Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/more/environment/page/13/)
Find out what steps the Town of Watertown is taking to make the Charles River healthier. On Thursday, Sept. 14, the Watertown Department of Public Works and the Stormwater Advisory Committee will host a session where the public can learn about Green Infrastructure in Action. The meeting will be on Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers Town Hall, 149 Main Street.
Half a dozen young nature enthusiasts have taken to the streets of Watertown this summer with a mission of caring for the town’s street trees and spreading the word about the importance of urban trees.
The six teens are part in the Watertown Teen Tree Stewardship Program, which is sponsored by Trees for Watertown, a citizens group committed to protecting and promoting trees in town. Each day, the group has an activity. Sometimes it is looking around town for street trees that are in need of help, other times it is learning about trees and nature, and sometimes they are promoting their program, said David Meshoulam, founder and coordinator of the program. As Meshoulam drives the group around town, the former Newton North High School science teacher points out a “beautiful beech” or a tree that has not been properly planted. The teens have been keeping track of trees around town.
On Friday, July 28, people will paddle the Charles River on their way to work to celebrate a healthy river and raise funds for Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA). People participating in Paddle to Work Day hosted by Charles River Canoe and Kayak will kayak from Soldier’s Field Road in Allston/Brighton 5 miles downstream to Kendall Square in Cambridge. Individuals who work in Kendall Square will have paddled to work, while others can take public transportation to their desired destinations. People can purchase tickets for the event at paddleboston.com/paddle2work and may reserve a single or double kayak or sign up to bring their own boat. Charles River Canoe and Kayak will donate all ticket proceeds to Charles River Watershed Association to support its work protecting and restoring the Charles River.
Advocates of recycling got good news Tuesday night when the Town Council approved the new trash and recycling removal contract – toters 50 percent off. Residents in Watertown get one green recycling toter, which is collected every two weeks. For some this is not enough and the bin overflows. When Republic Services came to present the new contract at the June 14 Town Council meeting a number of Councilors said they hoped the price of an additional toter could be reduced from the $180 charged in the contract that ends June 30, 2017. Tuesday night, Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced that in the time since the last meeting Town officials negotiated a new price for the additional recycling toters with Republic Services.
On Saturday, July 1, 2017, Watertown’s Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance will take effect, meaning that single-use plastic bags will no longer be given out by stores. The group that originally proposed the new rules will provide free bags to residents and has spread the word about the new ordinance. The ordinance first came to the Town Council from the ReThink Plastic citizen’s group more than four years ago. The Council’s Rules & Ordinances subcommittee worked with members of ReThink Plastic to draft the ordinance that was ultimately approved by the Town Council in June 2016. “The Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance will help make Watertown a healthier place to live and will help reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the Charles River and in our trees and parks,” said ReThink Plastic member Eileen Ryan.
This weekend, Watertown’s Danny Loprete will take the field at Gillette Stadium with his Merrimack College teammates to play for the NCAA Div. II lacrosse national championship.
The WHS graduate is a senior on the Warriors team which will make the school’s first ever appearance in the national championship game. The midfielder and face-off man scored two goals and had two assists this year. He also won 56 of 101 face offs and 26 ground balls. Merrimack, ranked fourth nationally, beat No.
To the Editor:
Two weeks after the Annual Charles River Cleanup, April 29, I went back to the area behind the Stop & Shop, 700 Pleasant Street. On the day of the Cleanup, members of Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the Environment hauled from the banks of the river bags and bags of trash, including a large car part identified as a catalytic converter. By noon the area looked immaculate. On my follow-up visit, trash had started to re-accumulate. Back again along the banks were scatterings of sanitizing wipes and advertising flyers.
A tree grows in Watertown Square – and it’s no ordinary tree. This tree honors Watertown’s own Tree Warden, Chris Hayward, for being named Massachusetts Tree Warden of the Year.
Hayward received the Tree Warden of the Year award from the Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters Association earlier this year, and as part of the award he got to have a tree planted in his town in his honor. On Wednesday morning, a white fir was planted on the Watertown Square Delta, just a stone’s throw from the bus stop. A couple dozen people came to congratulate him, including co-workers, elected officials, residents and his wife, mother and mother- and father-in-laws. The evergreen is about 10 feet tall, but it could grow to several times that height in about 80 years time.