Water chestnut

Eradication efforts of water chestnut, an invasive plant clogging the Mystic River and elsewhere in the watershed, have been ongoing since 2010. MyRWA is aggressively combating water chestnuts by partnering with municipalities, local environmental organizations, boat clubs, corporations, and community members to remove the plant by hand-pulling and a mechanical harvester where location permits. Because of our work, the volume of water chestnut in the river has drastically decreased! Check out a time-lapse video of volunteers in action.

Water chestnut (Trapa natans) is native to Asia, Europe, and Africa. It was introduced in 1897 by a Harvard botanist as an ornamental plant in Fresh Pond in Cambridge. Water chestnuts spread over the rivers surface, crowding out native plants and altering the water chemistry. In the fall when the plants die, their decomposition draws down the dissolved oxygen which fish and other aquatic animals need to survive. Additionally, the plants get caught in motor boats and limit the use of the river. If we don’t remove water chestnuts, they will take over the fresh water portion of the Mystic River! The plant has a floating rosette of leaves with spiky seeds, or nuts, just beneath the leaves.

It’s important that we pull these plants before they have a chance to reproduce so that we diminish the seed bed.

Bittersweet

The case against Bittersweet vine is simple: it kills trees. Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is a leafy, climbing woody vine and was introduced to the eastern United States in the mid-1800s. It is native to China, Japan and Korea. Stems of older vines can be up to 4 inches thick and climb over 60 feet. As Oriental bittersweet grows, it chokes or girdles the plant that it is clinging to, shades out other plants and makes trees top-heavy, making them susceptible to wind and ice damage.

Its leaves vary widely in shape and can be round, oblong, or teardrop shaped with finely toothed margins and sometimes a long, tapering point. Leaf length ranges from 2-5 inches long and 2-3.5 inches wide. They are glossy green in spring and summer, becoming golden yellow in late summer and fall. It is easily identifiable in the fall by its red and orange berries.

Porcelain berry

Porcelain berry (Amur peppervine) is a member of the grape family. It is native to Northeast Asia and began being cultivated in New England in the 1870s as a landscape plant. Porcelain berry is harmful because it grows rapidly over shrubs and other vegetation, killing these plants by blocking out sunlight. “The same characteristics that make porcelain-berry a desirable plant for the garden -- its colorful berries, good ground coverage, trellis-climbing vines, pest-resistance, and tolerance of adverse conditions -- are responsible for its presence in the United States as an undesirable invader” - Plant Conservation Alliance®

Garlic Mustard

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a European herb that was most likely introduced in the Northeast for culinary purposes. It is a biannual plant that blooms in its second year, when it grows to 1 to 3 feet tall and produces little white flowers. Garlic mustard is allelopathic, which means that it produces compounds that impede the growth of other plant species. Some studies think that these substances can also inhibit beneficial soil fungus (mycorrhizal fungi), which aid in the uptake of water and nutrients by tree roots. Garlic mustards are commonly found in the same habitat as native toothwort, and butterflies erroneously deposit their eggs on it. We are working to remove Garlic mustard to protect native plant and animal species and prevent further degradation of the soil caused by garlic mustard invasion.

Black Swallow-Wort

Black Swallow-Wort (Cynanchum louiseae) is a perennial in the milkweed family native to Europe. In the 1800s, it was cultivated in greenhouses in Ipswich and at the Harvard Botanical Garden where it escaped and became naturalized. Black Swallow Wort overtakes and suppresses native vegetation, decreasing species diversity and wildlife habitat. Additionally, Black Swallow Wort harms monarch butterfly populations; monarchs mistakenly lay their eggs on Black Swallow Wort, due to its resemblance to milkweed, but once the monarch larvae hatch, they die from eating the toxic Black Swallow Wort leaves. BSW is also toxic to deer and potentially other mammals.

River Herring Monitoring

MyRWA engages 200+ volunteers each spring to collect data on the herring migration through the Mystic River. This effort has led to the installation of fish ladders at the Mystic Lakes Dam and Center Falls Dam, and a new fish passage project at Horn Pond. Learn more about river herring.

Rodenticide Advocacy

Learn about local groups working to spread the word on the harmful impacts of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARS) wildlife, especially important predator species like eagles, hawks, owls, and foxes:

Save Massachusetts Wildlife Education Fund | Save Arlington Wildlife | Save Lexington Wildlife | Friends of Horn Pond | Mass Audubon Rescue Raptors

Local Biodiversity Research

• Earthwise Aware Naturalist Participatory Science Program

• Zoo New England Turtle Survey at Horn Pond