The Mystic River Watershed Association recently honored Michael Fager for his many years of service monitoring the water quality of the Mystic River.

Every year at the Mystic River Watershed Association’s annual meeting community leaders and volunteers are honored for their effort to improve their local watershed. For this year, they recognized Michael Fager for his ten years of service for monitoring water quality through their baseline program.

The baseline volunteers go out every month at 6:00 a.m. to collect samples, in all weather and all year long. This data is then used to publish the yearly Environmental Protection Agency water quality report card, as well provide twenty years of reliable data on the health of the watershed.

Fager has been monitoring the Lower Mystic (salt water section) since the inception of this surveying. Last year Fager was also recognized as volunteer of the year for his work on MyRWA’s policy committee, monitoring water quality, herring and eels, as well as through stewardship events such as building bird boxes, an osprey nest and clearing out invasive plants riverine parks.

“Michael has stayed committed to this program for 10 years,” said Andy Hrycyna, Watershed Scientist. “We couldn’t do this work without him and the other volunteers. More importantly we wouldn’t know what we know about environmental conditions without them.”

Beyond recognizing Fager, the Mystic River Watershed Association also elected new board members, provided a brief summary of the programmatic and financial highlights of the year and honored the following additional awardees: Encore Boston Harbor, Mystic Champion Awardee, Julie Berkman, Volunteer of the Year, Katie Theoharides, EOEEA Secretary and Mayor Gary Christenson of Malden, Mystic Municipal Awardee.

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) works to improve the lives of the more than half million residents of Mystic River communities through its efforts to protect and restore water quality, natural habitat and open space throughout the 76 square mile watershed.