Around Town

Celebrate the New Charles River Path, Park & Join a Guided Walk or Bike Ride

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Come out to see the improved Charles River Path, the new park along the river, and join in a guided walk or bike ride around the area or just enjoy the park and play some games. 

The event will be on Sunday, Oct. 2, from 10 a.m. t0 1 p.m., and is part of Watertown Moves. The event is sponsored by Live Well Watertown and the Watertown Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, and co-sponsored by Livable Watertown. The activities will be held a the newly refurbished Watertown Riverfront Park, featuring the Braille Trail, on Charles River Road at Irving Street (see the map below). Knucklebones will be at the park to facilitate games and group activities.

Around Town

Improved Riverside Park a World Class Example of Accessibility for the Blind

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The recently refurbished section of the Charles River Path east of Watertown Square not only replaced crumbling paths with smooth and clean new ones, but added new features so that the blind and visually impaired can get more out of their visit to the area. 

State officials joined local supporters at the ribbon cutting for the Watertown Riverfront Park and Braille Trail on Thursday morning. The celebration came many years after the idea of improving the area first surfaced. “This is my first time here, and I am shocked how beautiful it turned out,” said Matt Beaton, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. “It is truly a gem along the gem we have in our Charles River.” New sand-cover paths wind along about 5,000 feet of the riverfront near the intersection of Charles River Road and Irving Street, with features such as overlooks and areas to view the river, similar to other sections of the Charles River.

Around Town

Library Offering Guided Walk Along Charles River With Nature Photographer

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A local nature photographer will lead a guided walk along the Charles River in conjunction with the Watertown Free Public Library. The library sent out the following information:

Spring time along the Charles is rich with wildlife. On Saturday, June 4 at 10:30 a.m., naturalist photographer Carole Berney will host a guided river walk starting on the patio outside the Watertown Free Public Library at 123 Main St. Feel free to bring your cameras! The walk is limited to 15 people, ages 16 and up.

Around Town

Hundreds of Volunteers Clean Up Charles River for Earth Day

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On Saturday, April 30, over 300 people volunteered in Watertown as part of the 17th Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup. In a collaboration led by Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA), over 3,000 volunteers from 133 groups throughout the watershed worked together to remove litter and debris as well as eradicate invasive species in an effort to beautify the Charles River and surrounding parklands, the CRWA announced. For 17 years the Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup has provided thousands of volunteers an opportunity to serve as parkland stewards at sites throughout the Charles River watershed including in Watertown. Through their service, volunteers deepen their connection to the Charles River while increasing their commitment to protect it. On Saturday, participants joined thousands of volunteers across Massachusetts who came together for Park Serve Day MassParks’ annual statewide day of volunteer service.

Environment

LETTER: Coordinators Wanted to Lead Spring River Cleanups

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To The Editor,

Help Us End Litter: Join the Great Massachusetts Cleanup

So far, the amount of snowfall this winter is nowhere near the levels we experienced last year. While this is good news for municipal snow removal budgets across Massachusetts, the lack of snow is bad news for anyone who enjoys a break from seeing the litter that has piled up along our roadsides. Unfortunately, litter has become a serious problem all over our state. Trash along our major highways, suburban streets, in small wooded areas, and along secluded country roads is not only ugly, but it sends the message that Massachusetts doesn’t care much about its appearance. For a state that relies on tourist dollars to fuel a large portion of its economy, this makes little sense.

Charles River

Pedestrian Bridge Over Charles River Will be Replaced

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The pedestrian bridge over the Charles River west of Watertown Square will be replaced by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The bridge will be completely replaced so it will be accessible by people with disabilities, said Dan Driscoll, DCR’s Director of Recreation Facilities Planning and Design. “The current bridge does not meet ADA requirements,” Driscoll said. The new bridge will be a prefabricated one, but for a short time there will be no pedestrian access at that point in the river, Driscoll said. The project will be bid this fall, and work will be done in the spring of 2016, he said.

Around Town

Goats Providing Organic Poison Ivy Removal from Banks of Charles

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People running and walking along the Charles River in Watertown this week have gotten quiet a surprise – a herd of goats roaming the trees near the riverbank. Forty goats have been brought in this week by Goats to Go, which was hired by a Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) contractor, said farmer Alan Aulson. They have been attacking the poison ivy in the wooded area near the new Braille Trail, off Charles River Road, east of Watertown Square. “They were going to get the poison ivy done anyway, and this is a safe, environmentally quiet way to do it,” Aulson said. The goats love to munch on the weeds that are so bothersome to humans.

Around Town

See How the New Park Along the Charles River is Shaping Up

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The area along the Charles River, east of Watertown Square has a snazzy new look featuring places to sit, look over the river and to appreciated the natural surroundings. Travis Mazerall, the project designer from Sasaki Associates, recently led a tour of the park near the intersection of Charles River Road and Irving Street has been turned into place that can be enjoyed by everyone, including the blind and visually impaired. The path includes wires hung across posts every 20 feet, or so. “Some have indicator beads about the size of a fist, that tell the user what is around, such as if there is a bench across from it,” Mazerall said. The project is being built by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), but is funded by a mix of local non-profits, foundations and some money from the town.