Charles River Watershed Association

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Yesterday was quite an interesting day of fieldwork. Avery, Cataia and I went sampling for the flagging program, and then Cataia and I went on to examine the same stretch of the river for the dock survey. After some minor boat difficulties that involved running the motorboat aground in a shallow section, having to get out and drag the boat to deeper water, only to have further trouble actually starting the boat up again, Cataia and I finally were able to survey all of the docks and boathouses up to the Longfellow Bridge! It was a fun day, despite the scalding temperatures.

Today I had the opportunity to attend the rally and public hearing on the update of the Bottle Bill. This bill has been in place since 1983 and has put a refundable deposit on bottles that are returned to redemption centers, creating an incentive for the consumer to recycle. Currently there are certain bottles that are not included under the bill (namely water bottles), which creates less of an incentive to recycle these types of bottles. They then end up in the streets and landfills, which not only has a negative environmental impact but also costs municipalities money that could be put to better use. Therefore an expansion of the bottle bill would benefit the environment and save money.

It was really interesting to attend the rally and public hearing. I had never participated in something like this before, so I didn't really know what expect. When I got there in the morning people were lined up outside the steps of the State House with signs to show their support. A few camera crews were scattered around, and there were some state representatives who said a few words about their support for the bill. Shortly before 10 we moved inside to the auditorium for the public hearing. I only stayed for about an hour, but I got to hear from MassDEP Commissioner Ken Kimmell, Boston City Council members, and the Mayor of Salem as they testified for an updated bill. I'm very glad I got to attend and hope to see an expansion of the bill!

Kyra

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Welcome to the Charles River Watershed Association's Intern Blog

CRWA's mission is to use science, advocacy and the law to protect, preserve and enhance the Charles River and its watershed.

One of the country's oldest watershed organizations, Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) was formed in 1965 in response to public concern about the declining condition of the Charles. Since its earliest days of advocacy, CRWA has figured prominently in major clean-up and watershed protection efforts, working with government officials and citizen groups from 35 Massachusetts watershed towns from Hopkinton to Boston. Initiatives over the last four decades have dramatically improved the quality of water in the watershed and fundamentally changed approaches to water resource management.

While CRWA’s mission focuses on the Charles River, the implications and applicability of our science-based work go far beyond the watershed’s boundaries. Much of CRWA’s work is cutting edge and therein lies our unique strength and effectiveness: we use our scientific knowledge of the Charles to develop innovative, workable solutions to watershed problems. This knowledge allows CRWA not only to advocate persuasively for outcomes, but also to partner with government agencies and other environmental groups to protect the natural environment and to promote sustainable ecosystem policies and practices.