The River Current

Issue 4, Volume 1.  July 03, 2003.

|| RIVER CURRENT || ISSUE IV || JULY 3, 2003 ||

The mostly monthly e-newsletter of the Charles River Watershed Association
.bringing Boston's backyard river to your door.

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In this issue:
I) CRWA ACTION ALERT: Call your state rep/senator *today* to help our rivers and parklands!
II) Flagging program returns to the Basin for summer 2003
III) CRWA news and notes
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Dear Friends of the River -

The legislative session is winding down, and we are asking for your all-important support once again.  Your lobbying work has helped us get many items passed in the new budget, and this is our last chance to influence state legislature on some final, very significant programs.  The future of our parklands and waterways depends on you!  You'll find an action alert below.  We are asking you to make a phone call *today* to your legislator; final debate on the budget starts Monday, and it is important to communicate with our elected officials BEFORE that debate begins.  Thank you again for your support of these important programs!

I) ACTION ALERT: Help keep the Metropolitan Parks System intact!  Help restore funding for the Riverways Program, for recycling programs, and for Toxic Use Reduction! Call today!

On Monday, Governor Romney vetoed (omitted) several key items in the budget that stood to improve the quality of our rivers and parklands.  Now, the legislature needs to decide whether they will override those vetoes.  Please call your state representative and state senator *TODAY* and urge them to override these specific vetoes (to find your representative and senator, go to http://www.state.ma.us/legis/citytown.htm):

*Parkland provisions (Line item 2000-0100), (Outside Section 248), and (Outside Section 627):

            Romney's vetoes could reduce protection of the parkways that link the various elements of the metropolitan parks system.  These parkways are historic elements of the system, and should be preserved as such.  Control of these parkways must remain with EOEA, not given over to the Highway Department or another entity.

*Riverways Program (2300-0101):

            This program has been effective at working with watershed associations and other groups to promote protection of rivers and streams in the state.  By leveraging a very small state investment into a tremendous benefit for communities and citizens statewide, the Riverways Program outperforms many other more expensive state programs.

*Recycling Programs (line item 2010-0200):

            Funding for state support of these programs is vital to their success.

*Toxic Use Reduction Institute (line item 7100-0300):

            This institute at UMass has been effective and should be funded.

Click here for detailed information about any of these line items and outside sections: http://www.crwa.org/index.php?reorg/vetoes.html&2

For talking points, click here for a copy of CRWA's letter to the legislature asking for overrides: http://www.crwa.org/index.php?reorg/crwasletter.html&2

II) Flagging program returns to the Charles River Basin

The Flagging 2003 Season has kicked off on July 2 and will extend to the Head of the Charles Regatta weekend in October.  Flags will be flown daily at nine different sites.   Blue means that the river is suitable for boating at that location; red warns of potential health risks associated with elevated bacteria levels.  Flags are based on the probability of the river exceeding the Massachusetts secondary contact recreation standard (i.e., boating) for fecal coliform bacteria at various locations.

For the list of sites with the flag color, updated daily, call (781) 788-0007 x 301 or visit:
http://www.charlesriver.org/index.php?wq/daily/2003/daily.html&2

III) Charles River/Watershed Association News and Notes

*Planning on paddling out on the Charles to watch the fireworks tomorrow?  Be sure to familiarize yourself with the new MDC restrictions.  Visit MDC's website for the 4th: http://www.july4th.org/generaleventinfo/eventrestrictions/

*CRWA's newsletter, Streamer, will soon be hitting (real) mailboxes.  Featured articles include: CRWA policy analyst Kate Bowditch's take on the future of the metropolitan parks system; a detailed look at CRWA's lawsuit against DEP on behalf of the Ipswich River; and the Run of the River, which lays out CRWA's advocacy and scientific work along the Charles.  As always, Streamer will be available on the CRWA website in PDF form.

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The River Current, July 3, 2003, Issue IV.

To automatically subscribe to The River Current, send an email to rivercurrent-subscribe@lists.charlesriver.org  To unsubscribe, send an email to rivercurrent-unsubscribe@lists.charlesriver.org.  For questions or concerns, email the list administrator at rivercurrent@crwa.org.  The River Current is published by the Charles River Watershed Association and hosted by NPOGroups.org, a service of Electric Embers.

Editor: Ariel Dekovic
Mailing address: 48 Woerd Avenue || Waltham, MA || 02453
Phone: 781-788-0007 Fax: 781-788-0057

Further information and back issues of The River Current can be found at http://www.charlesriver.org. List information can be found at http://lists.charlesriver.org.