Stewardship Recap!

Each year, we work with volunteers to increase the health and resilience of watershed ecosystems by removing invasive species and picking up trash from parks and paths along the river. During the 2024 season, we were excited to expand our efforts to five new parks — Hurld Park and Shaker Glen Environmental Park in Woburn, Gateway Park in Everett, Belle Isle Marsh in East Boston/Revere, and the Stoneham High School Wetland.

Join us in celebrating some of the highlights from the 2024 stewardship season:

By the Numbers

• Volunteer Hours: 2,748

• Invasive Water Chestnut: 2,313 baskets removed in total

  • Mystic River near Medford Condon Shell: 470 baskets (down from 2,110 baskets in 2022)

  • Mystic River near Blessing of the Bay: 23 baskets

  • Arlington Reservoir: 1,820 baskets

• Invasive Bittersweet Vines: 190 piles/lawn bags removed

• Invasive Garlic Mustard: 58 bags removed

• Native plants: 3000+ installed

• Trash: 597 bags

• Large trash /tires: 38 items

• Corporate Donations Pledged: $44,640

Season Highlights

Youth taking action! Seven teen groups and seven college groups joined us to help remove invasive plants and trash this year. We loved their enthusiasm for learning about and helping their local environment.

Trustees Waterfront Ambassadors removing water chestnut from the Mystic River near Blessing of the Bay. Credit: Daria Santollani

Trustees Waterfront Ambassadors visit Blessing of the Bay Park. Credit: Daria Santollani

Somerville Climate Justice cohort removing water chestnut from the Mystic River near Blessing of the Bay. Credit: ShaSha Kingston

Groundwork Somerville Green Team members removing water chestnut from the Arlington Reservoir. Credit: Daria Santollani

The Groundwork Somerville Green Team after volunteering at the Arlington Reservoir. Credit: Daria Santollani

Tufts Leadership for Social Change students helped clean storm drains around Medford and put up educational flyers. Credit: Isaiah Johnson

International School of Boston students removed bittersweet vines from Riverbend Park in Medford. Credit: Daria Santollani

Stoneham High School Environmental Science students came out for a field trip in the wetland behind their school to remove bittersweet vines and trash. Credit: Daria Santollani

This period of drought has us reminiscing about getting caught in the rain earlier in the year. We are grateful for volunteers braving the rain with us!

Two volunteers with their trash bag and pickers at our 2024 Park Serve Day in Macdonald Park. Credit: Sushant Bajracharya

A volunteer at 2024 Park Serve Day at Macdonald Park. Credit: Isaiah Johnson

Volunteers at our 2024 Park Serve Day in Macdonald Park. Credit: Sushant Bajracharya

A group photo of volunteers at 2024 Park Serve Day in Macdonald Park. Credit: Sushant Bajracharya

Preparing for Earth Day at Gateway Park in Everett. Credit: Daria Santollani

Baldwin Wallace University students helped to remove trash and garlic mustard at Belle Isle Marsh. Credit: Daria Santollani

Baldwin Wallace University students helped to remove trash and garlic mustard at Belle Isle Marsh. Credit: Daria Santollani

Our community cleanup at Shaker Glen Environmental Park in Woburn. Credit: Daria Santollani

Our community cleanup at Shaker Glen Environmental Park in Woburn. Credit: Daria Santollani

This year, volunteers helped with a large variety of tasks as part of the forested wetland restoration at Gateway Park. Led by landscape architect Casey-Lee Bastien from BSC Group, volunteers spread wildflower seeds, inoculated the site with fungi and microscopic species from a healthy forest floor, planted 3000+ trees and shrubs, assembled reeds into nests for pollinators, weeded, and collected trash. Learn more about the work at Gateway Park here.

Volunteers spreading wildflower seeds at Gateway Park. Credit: Daria Santollani

Volunteers distributing mushrooms around the planting area at Gateway Park. Credit: Daria Santollani

The Boston Harbor Women of Color Coalition planted 200 fir saplings for their April monthly meetup. Credit: Irka Perez

MyRWA Project Manager Marja Copeland and Kate Jenkins-Sullivan from the City plant a tree at Gateway Park during the Everett Earth Day event. Credit: City of Everett

Volunteers tend to newly planted trees and shrubs during a community volunteer day in July. Credit: Daria Santollani

Boston Harbor Women of Color volunteers bundle reeds to make bee nests. Credit: Irka Perez

A volunteer weeds around a newly planted tree at Gateway Park. Credit: Daria Santollani

Casey-Lee Bastien from BSC Group, Myles Wilde - one of our 2024 Volunteers of the Year, and Tom Philbin - Conservation Agent for the City of Everett lead the restoration work. Credit: Daria Santollani

Volunteers from the LEGO Discovery Center retrieved trash and several tires from the wetland area. Credit: ShaSha Kingston

Volunteer with us in 2025!

Interested in joining us for a volunteer day next year?

• Subscribe to our monthly eNewsletter to hear about upcoming opportunities!

• Corporate group opportunities — contact ShaSha Kingston (shasha.kingston@mysticriver.org)

• Non-corporate group opportunities — contact Daria (Clark) Santollani (daria.santollani@mysticriver.org)

Thank you to our 2024 supporters and partners!

Friends of the Malden River

Generate Biomedicines

Gentle Giant Rowing Club

Google

Greentown Labs

Greystar

Groundwork Somerville Green Team

International School of Boston

LEGO Discovery Center Boston

Macy’s

Mass DCR

New England Biolabs

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)

Paddle Boston

Point32Health

S&P Global

Shaw Contract

Somerville Climate Justice Cohort

Stoneham High School

Tisch College of Civic Life

Trustees Waterfront Ambassadors

Tufts University CORE Fellows

Tufts University FOCUS

Tufts Leadership for Social Change

Verizon

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

ZS Associates

Ab Initio Software

Agero

Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc

Arlington Reservoir Committee

Aspen Technology, Inc.

Avangrid

Baldwin Wallace University

Beam Therapeutics

BNY Mellon/Eagle

Body & Brain Yoga

Boston Cares

Boston Harbor Women of Color Coalition

Brandeis University — Our Local Waterways

Building Impact

Conservation Law Foundation/Northeastern University School of Law

Dyne Therapeutics

EarthCORE

Embark

Encore Boston Harbor

Energy Sage

Eversource

EY

FedEx

Financial Recovery Technologies (FRT)