- Cox Charitable Trust for the assessment of the effectiveness of
YOU
tributions will again be critically important to us this year. local, state and regional water flow policy and practice. The
Thanks to all who already gave to this year’s Annual Charles River Neighborhood Foundation gave $5K for the
Appeal. If you haven’t yet contributed, please do so today. Marty Sender Memorial Pathway. CRWA also received one
We know you will be as generous as you can. The work of anonymous grant.
reengineering how water is used, as well as maintaining Many thanks to Charles River Canoe and Kayak for donat-
parklands and a healthy and beautiful Charles, is ongoing. ing a number of canoes for our successful fall foliage paddle,
CRWA is most appreciative to those of you who increased and to Past Board President and current Board Director Ralph
your support through membership and Annual Appeal Abele who led the trip.
donations. Each year CRWA attracts interns who provide invaluable
Donations from Millennium Society members ($2,500 or assistance to staff. CRWA wishes to thank Gina Barberio, Jill
more) were given by Ro and John Bloom, Miss Elizabeth B. Conroy, Robin Curtis, Maura Kelly, and Rebeca Monje for their
Jackson, Bruce and Helen Johnstone, Kelly McClintock, tireless efforts.
Robert F. Sproull, Mr. and Mrs. Holyoke L. Whitney, and two Thanks again to all of our supporters.
anonymous gifts. CRWA extends our deep appreciation to all -contributed by Louise Taylor
these donors.
For more information about the comment letter process, see the sidebar on page 13 of this issue of Streamer.
Wishing you
a river of
peace and joy
for 2004.