Enjoy a day of canoeing and cleaning up the Mystic River by joining in the water chestnut pull on Saturday, June 27.

Community water chestnut hand-pulling events scheduled
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By Tom Bannister

As part of these efforts, On Saturday, June 27, July 18, and August 8 the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) will host community events focusing on the removal of invasive water chestnut from the Mystic River from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Volunteers in canoes will pull water chestnuts out of the water by hand and then deposit the harvested plants at a designated shore site. Volunteers who have canoes or kayaks are encouraged to bring their own.

On Saturday, June 27, volunteers should meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse located at 30 Shore Drive, Somerville. There is free parking along all of the side streets running perpendicular to the park and please note, the city of Somerville is relaxing the parking restrictions for all three of the dates listed. See map here: http://tinyurl.com/nq56o4q.

Boaters are required to use life preservers/personal floatation devices (PFDs) provided by the Mystic River Watershed Association.

Bring sunscreen, a hat, gloves, clothes that can get a little wet, and shoes you do not mind getting wet. Immediately following the hand-pulling event, lunch and refreshments will be available for volunteers at the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse.

Boats are limited so please register in advance. Register for these events through the form available here: http://mysticriver.org/water-chestnut-sign-up-form/.

If you have any questions contact the Water Chestnut Project Coordinator at waterchestnut@MysticRiver.org.

Water chestnut (Trapa natans) is native to Asia, Europe and Africa. It was introduced in 1897 by a gardener as an ornamental plant in Fresh Pond in Cambridge. Water chestnut has no primary consumers in the US, allowing for its unchecked spread.

In Medford, parts of the Mystic River are barely passable due to water chestnuts that are working hard to extend their habitat from shore to shore. These floating-leaved plants form dense, continuous mats over the water surface of lakes, ponds and slow-moving waters. The mats in turn impede boating, fishing, and swimming, and crowd out native plants. Decomposition of large quantities of water chestnuts may result in lower dissolved oxygen levels, which can lead to fish kills.

Read more about water chestnuts at: http://mysticriver.org/water-chestnuts/.

The Mystic River Watershed Association was founded in 1972 and has largely functioned as a volunteer-run organization, mobilizing activists on a project-by-project basis. Its mission is to protect and restore the Mystic River, its tributaries and watershed lands for the benefit of present and future generations and to celebrate the value, importance and great beauty of these natural resources.

For more information see www.MysticRiver.org.