Mystic River Watershed Association

06/08/2026

Want to keep your friends and family safe at the water? Join the SAFER SUMMER free water safety course (with Spanish interpretation)!

REGISTER: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSew38XdmeU0oXwFoZvIRBCdgWcvnL9vNjcEuj-IlXMEz37vlQ/viewform

Sunday, June 14, 2026
9:00 – 11:00 AM
Shannon Beach

Presented by Mystic Merfolk volunteers
Sponsored by Mystic River Watershed Association

You’ll learn:
- Basic water safety
- Reach-throw-go - practice throwing life preservers!
- What does drowning look like? (hint – it’s not what you think!)
- Hands-only bystander CPR – this easy skill saves lives!
- Tips and tricks specific to Shannon Beach and the rest of the Mystic Lakes
- Keeping children and teens safe
- AED instruction
- Resources for FREE or low-cost swimming lessons and CPR certification

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¿Quieres ayudar a mantener seguros a tus amigos y familiares en el agua? ¡Únete al curso GRATUITO de seguridad acuática SAFER SUMMER! (Con interpretación al español)

REGÍSTRATE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSew38XdmeU0oXwFoZvIRBCdgWcvnL9vNjcEuj-IlXMEz37vlQ/viewform

Domingo, 14 de junio de 2026
9:00 a. m. – 11:00 a. m.
Playa Shannon

Presentado por los voluntarios de Mystic Merfolk
Patrocinado por la Asociación Mystic River Watershed

Aprenderás:
- Conceptos básicos de seguridad en el agua
- Reach-Throw-Go (Alcanza-Lanza-Ve): ¡practica cómo lanzar salvavidas!
- ¿Cómo se ve un ahogamiento? (Pista: ¡no es lo que la mayoría de la gente piensa!)
- RCP solo con las manos para testigos o primeros respondientes: ¡una habilidad sencilla que salva vidas!
- Tips y recomendaciones específicas para la Playa Shannon y el resto de los Lagos Mystic
- Cómo mantener seguros a niños y adolescentes
- Cómo utilizar un DEA (Desfibrilador Externo Automático)
- Recursos para clases de natación y certificación en RCP gratuitas o de bajo costo

¿Tienes preguntas? Comunícate con: [email protected]

06/07/2026

💡 Did you know that the Mystic River used to be tidal all the way up into Medford?

Over the decades, humans have changed the Mystic in countless ways as we've built our communities along its banks. Now, as we face new threats due to climate change, it's time to think of the river again. How can we live in better relationship with this being that flows through all of our lives?

Explore the past, present, and future of the Mystic River in this new short film we created with the Museum of Science, Boston. Narrated by "son of the Mystic River," Terry E. Carter, "Climate Stories: The Mighty Mystic" premiered at the Museum of Science Mugar Omni Theater during Earth Week. We are thrilled to be able to share it now in small-screen form!

Learn more about how the Mystic has changed over the years and how we're preparing for present and future climate threats at our website, www.mysticriver.org.

06/06/2026

Our river herring migration is well underway, and the birds have noticed! For our this month, we're featuring this photograph by Colleen Garrigan of a great blue heron waiting for river herring at the spillway of the Scalley Dam at Horn Pond in Woburn.

Herring are important to our ecosystem, providing food for many animals, including bald eagles, herons, herring gulls, striped bass, and snapping turtles. Our herring monitor volunteers have been counting herring since April and will continue through June.

Right now, because of the dam and a statewide drought, the herring are having trouble making it up the spillway at the dam and into Horn Pond. The Horn Pond fish passage, set to be built later this year, will solve this problem, giving herring easy passage into Horn Pond!

You can learn more about the river herring at www.mysticherring.org.

06/05/2026

: Hear from Education Manager Alice Chou about highlights from MyRWA's 2025-2026 Education Program!

By the end of this school year, MyRWA's education program will have reached OVER 4,000 students and families. Through school visits, field trips, after-school programs, and STEM nights, we have spent the year creating immersive opportunities for learning, exploration, and community-building.

Read "Over 4,000 Learners: A Recap of MyRWA's 2025-2026 Education Program" >>> https://mysticriver.org/news/2026/6/1/over-4000-learners-a-recap-of-myrwas-20252026-education-program

📸 : Students from Lynch Elementary investigating macroinvertebrates, the small spineless animals that are critical to the food web, from Horn Pond. Credit: Alice Chou

Education Manager, Alice, recaps a school year full of education programs!

06/04/2026

📸 HRP PHOTO DUMP!

We had such a fantastic time hosting the 30th Annual Mystic River Herring Run & Paddle last month. Thanks to all of you - our runners, walkers, bikers, sub-event hosts, sponsors, partners, tablers, and volunteers - we were able to celebrate our most successful Herring Run & Paddle yet!

