CHARLES  RIVER  PARKLANDS  UPDATE
June 2005
Archives—Table of Contents

The CRC's 5th Anniversary

On June 17th, 250 supporters and guests gathered at the State Room, downtown to celebrate the Conservancy's first five years. Ted O'Brien served as master of ceremony and David Gergen gave an impassioned speech about the prospect of swimming in the Charles and the opportunities for the parklands as part of Harvard's expansion into Allston. Nancy Schön received the Charles Eliot Stewardship Award in honor of her tireless efforts to build a world-class skatepark and Paul Grogan received the Helen Storrow Visionary Award for his inspired civic leadership.

The event also included a 9 minute video illustrating the beauty of the Charles River Parklands and the work of the Conservancy's thousands of volunteers. The video is entitled: "See it, Use it, Love it, Help it." The video will soon be available. See more pictures of the event (including full size photos).

Thank you to our major donors:

Equity Office, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carole & Paul Fremont-Smith;

Claire & Jay Baldwin, Peter Munkenbeck & Renata von Tscharner, Susan Fleming, Northpoint Land Company;

Joel & Lisa Alvord, Boston Properties, Delessert Financial, Harvard Planning and Allston Initiative, Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, Hunt Alternative Fund, IBC Oppenheimer, Meredith & Grew, Novartis, Sayre Sheldon, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr;

Anchor Capital, Boston University, The Bulfinch Companies, Daniel & Kate Calano, Henry & Joan Lee, Davies & Monahan, Ernesta & Mark Kraczkiewicz, Linda Lerner, Steve & Tish Mead, Cynthia & Andrew Rossano, Amy Segal & Andrew Blum, Tee Taggart & John Turner

Conservancy Volunteers

Biggest Corporate Volunteer Event Ever
During the week of June 6-10, our pro-bono landlord EF Education offered 500 employees the opportunity to turn off their computers and put on some work gloves. The energetic EF workforce, in their effort to improve the parklands, filled over 700 compostable bags of invasive species, cleared 2.5 miles of shoreline, painted 26 rows of benches at the Public Theater, and spread 13 cubic yards of mulch.

EF's RiverWeek
EF's "RiverWeek" also included an orientation about the parklands and how stewardship affects water quality, a Charles River Jeopardy competition, and a river party. Thank you EF for all of your hard work.

Summerbridge
This summer, students of the Summerbridge program will once again be doing hands-on service learning on Hell's Half Acre.

If you would like to sign up for a volunteer event or are interested in service-learning, contact Evan Moss at elm@thecharles.org.

RiverSing 2005

Mark your calendars! Thursday, September 22nd we will celebrate once again the Autumnal Equinox in collaboration with the Revels. Just before sunset we will gather on the banks of the Charles, upriver from the Weeks Memorial Footbridge, to sing and celebrate the change of the season.

If you are interested in sponsorship information or in the Weld Boat House private dinner reception following the celebration, please contact Kristen Parkinson at klp@thecharles.org. Space is limited for the reception so be sure to reserve your tickets

Advocacy

During the budget hearings of the past few weeks, several efforts supported by the Charles River Conservancy have made it successfully through the House/Senate Conference Committee. These efforts include:

• the 14.8m increase of the DCR budget (16% increase for urban parks)
• the $100,000 for the completion of the historic parkways guidelines
• the $40,000 for the study of Nonantum Road to calm traffic and widen pathways

If the Governor approves these items they will become part of the final FY 2006 budget. Thank you to all who wrote letters, made phone calls, and/or came to hearings.

Charles River Skatepark

The Charles River Skatepark Project continues to move steadily forward with a recent grant from the Turner Family Foundation, many individual donations, and the grassroots revenue from the skatepark concert series. Two anonymous donors continue their pledge to quintuple all donations made by skateboaders, in-line skaters, and BMX bikers. To donate, or for a comprehensive update including upcoming events and a complete list of donors, visit our Charles River Skatepark page.

Thank you for all your support!

Recent skatepark press coverage includes:

• May 27, 2005: Boston Globe, KidsSports: For boarders, it's greatest skate by Kevin Paul Dupont
• June 1, 2005: The Boston Parents' Paper: Investing in a Dream by Gail Spector
• June 6, 2005: Banker & Tradesman; Design Matters: The Charles River Conservancy Ramps Up Skatepark Plan by Jeffrey Stein

Invest in YOUR Parklands...

For those of you who have recently given to the Conservancy, thank you, we greatly appreciate your commitment. Your investment strengthens our ability to renew and steward the Charles River Parklands. Please consider supporting the Conservancy. You can donate online or send a check to our mailing address, shown. in the column to the left.

Membership Mailing

Recently a mailing with the Conservancy's new brochure has been sent out. If you have already sent in your contribution, accept our sincerest thanks. If the letter is still waiting to be answered, please send in your contribution today and allow us to continue our efforts to make the parklands more attractive and active.

If you did not receive a copy of the new brochure and would like one, please contact us at crc@thecharles.org.

You can also contribute to the Conservancy online.

The Charles River Conservancy takes as its mission the renewal and stewardship of the Charles River Parklands and their surroundings, particularly parks, parkways and bridges. The Conservancy engages in numerous Parklands restoration and improvement initiatives, including access and safety, education and outreach, and planning and maintenance programs, and relies heavily on individual contributions. To support the Charles River Conservancy, click here. Thank you!

If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to pass it along. Interested readers can subscribe to the e-newsletter by clicking here and following the directions on the subscription page.

If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, click here and follow the directions.