 What are the Charles River Conservancy's guiding values and principles? Founded in 2000, the mission of the Charles River Conservancy (CRC) is to make the Charles River and its parks a well-maintained network of natural urban places that invite and engage all in their use and stewardship. The CRC lies at the center of the Charles River, its parks, and the parks’ users. The CRC is committed to a future in which the Charles River and its parks are celebrated, well-utilized, and connected centers of public life. In partnership with the state landowner (MassDCR) and other stakeholders, our initiatives seek to protect and enhance the ecology of this natural resource, so that it is a healthy ecosystem and can provide essential health and wellness benefits to the 300,000 residents that live within walking distance and more than 1 million people who visit it annually. What are the ongoing services or programs that your organization provides? We advance our mission through (1) volunteer engagement and stewardship; (2) ecological, projects to improve river health; (3) advocacy for public access; and (4) educational, recreational, and cultural engagements that connect the community to the parks and help them understand this resource. We describe in depth two of our initiatives here: The CRC has been stewarding the parks along the Charles, combining the experience of our staff with the power of collective community action to support these important spaces. The CRC’s staff works closely with DCR to identify priority projects and investments that support physical infrastructure and biodiversity. We host one-day group events where our program manager leads volunteers in vital park maintenance (such as litter removal and bench painting), permanent improvements (such as revitalization of an amphitheater) and ecological projects (such as with invasive species management). Our Charles River Environmental Watch (CREW) program also trains individuals to provide season-long care independently to dedicated areas. The CRC is deeply involved in connecting the community with the parks and river. In addition to our volunteer program, we make outdoor experiences and resources accessible to neighborhoods with onsite and in person programs. City Splash, our annual community swim in the Charles River, is our signature event that celebrates the environmental achievements to date and serves as a catalyst for further progress by allowing the community to experience the river in a new way. We bring environmental activities into local classrooms and lead youth kayak tours on the river to see the floating wetland and discuss water systems and the health of the river.  The CRC hosts kayak tours to the Charles River Floating Wetland for an up-close and personal experience of the floating wetland. Are there any upcoming projects, initiatives, or events that your organization would like others to know about?
The CRC is especially excited about the evolution of two current projects. The CRC has been leading a community-building and public art project at the Lynch Family Skatepark, a park the CRC built so that wheeled-athletes—who are often pushed out of other spaces—can enjoy a place along the Charles. After extensive partnership-building and community engagement, the CRC has gathered robust feedback about ways that public art and functional infrastructure investments can strengthen both the social and physical assets of the skatepark. These investments will empower park users by fostering shared responsibility and agency over the park. The CRC is excited to develop and to release a Call for Public Art for the park that is representative of its community and leverages the opportunities to support it. The CRC installed an artificial island to reintroduce native wetland plants in the Charles River, to publish academic research findings about its ecological benefits and to engage community members—particularly young people—in conversations about water quality and biodiversity. We work with local public schools to share STEAM activities and lead kayak tours. These multifaceted areas of impact support investment in an expanded installation that can transform the hard-edged urban riverfront, provide meaningful local environmental and community benefits, and be a national model for expanding resiliency tools. The CRC released a conceptual design for expansion last year and is working with stakeholders to refine and advance it. Comments are closed.
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