Hundreds volunteer for Neponset River Spring Cleanup
COURTESY OF THE NEPONSET RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION
Despite cold and wet weather conditions, more than 400 volunteers spread out across 16 different locations in Canton, Dedham, Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Milton, Norwood and Quincy helped clean up trash and debris along the Neponset River, parks and trails.
Managed by site captains and community leaders, the volunteers collected more than 28 tons of trash in just a three-hour period.
Some of the debris collected included 548 trash bags of litter, including bottles, cans, food packaging and plastics; over 300 nip bottles; 29 tires; 38 hypodermic needles; four carpets/area rugs; one refrigerator door; six car parts; two plastic shopping baskets; the base of a light post; a tent; 28 large pieces of Styrofoam; two docks; 3 buoys; five bags of invasive plants; two bags of sand; one couch frame; one small engine block; one gas-powered leaf blower engine; one mobile basketbal
Neponset River Watershed Association to hold annual meeting
COURTESY OF THE NEPONSET RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION
The Neponset River Watershed Association’s Annual Meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. May 2 on Zoom.
NepRWA members, volunteers and supporters are invited to attend the annual meeting to learn about the organization and the accomplishments of 2020 and hear about growing up near the Neponset River from featured guest speaker, Lawrence O’Donnell.
“Unfortunately, for the second year in a row we are forced to meet online, but this year we are delighted to be joined by a famous son of Dorchester, Lawrence O’Donnell,” said NepRWA Executive Director Ian Cooke. “We look forward to hearing about Lawrence’s past adventures along the Neponset River and his thoughts about what he sees for the future of the area.”
Jessica Cohn,
Ecological Restoration Specialist
Jess joins DER as our new Ecological Restoration Specialist with the Cranberry Bog Program. Jess is an ecologist by training and brings experience in ecological restoration project management, wetland science, environmental policy, and climate adaptation planning. She is especially fond of plant ecology and always looks forward to an opportunity to be knee-deep in the mud anywhere from bogs to salt marshes to mangroves.
Ecological Restoration Specialist
Chris Hirsch joins DER as an Ecological Restoration Specialist with the Dam Removal Practice. He will be helping to reconnect the Commonwealth’s rivers and streams by working with dam owners to remove obsolete dams. Prior to joining DER, Chris was an environmental scientist for the Neponset River Watershed Association, where he worked on topics ranging from water quality monitoring to habitat restoration and dam removal.
New state sewage notification law marks progress in the fight for clean river water dotnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dotnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Katie Trojano, Reporter Staff
January 21, 2021
Katie Trojano, Reporter Staff
All the people along the Neponset River “are interacting with the watershed whether they know it or not,” said Declan Devine, an environmental fellow.
Reporter file photo
Most sections of the Neponset River are safe for recreational use, including swimming, most of the time, according to a report prepared by the Neponset River Watershed Association (NepRWA) and discussed during a public meeting last week.
The annual report on water quality along the river for the 2020 season shows that last year it was deemed safe for swimming 61 percent of the time. With respect to state regulations for E. coli bacteria, it was deemed unsafe for any type of recreation about 16 percent of the time sampled.