Special to Sun
Registration is now open for the 26th Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup, which will take place on Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26.
Some volunteers are seen on the Muddy River during last year’s Earth Day Charles River Cleanup.
This much-loved event brings together over 3,500 volunteers each year to rejuvenate the parks, forests, playgrounds, and paths surrounding the Charles River and its tributaries, ensuring the areas remain clean, safe, and beautiful for everyone to enjoy.
“The Charles River Earth Day Cleanup invites the community to help improve the health of the Charles River and park ecosystem by amplifying individual commitment into a shared mission,” Charles River Conservancy Executive Director Laura Jasinski said in a press release. “The Conservancy is thrilled to unite volunteers once again for the 26th year.”
“As the final bank before the Charles River Dam that receives upriver trash from many miles and tributaries, the Esplanade depends each year on the Charles River Cleanup to remove that waste before it slips to the Harbor,” added Jen Mergel, Executive Director of the Esplanade Association (EA). “The EA team is so grateful to partner for decades with our sister non-profits, our friends at DCR, and so many amazing volunteers across generations and geographies to ensure the health of the Charles (Quinobequin) for decades to come. Please join us.”
The Cleanup is part of the national American Rivers’ National River Cleanup initiative, which has collectively removed more than 32.5 million pounds of trash from waterways across the United States. Since its inception in 1999, the Charles River Cleanup has mobilized thousands of volunteers annually to remove litter and invasive plants and assist with park maintenance along the Charles River’s 80-mile stretch and within the 1,100 acres of Emerald Necklace parkland surrounding the Muddy River, a vital tributary of the Charles.
“The Muddy River, the central waterway of the Emerald Necklace parks and a major tributary to the Charles, has had an eventful year,” said Karen Mauney-Brodek, President of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. “From the removal of the last fenced-off work areas of the Muddy River Restoration Project, to our ongoing community visioning process for its health and future in partnership with the Charles River Watershed Association, and to ecological threats that remind us just how important these waterways are: now more than ever, it is crucial that we come together this spring and do our part to care for our shared urban ecosystems!”
Emily Norton, executive director of Charles River Watershed Association, said: “We are so grateful to the thousands of volunteers who turn out to remove trash from the banks and parks and roadways near the Charles. We look forward to the day when this cleanup isn’t necessary, but until then, this amazing turnout demonstrates how much people care about a clean, healthy Charles River.”
Cleanup volunteers make a lasting difference by improving local environmental health and fostering a sense of stewardship for their rivers and communities. The event empowers participants to give back to their communities, strengthen their connection with nature, and cultivate lifelong habits of environmental care.
“Every year I hear from volunteers that this is one of their favorite activities to do with us—folks love picking up litter and removing invasive plants from the river’s banks as part of a larger, watershed-wide effort,” said Sonja Wadman, Executive Director of the Waltham Land Trust. “You can see how fun and rewarding it is by the huge smiles on their faces.”
To get involved, learn more and register for the Charles River Earth Day Cleanup, visit https://www.charlesrivercleanup.org.