Volunteer Stewardship Program

The Charles River Conservancy's (CRC) Volunteer Stewardship Program involves community members from Boston, Cambridge, and surrounding towns in the renewal and restoration of the parklands along the Charles River.

This page last updated on
June 2, 2009.

See pictures of . . . Fall 2008—University of Vermont, Akamai - Marsh, Intercontinental, MIT - BU, VistaPrint, Earthwatch - BU Law, MIT NASC See earlier events 2004—2007

See also upcoming volunteer events.

Test your Water Quality IQ with our Water Quality Quiz!

Meet our Stewardship Program Manager: Evan Moss

Evan is a native of western Massachusetts, and holds a B.S. in Geography from the University of Oregon. He has worked for the National Park Service in Oregon and Massachusetts, and spent several years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala. Upon returning from Guatemala he moved to Boston, and has since spent many hours cycling along the banks of the Charles.

On a typical day with the Volunteer Stewardship Program, a volunteer might help with anything from trimming the banks of the river, pruning trees, and helping to control invasive plant species, to planting a new landscape, reseeding a lawn, or repainting benches and light posts. The opportunities are as varied as the views along the river. Most recently, volunteers painted over graffiti on bridges.

We welcome school groups, neighborhood associations, or businesses looking to have a corporate work day. This is a great way to get outside and have fun working with your friends and neighbors, meet new people, and help restore the centerpiece of Greater Boston's park system!

Wondering what it's like to volunteer? Take a look at some photos from our River Cleanup Day with Community Running members and friends. Find out what they accomplished for erosion control that day—and check out a typical day of volunteering from Evan's point of view behind the scenes.

Mass. Environmental Trust Grant to Adult Watershed Education

The Mass. Environmental Trust has given a grant to the Charles River Conservancy to enhance the adult watershed education that occurs through the Conservancy Volunteers Program—with special emphasis on corporate groups.

Upcoming events

Date: June 13th, Saturday
Time: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
This event is part of a very special project planting a native plant and butterfly garden in Herter Park. Space is already limited and we urge you to sign up a.s.a.p. to ensure your participation. Please call 617.300.8173 or send an email to jrb@thecharles.org. Event locations and directions are given upon registration.

Date: June 27th, Saturday
Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
We’ll be continuing our work in Watertown, opening vistas, removing invasives, and providing much general park upkeep. This project involves working with the wonderful folks from the Friends of the Watertown Riverfront, and all Conservancy Volunteers are invited! To sign up, please call 617.300.8173 or send an email to jrb@thecharles.org. Event locations and directions are given upon registration.

Date: July 9th, Thursday
Time: evening
Save the Date!  Join us on the evening of July 9, 2009 for the Conservancy Volunteers Awards Ceremony at the opening night performance of The Complete Works of Shakespeare at the Publick Theater in Allston. Each year, we like to honor our best individuals, groups and companies with a unique thank you: an evening of food and culture in the parklands.  The night’s timeline and public announcement of the awardees will be announced in the upcoming weeks. For free tickets please r.s.v.p. to jrb@thecharles.org.

Dates: Sunday, July 12, July 19, July 26, August 2, August 9, August 16, August 23, August 30
Time: afternoon
Sunday Parkland Games:  The Conservancy is pleased to announce Sunday Parkland Games and invite children, their parents, and grandparents to attend these afternoons of free games and athletic activities near the Weeks Footbridge in Cambridge.  The Sunday games take place all summer long, every Sunday from July 12th to August 30th, and we are looking for interested volunteers to help set up for and staff these afternoons.  If interested and to learn more, please contact jrb@thecharles.orgfor more information. 

Help restore the beauty and vitality of the Charles River Parklands. On a typical day, volunteers might help with anything from trimming the banks of the river, pruning trees, and helping to control invasive plant species, to planting a new landscape, reseeding a lawn, or repainting benches and light posts. The opportunities are as varied as the views along the river.

All projects are conducted in partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation and under the guidance of the appropriate Conservation Commission.

To inquire about future events, contact John Broderick at jrb@thecharles.org.

If you you want to volunteer some other time or come with your own group, let Evan know.

For more information, call the CRC office or email Evan Moss at edm@thecharles.org.

Thank you!

Many companies, groups and organizations have either participated in various volunteer events, contributed to their support, or provided essential services. Our thanks to . . .