All of the photos from the event are now in! You can see the full collection at https://mysticriver.org/herring-run-paddle

Photos by David Mussina, Julian Feshbach-Meriney, Daria Santollani, and Cat Pedemonti

1-2: The photo finish! (DM)
3-5: Teams get ready to race (JFM)
6: 30 Years of HRP T-Shirt Display (DM)
7-10: Partner groups table (JFM, JFM, DS, DS)
11: The race begins! (DM)
12-15: Runners on the course (JFM, JFM, DS, DS)
16: Bike to the Sea bike ride (DS)
17-18: Paddlers prepare (DS)
19: Paddle race begins! (DM)
20: Paddlers on the water (CP)

06/03/2026

Join us in caring for the watershed! Check out upcoming volunteer opportunities and share with your friends, family, and neighbors (Registration links can be found at https://mysticriver.org/volunteer)

Volunteer at Belle Isle Marsh
Saturday, June 6th 10AM-12PM
Join us for a morning of pulling invasive garlic mustard and bittersweet from along the John Joseph Kilmartin Pathway at Belle Isle, Boston's largest remaining salt marsh.

Chelsea Trash Cleanups
Saturday, June 6th 9AM-12PM
Sunday, June 21st 9AM-12PM
Join MyRWA and the City of Chelsea to help keep Chelsea clean!

Paint a Fish
Sunday, June 7th 10AM-12PM
Mystic Open Studio and ArtsArlington invite you to paint a fish or two for Arlington’s newest public art project, celebrating the herring of the Mystic River.

Count Herring Online
Ongoing
Each spring (April-June), over half a million river herring migrate up the Mystic River. You can help us document the herring migration by counting fish online at mysticherring.org.

Canoe for a Cause
Saturday, June 20th 11:30AM-1:30PM | Arlington Reservoir
Saturday, June 27th 9-11AM, 11:30-1:30PM, 2-4PM | Horn Pond
Saturday, July 11th 11:30AM-1:30PM | Arlington Reservoir
Saturday, July 25th 9-11AM, 11:30-1:30PM, 2-4PM | Horn Pond
Hop in a canoe and help us remove invasive water chestnut to keep our water bodies healthy. + More dates will be added as our schedule is finalized!

06/02/2026

🌎️ Watch Climate Stories: The Mighty Mystic on YouTube!

In April, we shared an exciting collaboration with the Museum of Science, Boston - the short film, Climate Stories: The Mighty Mystic at the Mugar Omni Theater. We are thrilled to announce that the film is now available to view for free on YouTube.

Narrated by "son of the Mystic River," Terry E. Carter, this film tells the story of the Mystic River and how its history has shaped the present and future challenges that it and the communities around it are facing due to climate change.

The Mystic River Watershed Association and the Museum of Science, B...

06/01/2026

This morning we celebrated Mystic Champions - partners in our shared mission of regional collaboration towards healthier and more climate resilient communities!

We were thrilled to present U.S. Congresswoman Katherine Clark with the Mystic Champion Award for her longstanding support of MyRWA's work and the many cities and towns across the watershed that she represents. Rep Clark’s advocacy is visibly woven into the landscape of this watershed. She has secured over $39M in Community Projects Funding to drive clean water initiatives and climate-resilience projects for Mystic River watershed municipalities. We have immense gratitude to her and her team for bringing this support to essential local projects.

We were also delighted to highlight the The City of Woburn as our 2026 Mystic Leadership Award recipient. Captained by Mayor Mike Concannon, the City of Woburn is taking on some of the watershed’s most ambitious projects - a state of the art fish passage, heat and flood resilient Hurld Park, and multiple interventions to protect communities from stormwater. The teamwork between municipal departments and the spirit of community service that emulates within Woburn and to their watershed neighbors inspires us every day.

Thank you Mystic Champions!

05/31/2026

This week, we had a great time with a group of intrepid volunteers, conducting a trash audit in the City of Chelsea Massachusetts- Gov. We walked from City Hall all the way down to Island End River, observing the ways trash moves and collects in streets, alleys, and property.

We're doing this work as part of the Chelsea Community Cleanup and Beatification Project, and we have two volunteer clean-ups coming up later this month! Sign up at the links below!

June 6th at Voke Park - https://mysticriver.org/events/2026/6/6/chelsea-spring-trash-cleanup-voke-park
June 21st at Marginal St. - https://mysticriver.org/events/2026/6/21/chelsea-spring-trash-cleanup-marginal-st

05/30/2026

Hosted by the Somerville Museum, come out to Blessing of the Bay Park in Somerville for a unique outdoor history program on Saturday, June 6th, from 10AM - 12PM!

RSVP >>> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blessing-of-the-bay-three-voices-one-shore-tickets-1989318234390?aff=oddtdtcreator

Three Voices, One Shore: The Untold Stories of Ten Hills brings together song, dance, storytelling, and family activities to honor the layered histories connected to Ten Hills and the Blessing of the Bay. Together, we’ll explore the stories of Indigenous peoples, European settlement, and Africans brought here through slavery — histories that are deeply intertwined on this shore.

Featuring performances by Morning Star Singers, De Ama Battle’s Art of Black Dance & Music Ensemble, Anna-Celestrya Carr, and storyteller Aimee Ledwell!