Monthly Monday Meeting: May 13th 6:30-8:00PM at Cambridge Health Alliance, 195 Canal Street, Malden

We will meet at the Cambridge Health Alliance, 195 Canal Street, Malden, in the Community Conference Room on the first floor.

April 13th, about 50 people walked the Malden River Loop discussing ways the public can work together towards a more publicly accessible Malden River.

Update and Modernize our Bottle Bill Now!
April 7, over 70 people from Tufts U., Gentle Giant Rowing Club and Moving, and the Friends of Malden River scoured the banks of Malden River: over 70 bags of trash, miscellaneous stuff (tires, carts, metal) were pulled out of the Malden River, including a subset of 1571 single-use plastic bottles

Lots of updates and initiatives!

The Agenda will include:

• Review April and May’s initiatives and events: Malden River Cleanups; Sierra Club-sponsored Walk and Talk on the Malden River discussing Chapter 91 Public Access Rights and National Grid as an obstacle.
• Review of Malden’s Climate Action Plan; next steps: how can the Friends partner for Community Outreach and Education
• Malden River Works updates
• Malden River Cleanup with Tufts U and Gentle Giant: https://mysticriver.org/news/2024/5/6/3rd-annual-malden-river-cleanup
• New initiatives: Review talk with CLF Attorney, Maggie Sullivan and discuss plan for Malden River’s Public Access via Mass General Law Chapter 91
• National Grid Update

May and June Events:

• Sunday, May 19th – 8:00-3:00 – MyRWA’s 28th Herring Run and Paddle at the Blessing of the Bay, Somerville
• Friday, May 31st (3:00-5:00pm): AVOYCE Food Justice Event at Malden City Hall Plaza
• June 1st – Meet Us At The River! 12:00PM- 5:00PM – Food, music, free boat rides! Plus 3:00-5:00 Brass Band on the Malden River – Register here: http://givepulse.com/event/448701
• Saturday, June 15th 10:00-1:00 – Malden Community Garden – Family Day Activities
• Saturday, June 15th 2:00-5:00 at River’s Edge – Explore the Malden River with the Chinese Culture Connection
• Wednesday, June 19th (Juneteenth holiday) Juneteenth Celebration: 11:00-3:00PM at Lincoln Commons Park, Malden

Malden River Loves its Scrubs!

Thank you to Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University Rowing and Swim&Dive Teams, Gentle Giant Rowing Club, Gentle Giant Moving Company, and the Friends of Malden River for dedicating a day of Community Service to the Malden River.

https://mysticriver.org/news/2024/5/6/3rd-annual-malden-river-cleanup

What do you get when you add 70 people to the Malden River with one task?

An even score of seventy bags of trash, barnacle-covered bicycle, car seat springs, multitudes of miscellaneous car parts and unidentified objects, 2 tractor tires and 5 automobile tires, shopping carts, furniture, lots of balls, a drone video, a poem, and 3 coconuts.

And smiles of camaraderie and occasional looks of dismay as the bags and piles accumulate.

On April 7th, Tisch College of Civic Life brought Tufts University athletes of the Rowing, Swim and Dive Teams to join the Friends of the Malden River for a third annual Malden River Cleanup at River’s Edge.  This year, Gentle Giant Rowing Club and Gentle Giant Moving Company joined the collaborative effort. All combined, there were over 70 people scouring the banks and waters of the Malden River.

Malden High School Eco-Club

Seventy stuffed garbage bags were full of everyday consumer trash: styrofoam, snack wrappers, plastic bags, and plastic bottles.  Where does this trash come from? Mostly, it is from street litter that has been swept through the storm water drain system.  The items such as tires, car parts, shopping carts are dumped purposely into our rivers. 

A member of the Woman’s Tufts Rowing Team observed, “There was an enormous amount of bottle caps.”

Frank Roche, Tufts University Civic Life Coordinator of Athletics

Frank Roche, Civic Life Coordinator of Athletics, commented, “Tufts athletes are involved in a number of community initiatives, but the Malden River Cleanup is especially important given that our rowing athletes train and compete on it almost every day. As we literally get into the weeds, it’s amazing the amount of trash that is hidden around the riverbank and I think our athletes feel a sense of responsibility to leaving the area better than they found it.”

“I don’t know why, but this is sorta fun.” said one Tufts University student athlete.

Trash taken from the Malden Section of Malden River by the Gentle Giant crews

Photos from the April 7th cleanup. The 10 clear bags are full of single-use plastic bottles separated from 28 bags of trash – 1571 single-use plastic bottles in one portion of the clean-up!

What Do We Need Now?  An updated and modern bottle bill that will increase the redemption value to a dime and include most single-use bottles!

What Can You Do to Help the Bottle Bill?

