CRWA 45th ANNUAL MEETING

CRWA's 45th annual meeting on March 30th at the Newton Marriott drew a record number of people to honor awardees and hear keynote speaker Alex Krieger describe innovative designs across the world and here at home that cities have used to transform their waterways into vibrant destinations. The remarks of Executive Director Bob Zimmerman brought home not only the urgency of CRWA's work protecting the Charles River, but also the plethora of approaches and solutions CRWA is working on to address environmental challenges in an urban watershed. Chris Kilian, Conservation Law Foundation, received the Anne M. Blackburn Award for his precedent-setting legal work on water, and James W. Hunt III was awarded the Rita Barron Public Official Award for his outstanding service as Chief of Environmental and Energy Services for the City of Boston. Also honored were Dennis Dunn, Kimberly Groff, and Elaine Hartman, MassDEP, with the Clean Charles Award and Shirley Parish and Sharon Malt who received the Ginger Lawrence Volunteer Award.

The Annual Meeting brought together over 160 members, river enthusiasts, community advocates, and environmentalists to celebrate the Charles River.  The towns in the Charles River Watershed, extending from Hopkinton to Boston, were well represented.

Newly-elected CRWA Board President, Tom Sieniewicz, of Cambridge, welcomed guests and Zimmerman highlighted CRWA’s achievements in 2010 and looked ahead to its work in 2011, continuing to develop and implement a phosphorus removal on-line trading program for stormwater and working with the Town of Littleton on selective sewering of the village center for density, local treatment and infiltration of the wastewater and capture of methane or other options for renewable energy. 

Distinguished guests included environmental and community leaders, Mary Griffin, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, City of Boston Public Works Commissioner Joanne Massaro, State Representative Frank Smizik, George Bachrach of the Environmental League of Massachusetts, Julia Blatt and Susan Beede of the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, John Kassel of Conservation Law Foundation and Renata Von Tscharner of Charles River Conservancy.

Stewardship Awards

	Ginger Lawrence Volunteer Award Sharon Malt Shirley Parish
Awardees at the Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner.  From left to right: Kimberly Groff, Shirley Parish, Elaine Hartman, Robert Zimmerman, Dennis Dunn, Chris Kilian, James Hunt, and Sharon Malt. Photo by Pallavi Mande.
Clean Charles Award Dennis Dunn Kimberly Groff Elaine Hartman Mass. Department of Environmental Protection
	Clean Charles Awardees with CRWA Executive Director Bob Zimmerman. From right to left: Kimberly Groff, Elaine Hartman, Bob Zimmerman, and Dennis Dunn. Photo by Pallavi Mande.
	Rita Barron Public Official Award James W. Hunt, III Chief of Environmental and Energy Services City of Boston
From right to left: James Hunt, Sharon Malt, and Bob Zimmerman. Photo by Pallavi Mande.
Anne M. Blackburn Award Chris Kilian Vice President and Director Conservation Law Foundation-Vermont