The River Current ~ February 24, 2010 ~ Issue 106

The e-newsletter of the Charles River Watershed Association
...bringing our backyard river to your door...

 

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In this issue

• Green Budget event
• Public meeting on stormwater permits
• Run of the Charles volunteers
• MA Land Conservation Conference

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1) ELM Green Budget Event Tomorrow

The Governor's FY 2011 budget was released at the end of January; as expected, the environmental agencies have been hit once again.  As they have for more than a dozen years, the Environmental League of Massachusetts has developed a Green Budget which highlights priority environmental programs and funding needs.  This year's Green Budget documents a disturbing trend of deep cuts over time and the impacts on environmental protection, the economy, and public health and safety.  

To learn more and lend your support , join ELM at their public
Green Budget press event tomorrow, Thursday, February 25 at 11am in room A-1 at the State House. Click here for more information about the 2011 budget's environmental cuts.

Photo by Maury Eldridge 

 

 

 

 

2) Public Meeting on EPA Draft Stormwater Permits

As we reported in our last e-newsletter, the US EPA recently released a new draft stormwater permit - the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, or MS4, permit - for public comment. This permit is intended to help cities and towns work to clean up polluted runoff, which is the biggest source of pollution to the Charles River.

We encourage you to attend the EPA's recently announced public meeting and/or submit comments on the permit (due March 31). CRWA is currently preparing our comments on the draft permits, which we will post on our website soon as a guide.

The EPA public meeting on the draft MS4 permits will be held on Thursday, March 18. The meeting will take place from 9 - 10am, followed by a hearing at 10:15am. The meetings will take place at the Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Federal Building, 10 Causeway Street (Auditorium First Floor), Boston.

3) Run of the Charles volunteers needed

The 28th Annual Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak Race needs volunteers on Sunday, April 25!  Spend a great day helping 1500 paddlers enjoy this historic river or enter a team of ten in the Canoe Relay Race. 

Volunteer tasks include check-in/registration, set-up, boat number spotting, safety, and clean-up.  Experienced canoeists/kayakers are also needed to follow racers on the river as "sweep" boats.  Please contact Meg or Sally at 508-698-6810, rotc@crwa.org, or click here for more information or to sign up.

4) MA Land Conservation Conference

You're invited to the 20th Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference in Worcester on Saturday, March 27. The conference, themed ‘"The Next Generation," will include more than 30 workshops, and is intended for everyone interested in protecting Massachusetts landscapes and landmarks. CRWA's Bob Zimmerman will be presenting as part of the Nontraditional Funding Sources for Land Conservation workshop.

Click here for complete conference and registration information; register by March 12 and get a discounted rate!