CRWA HONORS CHARLES RIVER STEWARDS AT ANNUAL MEETING

Release date: November 15, 1999

Newton, MA - At its annual meeting on November 15th, Charles River Watershed Association honored seven individuals for their outstanding efforts to protect the Charles River and its watershed.  Boston Duck Tours CEO Andrew Wilson and EPA’s New England Administrator John DeVillars were among those who received awards.

CRWA presented its highest honor, the Anne M. Blackburn Award, to CRWA Director Andy Wilson for his generous support of the association’s laboratory and programs, and his public promotion of river issues.  Dozens of CRWA water quality volunteers this year received complimentary passes for Duck Tours of Boston and the Charles on the popular World War II amphibious craft.

DeVillars received the 2005 Award, named in honor of his aggressive campaign to make the Charles safe for swimming and fishing by the year 2005. The award will be given annually for the next five years to individuals who have contributed significantly to the cleanup of the river.

In presenting the 2005 Award, CRWA Executive Director Robert L. Zimmerman, Jr. called DeVillars “a strong and generous partner in CRWA’s stewardship of the Charles.”

Public Official Awards were presented to Sam Corda and Rosemary Blacquier of Holliston’s Sewer Program Office for their efforts to develop a comprehensive plan for managing Holliston’s wastewater that will protect streamflow and drinking water supplies.  Don DiMartino, director of Bellingham’s Department of Public Works, received a similar award for his planning efforts.

Zimmerman said Corda, Blacquier and DiMartino “had broken the mold of traditional municipal water management. Their watershed-minded planning takes into account the impact of town infrastructure on the river and underground water stores.”

The Citizen Activist Award went to Ann Marie Pilch of Holliston for her work in the town’s Open Space Committee to assure that water resources are protected in local land acquisition and master planning initiatives.

Norman Sieman of Wellesley was given the Volunteer Award for his active participation in water quality monitoring, watershed education, and river advocacy.

CRWA welcomed three new members to its board of directors: Philip Hillman of Dorchester, divisional vice president of Polaroid; Richard Gonci of Cambridge, senior creative director for Quantic Communications and producer of Tunnel Visions, a documentary on the cleanup of Boston Harbor; and Willis Wang of Newton, associate general counsel at Boston University.

Keynote speaker for the evening was Alan K. Simpson, former US Senator from Wyoming and director of the Institute for Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.  His lively and insightful talk was titled, “Whose Water Is It Anyway?!”

Established in 1965, CRWA is the only organization whose sole mission is to protect the health, beauty and accessibility of the Charles River. The association conducts a monthly water quality monitoring program along the entire length of the Charles to track the progress of cleanup.  It also promotes new approaches to watershed management to address long-term regional needs for fresh water sources and wastewater disposal in 35 watershed towns.

Back to index