Charity

Watertown Company Cleans Up Section Along Charles River

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WiTricityEmployees from Watertown-based WiTricity cleaned up the area along the Charles River near the Watertown Bridge. Volunteers from Watertown-based WiTricity spent an afternoon cleaning up a section of the Charles River near Watertown Square. A team of 25 employees from the company located on Water Street in Watertown cleaned the river bank near the bridge over Galen Street on May 5. The clean-up was done under the guidance of the Charles River Conservancy. WiTricityTwenty-five employees from WiTricity picked up trash along the Charles River in Watertown.

Environment

Watertown Group to Hear About City’s Climate Action Plan at Annual Meeting & Potluck

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Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice & the Environment will host its annual meeting in person for the first time in two years. The group sent out the following information:

WHEN: Sunday, May 15th, 2022

WHERE: Belmont/Watertown United Methodist Church, 80 Mt. Auburn St. WHAT Potluck Dinner 5:30 p.m. and Meeting & Program 6:15 p.m.

Special Presentation:

Watertown’s Climate Action Plan: Addressing the Climate Emergency

Ed Lewis, Watertown’s Energy/Project Manager

Laurel Schwab, Watertown’s Senior Environmental Planner

Come learn about the Plan’s creation, its importance, potential impact, and what we can do to get it adopted and implemented 

This will be our first in-person gathering in two years! Please bring a main dish, salad, side or dessert!

Environment

Watertown Receives Grant to do Inventory of Trees on Public Land

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These trees along the Community Path between Whites Avenue and Waverley Avenue are some that would be counted in the Urban Tree Inventory to be conducted by the City of Watertown. The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City of Watertown was recently awarded a $38,500 grant with a 50/50 match by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grant Program to support the City’s Tree and Potential Planting Location Inventory project. The grant is awarded annually to municipalities and nonprofits looking to improve and protect urban forests in an effort to help communities inventory, plant and maintain public trees. The City of Watertown will be contracting with PlanIT Geo, Inc. to conduct an Urban Tree Inventory. This project will provide a public tree inventory on streets, parks, and public property throughout the City.

Around Town

Watertown Group Joins Other Tree Advocates to Stop Loss of Urban Tree Canopies

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Tree advocacy groups from across the region met together for the first time on March 31st. Such groups
support planting of hundreds of trees each year such as this one recently planted at the Lowell School in Watertown. The following piece was provided by Trees for Watertown:

On March 31st, tree advocacy organizations from nine cities and towns throughout Eastern Massachusetts came together for the first time to discuss ways to reverse the concerning loss of protective urban tree canopy in our region. Organizations joined the conversation from larger cities such as Newton, Medford and Arlington, mid- sized cities such as Watertown, Lexington and Wellesley, and the smaller towns including Bedford, Weston, Maynard, and Groton. A representative from Boston’s tree advocacy organization Speaks for the Trees Boston was also present.

Environment

Filmmaker Appearing at Watertown Group’s Meeting to Speak About Climate Feedback Loops

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The following information was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & the Environment:

Climate Feedback Loops — What they are and what we can do about them

In the award winning film Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops, climate scientists explain how warming caused by human activity is setting in motion Earth’s own natural warming mechanisms, releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and further warming the planet in dangerous, amplifying cycles. These feedback loops are not generally understood by the public – or many policymakers. After watching a short film section on melting permafrost, we’ll speak with the film’s creator, Bonnie Waltch, Brian Hebeisan (a WE3C member) and Representative Steve Owens, focusing on the urgent question: what can we do at the local, state, and national level to ensure we stop these cycles and let natural systems do their job of removing carbon, preserving the delicate balance necessary to maintain Earth’s temperature. WCPJE Meeting, Wednesday, March 16th at 7 pm. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89579464101?pwd=NXB3S2d6bldidVVjVFlYVmpwallBZz09#success

Climate & Energy Plan

Resident Comments Wanted on Watertown Draft Climate & Energy Plan

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A draft of the Watertown Climate and Energy Plan has been released and City officials seek input from the public about the document. The plan has been titled “Resilient Watertown,” and it details the City’s strategies to address climate change. The plan is the product of meetings, workshops and surveys, according to the introduction by Acting City Manager Tom Tracy. The City Council’s statement reads, in part: “The Plan identifies opportunities for lasting improvements here in Watertown, by reducing climate change-causing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants and improving quality of life for all residents in the face of extreme events and prolonged stressors.” The plan seeks to help the City prepare for the impact of severe weather events.

Around Town

See the History, and Possible Future of the Watertown Dam and the Charles River

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Charlie BreitroseThe Watertown Dam near Watertown Square slows the flow of the Charles River. A group is advocating removing the dam. The Charles River Watershed Association recently produced a history of the Charles River, including a look at the Watertown Dam, called A River Interrupted. The group is advocating for the removal of the dam near Watertown Square as a way to return the Charles to its natural state. One reason is to help migrating restore the numbers of migrating species in the river that struggle to get upstream due to the dam and other obstacles.

Environment

Watertown Group Joining Other Communities for Webinar Focusing on Green New Deal

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The following announcement was provided by Watertown Facing Climate Change:

The Watertown Facing Climate Change committee is working with other local communities to support state legislation. You can become more informed and take collective action by joining us on the “Bring the Green New Deal Home Actionar.” (An actionar is like a webinar but with action). You can participate on either days: 

Monday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. https://350mass.betterfutureproject.org/bringing_the_green_new_deal_home_actionar, or

Tuesday, Jan.