Cleaner Charles River the focus at CRWA Annual Meeting

April 1, 2010 - Weston, MA – Charles River Watershed Association, the nonprofit responsible for protecting and restoring the Charles River, held its 45th Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner yesterday evening at the Newton Marriott Hotel.  More than 150 river enthusiasts, community advocates, and environmentalists from throughout the watershed joined together to celebrate CRWA’s accomplishments and honor those who have helped to dramatically improve the health of the river.

CRWA Board President Bob Sproull and Executive Director Bob Zimmerman welcomed guests, and Bob Zimmerman presented awards to five honorees who have made extraordinary contributions to restoring and protecting the Charles River over the past year. Richard A. Claytor, Jr. of Horsley Witten Group received the Clean Charles Award for his countless pro-bono hours working on water issues. Ginger Lawrence, of Beacon Hill, a recently retired Board member, was honored and presented the newly-named Ginger Lawrence Volunteer Award to two CRWA volunteers who give freely of their time and energy: Maureen Febiger of Wellesley, a member of CRWA’s development committee who is willing to help out whenever needed, and David Dobrzynski of Frankin, a monthly water quality monitor, Charles River cleanup area coordinator, and key player in diverse projects that improve the river.

CRWA’s two premier awards were presented to government officials who have devoted their careers to improving the Massachusetts environment, including the Charles River. CRWA’s Rita Barron Award for Public Service was presented to MA Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Mary Griffin, who has brought about the protection of approximately 20,000 acres of land and is a key player in the state’s new Sustainable Water Management Initiative. The Anne M. Blackburn Award was presented to Ken Moraff of the New England Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). His office of Ecosystem Protection has managed many high-impact environmental projects including the clean-up of the Charles River, and he is responsible for regulatory changes that clean up stormwater pollution, promote watershed health, and have dramatically reduced sewage overflows to the Charles.

The evening’s keynote speaker was Curt Spalding, Regional Administrator of the New England EPA, who discussed environmental priorities for New England.  Distinguished guests included environmental and community leaders Andy Kendall of the Trustees of Reservations; Julia Blatt of Massachusetts Rivers Alliance; John Kassel of Conservation Law Foundation; Lucy Edmondson of the Department of Environmental Protection; Henrietta Davis, Vice Mayor of the City of Cambridge; Joel Barrera, of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and Metropolitan Area Planning Council; and State Representative Carolyn Dykema.

As we begin our 46th year, CRWA’s science and advocacy work has seen many successes: victory this fall in restoring state policy to protect the Commonwealth’s rivers, dramatic improvements in water quality, and the completion of pollution studies examining phosphorus in the river. CRWA has also made great strides in continuing to make urban redevelopment more water sensitive, allow rainwater back into the ground, and restore water tables. Our urban restoration team currently has projects in Franklin, Boston, Blackstone, and Waltham to transform city streets into positive spaces for people, water, and the overall environment; three projects we’ve designed are due to begin construction this year.