Participants

4H
Accenture
Americorps
Andover Newton Theological School
Archemix Corporation
Arup Americas Inc.
Asher House
Aspen Technology
B.C. Law
B.U. Hillel
B.U. Law School
Bank of America
BB&N Alumni
Beacon Academy
Beaver Country Day School
Belmont Brownies
Berklee College of Music
Bernstein Global Wealth Management
Boston Cares
Boston Cares Corporate Volunteer Day
Boston Cares Springworks
Boston Cares Teamworks
Boston College Alumni Association
Boston College Interfaith Grad Students
Boston Hashhouse Harriers
Boston University
Boston University FYSOP
Boston University Law School
Boston Urban Stewards
Bread and Circus
Broad Institute
Brockton Americorps
Brookline Brownies
BU Hillel
Buckingham, Browne & Nichols
Buckingham, Browne & Nichols Alumni Association
Bunker Hill Community College Volunteer Group
Cambridge Bike & Pedestrian Committee
Cambridge Boat Club
Cambridge Rindge and Latin Crew Team
Cambridge Rindge and Latin Environmental Action Club
Cambridge Rindge Latin School Crew Team
Cambridge Running Club
Camp Coca Cola
Camp Yavneh
CDC Ixis
Chapel Hill Chauncy Hall
Charlesgate Yacht Club
City Year
College of Wooster Alumni
Colorado College Alumni
Community Boating
Community Rowing, Inc.
Community Running
Davidson Alumni
Eagle Eye Institute
Eastern Mountain Sports
Educational Development Center Inc.
EF Education
Emerson College
Emmanuel College
Entercom
Entercom Communications Corporation
Ernst and Young
ESEC Lending
Excel Charter School
Family Volunteers
Friends of Mt. Auburn Cemetery
Gann Academy
Geesepeace
Girl Scouts
Groundwork Somerville
Harvard Business School
Harvard Environmental Club
Harvard Law Asian American Students
Harvard Law Association for Law and Family Matters
Harvard Law School
Harvard Medical School “FUNC”
Harvard University
Harvard University Dudley House
Harvard University Medical School Students
Harvard University Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Head of the Charles Regata
Home Depot
Horace Mann School for the Deaf
Human Services Research Institute
Hyatt Regency
Idenix
Innosight, LLC
Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation
JFK School of Government
Korean Church of Brookline
Leaps in Literacy
Marquette Alumni
Marsh USA
Mass Bike
Match School
Mercer Consulting
Millennium Pharmaceuticals
MIT Alpha Phi Omega
MIT Alpha Tau Omega
MIT Aplha Phi Omega
MIT Biology Graduate Student Board
MIT Biology Undergraduate Student Association
MIT City Days
MIT Freshman Urban Program
MIT Graduate Student Volunteer Day
MIT Kappa Sigma
MIT Next House
MIT Phi Delta Theta
MIT Protestant Student Community
MIT Sea Grant
MIT Sigma Nu
MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Tech Christian
MIT Theory of Computation Lab
MIT Zeta Beta Tau
Monument Staffing
Morgan Stanley
Morse School
MSI-Marketing Science Institute
Mullen Advertising
Nature Conservancy
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.
New Jewish High School
Newton Athletes Serving the Community
Northeastern University
Northeastern University American Society of Civil Engineers (NUASCE)
Northeastern University Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society
Northeastern University Women's Crew Team
Novartis
Occidental Alumni Boston Chapter
Old Colony YMCA-Leaps in Literacy Program
Partners Health Plan, Office of General Council
Pepe & Hazard LLP
Price Waterhouse Coopers
Prospect Hill Academy Charter School
Revels
Riverside Boat Club
Ropes and Gray, LLP
S.R. Weiner
Shady Hill
Showa Boston
Simmons College
Single Volunteers of Boston (SVB)
Somerville Charter School
SR Weiner
Summerbridge
Summerbridge Cambridge
Summerbridge Summerslam
Timberland
Tobin School
Travizon
Triumvirate Environmental
Tufts Focus
Tufts Health Plan, Marketing Department
Tufts Health Plan, QHI Dept.
Tufts University
Tufts University Focus
University of Mississippi Alumni
University of Rochester Alumni
University of Virginia Alumni Association
Virginia Tech Alumni
Volunteer Family
VolunteerMatch
Watertown High School
Watertown Middle School
Wellington Mangement
WGBH
Whole Foods
Winsor School
Write Boston
Writers Express
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Young Alumni Volunteer Association (YAVA)
Youth Enrichment Services, YES

In-kind Supporters

Days Inn, Brighton
Hartney Greymont
Hyatt Regency, Cambridge
Landscape Collaborative
Pepe & Hazard
Wise Construction
Whole Foods