Boston Flora

Tag: Muddy River

  • Wednesday, April 22, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Brookline Greenspace Alliance Annual Meeting

    The 2025 Annual Meeting of the Brookline GreenSpace Alliance will be held on Wednesday, April 22, 5:30–7:30 PM, at Boston University’s Wightman House, at the corner of Monmouth Street and Hawes Street. BGSA members and the public are invited.

    Carl Zimba, who has prepared a study of the Muddy River in partnership with the Muddy Water Initiative, will speak on “Low Water and High Hopes: Olmsted and the Mudflats in the Muddy River.”

    Please email info@brooklinegreenspace.org to let us know if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting and whether you are a BGSA member. There will be light refreshments. Nonmembers may attend the meeting but may not vote. If you are not sure of your membership status, please email info@brooklinegreenspace.org to inquire.

  • Saturday, April 26, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Muddy River Cleanup

    The Emerald Necklace Conservancy invites you to join them for this year’s Muddy River Cleanup on Saturday, April 26. The cleanup will take place at multiple locations: Charlesgate Park, Back Bay Fens, Riverway, Olmsted Park, Jamaica Pond, and two sites at Franklin Park. All volunteers will be required to wear a face covering and practice social distancing during the event. We advise that volunteers who feel ill within 72 hours of the event do not participate. All volunteers will be required to sign a COVID-19 volunteer waiver, along with our standard volunteer waiver, in order to participate.

    The Muddy River Cleanup is a part of the Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup; this event takes place throughout the Charles River Watershed and builds on a national effort as part of American Rivers’ National River Cleanup® which, to date, has removed over 25 million pounds of trash from America’s waterways. From 2016 to 2019, the Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup was recognized by American Rivers for the Most Pounds of Trash Collected and Most Volunteers Mobilized.​

    The Charles River Cleanup brings together over 3,000 volunteers each year to pick up litter, remove invasive species and assist with park maintenance along all 80 miles of the Charles River. Residents are drawn to the popular Charles River Cleanup from a desire to give back to their community while enjoying the beauty and wildlife along the river. Volunteers hold onto the connections they establish during this day of stewardship by returning to the Charles to exercise, play and enjoy nature throughout the year. Register for this year’s cleanup at emeraldnecklace.org

  • Sunday, March 23, 1:30 pm – Muddy River Vision Workshop

    Help envision a clean, flowing Muddy River. Join the Charles River Watershed Association and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy on Sunday, March 23 at 1:30 pm at the Brookline Village Public Library, 361 Washington Street in Brookline. Explore options to improve water quality and reduce stormwater pollution in the Muddy River.

  • Sunday, August 25, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Exploring Olmsted Park and Jamaica Pond

    Join The Emerald Necklace Conservancy on August 25 at 10 am for a new tour in partnership with the Jamaica Plain Historical Society. Discover the wooded paths, babbling brooks and rolling hills of Olmsted Park and Pinebank, the forested midway point of Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace and source of the Muddy River. 

    This free tour will guide attendees through many of the natural and historic landmarks found in the heart of the Necklace: from glacial ponds to structures that once belonged to the Founding Fathers, and everything in-between!

    Registration required at https://www.emeraldnecklace.org/event/exploring-olmsted-park-2/

  • Saturday, May 13, 2:00 pm – Free Tour of Charlesgate Park

    This past November, MassDOT held a public announcement that funding had been secured for two bridge projects the Bowker Overpass. While the designs are not yet ready for public comment, the Charlesgate Alliance, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and the Esplanade Association have partnered to advocate for the greenest possible outcomes for these transformational projects.

    Promised outcomes include removing the offramp over the Muddy River at Charlesgate East and Commonwealth Avenue and, in collaboration with our partners at the Esplanade Association, daylighting the terminus of the Muddy River as it enters the Charles. These two MassDOT improvements will act as bookends as we work to improve the heart of the park between the Mass. Turnpike and Beacon Street. Join us on a free tour of Charlesgate Park about the vision for its future on Saturday, May 13 at 2:00 pm.

    Register  here so that we can get a head count and tell you if a rain cancellation occurs.

    Tours start in The Grove area of the park (just in from the NW corner of Beacon St. and Charlesgate East), where we planted new trees last June. Look for buds on the maple trees! Allow two hours for the complete tour. Below is an image of the area circa 1954, for reference.

  • Wednesday, April 26, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Muddy River Restoration Project Annual Meeting

    Join the MMOC and the Muddy River Cabinet for Public Oversight Reimagined on Wednesday evening, April 26th. This Annual Meeting will coincide with the near completion of the historic Restoration Project—and the birthday of visionary landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Venue: The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. For details email info@muddyrivermmoc.org or click HERE.

  • Monday, April 19 – Saturday, April 24, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Muddy River Cleanup

    The Muddy River Cleanup is a part of the Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup; this event takes place throughout the Charles River Watershed and builds on a national effort as part of American Rivers’ National River Cleanup® which, to date, has removed over 25 million pounds of trash from America’s waterways. From 2016 to 2019, the Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup was recognized by American Rivers for the Most Pounds of Trash Collected and Most Volunteers Mobilized.​

    The Charles River Cleanup brings together over 3,000 volunteers each year to pick up litter, remove invasive species and assist with park maintenance along all 80 miles of the Charles River. Residents are drawn to the popular Charles River Cleanup from a desire to give back to their community while enjoying the beauty and wildlife along the river. Volunteers hold onto the connections they establish during this day of stewardship by returning to the Charles to exercise, play and enjoy nature throughout the year. Register for the cleanup here!

    Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Emerald Necklace Conservancy has adjusted the traditionally one-day event to span a week (April 19, 2021-April 24, 2021) in order to promote social distancing among volunteers.

    All cleanup events will take place from 10:00AM-12:00PM throughout the week.

    Monday, April 19, 2021: Back Bay Fens, Olmsted Park

    Tuesday, April 20, 2021: Charlesgate, Jamaica Pond

    Wednesday, April 21, 2021: Justine Mee Liff Park, Olmsted Park

    Thursday April 22, 2021: Riverway, Franklin Park (Shattuck Picnic Grove)

    Friday, April 23, 2021: Charlesgate, Justine Mee Liff Park

    Saturday, April 24, 2021: Back Bay Fens, Franklin Park (Valley Gates)

    The Conservancy has been closely monitoring health and safety guidelines set by the City of Boston, the Town of Brookline, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since the beginning of the pandemic. All programs and events that we have follow our Conservancy COVID-19 policies.

    All volunteers will be required to wear a face covering and practice social distancing during the event. We advise that volunteers who feel ill within 72 hours of the event do not participate.

    All volunteers will be required to sign a COVID-19 volunteer waiver, along with our standard volunteer waiver, in order to participate. In order to follow event size requirements, we will cap each cleanup site at 25 volunteers. For groups interested in participating that are over 25 people, we will require that they split their group between multiple cleanup sites. For more information visit https://www.emeraldnecklace.org/volunteer/muddy-river-cleanup-2021/?bblinkid=249471968&bbemailid=29894011&bbejrid=1903405101

  • Thursday, April 1, 3:30 pm – Hidden Gems: Revival of the Muddy River within the Emerald Necklace, Online

    The story of the Emerald Necklace, (aka Muddy River riparian corridor) reveals how landscapes along urban waterways provide essential ecosystem connectivity. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy fulfills the aspirations of Hartford native, Frederick Law Olmsted, by hosting a spectrum of activities along the irregular path of the Muddy River. Revitalization of Boston’s Emerald Necklace is rooted in ambitious conservation goals of the late 19th and early 20th century. The impressive, historic scale of conservation can inspire communities to respond to the climate crisis with a new, 21st century parks movement.

    This free April 1 online event beginning at 3:30 pm will review the history of the Muddy River within the Emerald Necklace with guest Karen Mauney-Brodek of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and will summarize the efforts of the Olmsted 200 movement with guest Barbara A. Yaeger of the National Association of Olmsted Parks. Hosted by Park Watershed. Register at https://www.emeraldnecklace.org/event/hidden-gems/

  • COGdesign Alert: Call for Designers and Liaisons

    COGdesign has accepted three community projects for 2021. They are seeking at least two designers to take on each of the new projects described below. Additionally, a one day community charrette with six to ten designers has been proposed for the Neponset Greenway project.
    Often COGdesign is able to match less experienced designers with those who have more experience in the field. Sometimes projects involve landscape architecture/design students who are matched with seasoned professionals. If you are interested send an email with your resumé to info@cogdesign.org. Call with questions 781.642.6222. Please see the website for more details about the projects: www.cogdesign.org.

    The first project is a Park Redesign along the Muddy River, Fenway/Back Bay. The Muddy Water Initiative (MWI) has adopted this park, providing maintenance in the summer while the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) maintains the property in the winter. MWI seeks to redesign this neglected portion of the Emerald Necklace. They would like to bring this piece of the park to life as an inviting, active space with access to the river. Designers will create pathways, add benches, plant the riparian edge and incorporate many mature trees. 

    The second project is Benches for the Neponset Greenway in Mattapan. Powerful Pathways (PP), a Mattapan-based community development and civic advocacy nonprofit is engaging COG’s services to participate in a design charrette with the Mattapan community. PP has funding for the creation of two benches that will provide much-needed seating along the Neponset Greenway near the Mattapan entrance. Designers will be matched to groups of residents who are interested in bringing their artistic, cultural and historical ideas to the design of the benches. The COG volunteers will assist in drawing those ideas. The community will vote on which two designs will be used. The designers involved in the winning design may be involved as the project moves forward. 

    Finally, there will be a Masterplan for the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury. The ISBCC would like to create a cohesive landscape plan for their grounds with a focus on a new community gathering space behind the mosque. They would like this new space to be available to ISBCC community as well as to the surrounding community for events and spiritual reflection. ISBCC envisions a low-maintenance permaculture garden as part of this space. 

    Daylighting the Muddy River

  • Daylight the Muddy River

    On October 15th, 2019,  at a public meeting at the Harvard Club, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) shared work that needed to be done to the eastbound Storrow Drive bridge in the area of Charlesgate that we call The Bowl and Bridge. Their preferred option 3A at that time  enabled “possible daylighting of Muddy River under Storrow EB bridge.”

    In response to these plans by MassDOT, the Charlesgate Alliance commissioned new drawings by Landing Studio to show people what a “daylit” or exposed Muddy River to Charles River connection could look like. These were unveiled on November 19th at a public meeting.

    Read the letters of support from Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Boston City Councilor Kenzie Bok to Governor Baker.

    Karen Mauney-Brodek, Pam Beale, and Parker James then wrote a letter to Governor Baker, which garnered the support of 33 area organizations.