Mystic River Watershed Association to Host Annual Meeting

The annual meeting of the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Arlington Senior Center at 27 Maple Street in Arlington. Light refreshments and a social hour will begin at 6 p.m. and the membership/business meeting will start at 7 p.m. Following a welcome address by MyRWA President John Reinhardt, Melissa Hoffer, Vice President and Director of Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice at the Conservation Law Foundation will be the featured speaker.

Hoffer’s extensive environmental experience includes hazardous waste cleanup, liability, and management, Clean Water Act litigation and carbon sequestration. Hoffer will share her perspective on the role of legal advocacy in environmental protection and restoration and we will learn about her recent work for the Mystic as part of the Mystic River Collaborative.

Her remarks will also be relevant to the current initiatives of the Association to restore the water quality of the Mystic River. These efforts include: four distinct water quality monitoring programs, water chestnut removal efforts, stormwater mitigation projects, environmental education and outreach, and the establishment of a herring monitoring program.

Hoffer’s remarks will be followed by the election of board officers and presentation of finances.

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 which play a vital role in the many cities and towns the watershed includes.