THE STREAMER NEWSLETTER

Streamer: Summer 2000

Over the past five years, CRWA's budget has increased substantially. We have installed our own water quality laboratory, and our staff has grown in size and professionalism. We cope with problems that are increasingly complex and intractable. It is easy to lose sight of the critical role of volunteers in our programs. My twin messages this month are to emphasize just how important you are, and to encourage more members to participate.

What do you do? You make the Run of the Charles possible. It is our signature canoe and kayak race. It gives great pleasure to thousands, focuses attention on the river, and raises CRWA's visibility. Our race this April was the biggest and best yet! And making things happen were 120 volunteers up and down the river, assisting boaters, monitoring portages, handling registrations, and many other tasks. The event would be impossible without you. Thanks!

And you are the heart of our programs to restore and protect the river's health. CRWA's core priorities for years have been a combination of maintaining river flows and reducing pollution. But before you began to take river samples five years ago, no one had a comprehensive and clear idea of where the problem spots on the river were, much less a mechanism for monitoring progress. Since then, an army of you-eighty at any one time-have gone out simultaneously, once a month at 6:00 in the morning, to take water samples. You give a comprehensive picture of the river's health. You provide the hard data that guides our efforts, that gives us clout and credibility when staff meets with state and federal regulators to push for action, and that is the basis for EPA's annual Report Card on the Charles.

We have a better river because of you, but there are gaps in the sampling. We need some additional monitors, particularly from Milford through Waltham. If you want to make a difference to the Charles, please call Peggy Savage at the office, (617) 965-5975 ext. 221.