Come join the fun! Get dirty for a cleaner river! On Saturday, July 21, 2007 everyone is invited to help weed the Charles River. The Charles River Watershed Association, in cooperation with Charles River Canoe & Kayak, Aquatic Control Technology, and residents from Newton and Waltham, is sponsoring a Weed Pulling Party on the river from 10am to 2pm, followed by a Weed Pullers'/Neighborhood Potluck Party on Kingswood Road in Newton from 4pm to 7pm. Pulling with then continue on an informal basis until August 10 — come to the boathouse at Charles River Canoe & Kayak with your Photo I.D. and we'll let you take out a canoe to be used for pulling at no charge.

Join the fun on the Lakes District of the Charles River between Newton and Waltham. Canoes are available free of charge (with Photo I.D.) from Charles River Canoe & Kayak at 2401 Commonwealth Avenue (Route 30); Newton, MA 02466 (click for a map and directions). Pick up a river map and head downstream to designated pulling areas. Weeds are picked from the water surface, often from amongst lily pads. Gathering baskets will be available at collection sites. Gloves will keep your hands cleaner. Wear old clothes — you will get dirty! Remember sun protection. Please beware of the seeds — they have sharp spikes!

For further information call Larry at Charles River Canoe & Kayak at 617-965-5110.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 4 truck loads, 6-7 tons, 40 water craft, and 60-70 volunteers. We can add another 30 weeders from Newton's Environmental Science Program with another ton pulled last Thursday. What a great community effort! Then delicious food, great music, relaxing boat rides and good company at the party. We'll have to repeat next year!

We owe special thanks to: Gerry Smith, President, and Jack Fitzgerald, Project Manager, from ACT for donating their time and boat on Saturday. Billy Creonte, owner, and Peter Muscato, driver, for hauling away the chestnut for free. Alex and Jill McNeil and members of Back Burner for the free music. John Connor, owner, and Jim Kelly and wife, operators, of the Totem Pole for a reduced rate. Charles River Watershed Association for publicizing the event which resulted in about 20 additional volunteers.

The mechanical harvesting came about through the efforts of Jim Straub and Mike Gildesgame, Director, of DCR's Office of Water Management, Lakes and Ponds Program. The new DCR Commissioner Rick Sullivan and Governor Deval Patrick can also be thanked. On Saturday, Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy of Waltham helped Gerry Smith transport our weed filled baskets on the Airboat.

Our State Representatives Kay Khan and Thomas Stanley and Senator Cynthia Creem have been pushing for funding and I believe there is $100,000 in the budget for next year.

If a few thousand dollars($450 so far) can be raised in the next week, I will be happy to organize paid weed-pullers through CRWA. Otherwise, volunteers can continue to pull with disposal in private compost piles or city yard waste collection. Concentrate on the isolated plants to prevent the formation of large mats. If we can clear the shores from Angleside/Islington to Moody Street in Waltham, next year will be easier. Hopefully, we can limit the chestnuts to the area around E-Island.

Thanks again for all of your efforts,
Larry Smith, President
Charles River Canoe & Kayak

Water chestnut (not the kind used in Asian cooking) choked a substantial portion of the Lakes District of the Charles River during the mid/late 1990’s. It forms a dense vegetative mat on the water surface, which drives out native plants, reduces light penetration thereby depleting oxygen and damaging fish habitat, and is a safety hazard for boating. For more information, view this Fact Sheet prepared by Ann F. Rhoads and Timothy A. Block of the Morris Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania.

For eight years between 1995 and 2002 the Metropolitan District Commission contracted for a comprehensive program of mechanical harvesting and manual hand-pulling of this highly invasive weed. Most of the area was cleared and the majority of the river is relatively weed free. For the past four years both individually and as groups, Newton and Waltham residents have hand-pulled many weeds from several coves and along the river’s shore.

The water chestnut never completely disappeared from the Charles Riverand several areas became heavily re-infested. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is spending $125,000 this year to hire Aquatic Control Technology, Inc, (ACT) to mechanically harvest the areas of dense growth. The next phase is hand-pulling to clear the shoreline and shallow areas that cannot be reached by the mechanical harvesters. To help clear the remaining weeds, the residents of Newton and Waltham have organized a volunteer weed pulling party on Saturday, July 21st. Fifty-plus volunteers are expected to have a significant impact on the remaining water chestnut plants. Aquatic Control Technology is donating their staff and two harvesters for weed collection on that day.

Additional hand-pulling will continue for the next few weeks and for many years to come — come to the boathouse at Charles River Canoe & Kayak until August 10, 2007 with your Photo I.D. and we'll let you take out a canoe at no charge. One plant can produce up to 120 seeds and the seeds already in the river can last up to twelve years. If you have questions, please contact Larry at Charles River Canoe & Kayak, 617-965-5110.