• Find pictures of littered bottles and cans from previous clean ups or keep an eye out for photo opportunities in the coming weeks
• Do you have a Twitter/X account? Post (see guidelines below) and send a message to YOUR own Representative and Senator (look them up here) – be sure to tag @StoryofStuff & @JustZeroOrg
  • Your post should have the following:
    • Images of littered bottles and cans
    • 1-2 sentences on why this means we should update the bottle bill and/or switch to reuse
    • The hashtag #MABottleBill
    • It should be targeted to your representative and senator. If they are not on X use any of the following @RepMichlewitz @senatorbarrett @jeffroy @RonMariano
    • Tag @Storyofstuff and @JustZeroOrg

Join us April 8th at 6:30 via Zoom for our monthly meeting

Sign up for email updates and meeting notes at FriendsoftheMaldenRiver@gmail.com

April 8th 2024 6:30-8:00 via zoom. Write to the friendsoftheMaldenriver@gmail.com for the zoom link

Agenda: 

Our guest, Maggie Sullivan, had to postpone her presentation on Chapter 91 from 3/11 to this meeting of April 8th. 

Senior Attorney Maggie Sullivan of  Conservation Law Foundation will join us for the 4/8th Meeting.   Maggie Sullivan, “senior community resilience attorney who promotes meaningful public access and climate resilience on the Massachusetts waterfront”, will be speaking about our Mass General Law, Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act, Chapter 91 that provides public access to Massachusetts tidal and once tidal waters (Malden River was tidal before the Amelia Earhart Dam was built in 1966).

Bring your questions and ideas of how we can mobilize Malden River public access and improve our Malden River Walk using the Chapter 91 Law! 

Plastic Free Massachusetts is a coalition formed to support the Modernize our Bottle Bill   Stay tuned for more details.

Call your legislators  (you can write to them using this link)

Adopt A Storm Drain has launched in the City of Malden to join Medford and Everett!  From the front of their front yards, Malden and Everett Residents will actively keep our Malden River clean and help prevent flooding by signing up with Adopt a Drain!  You can Name Your Drain and interact with the website!

Adopt A Drain websites:

Malden:  https://malden.mysticdrains.org

Medford:  https://medford.mysticdrains.org

Everett:  https://everett.mysticdrains.org/

Save the Dates!

Malden River Cleanups:

Sunday, April 7th – River’s Edge, Medford at the Tufts U. Boathouse with Tisch College of Civic Life  and Gentle Giant Rowing Club

Sunday, May 12th 9:30 AM – Idle Hands Craft Ales – our second Mother’s Earth Day neighborhood and River Cleanup

Events:

April 5th: (10:00-11:00 AM – Rain Date 4/6) 

 Bike to Sea’s grand opening of the Bike Kitchen. Located on the Northern Strand Trail across from Cambridge Health Alliance 158 Canal Street, Malden.

April 13th (rain date: April 14th) 10:00 AM – Noon

The Malden River: Access, Advocacy, and Action is a 3.2 mile walk from Sacramone Park to Night Shift Brewery, and we will stop along the way to hear from local organizers, advocates, and community leaders. Walk the Malden River Greenway with the Sierra Club and our community  – Register here for information and to join the advocacy walk: 

April 13th – 2:00-4:00PM  

Learn about Rain Gardens! Replant the Beebe School Rain Garden with the Malden Community Gardeners

April 20th – 8:00-Noon

Everett Earth Day at Gateway Park in Everett

*******April 28th – Noon – 3:00 PM Green Malden Fair at Pine Banks Park

The City (Councillor MacDonald) will be reaching out to your groups – We would highly appreciate it if you can spare an extra couple of hands for the Friends of Malden River and Malden River Works!

May 19th (9:00 AM – onwards) – Mystic River Watershed Association’s 28th Herring Run at Blessing of the Bay 

Register Now to reserve your place on land or in the water!

*******JUNE 1st – Brass Band on the Malden River with 375 year celebration of Malden and Malden River Works – 

There will be celebrations at the Malden River Works Waterfront Park site  Details will follow!

Bring your ideas and concerns to our ongoing meetings, the second Monday of each month (excluding legal holidays) at 6:30-8:00.  We meet via Zoom or in person at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Malden, River’s Edge in Medford, and in Everett.  Sign up for updates at Friendsofthemaldenriver@gmail.com

March 11, 2024 minutes

click on links for more information re: the topics

Senior Attorney Maggie Sullivan of  Conservation Law Foundation had to reschedule due to dental surgery.  She will present on Chapter 91 – waterfront public access for the 4/8th Meeting via Zoom at 6:30PM

1. Philip summarized the ECC: On February 12th, at the Everett City Council (ECC) meeting:  Katy Rogers, Councilor at Large, brought forth a resolution to address the National Grid failure to comply with the MassDEP ruling of their Chapter 91 mandate (public access to the Malden River) 

A recording of the EEC meeting is here: and the proposed resolution regarding notice to NGrid’s lack of compliance is at 1:29:44 through 1:47 including Assist. City Counsel: Keith Slattery’s and Conservation Commission Agent, Tom Philbin’s presentation of the NGrid noncompliance.

https://videoplayer.telvue.com/player/cT30AQ_xtOBQF0oJM2gIVCDX9kjgfWZb/media/854356?autostart=false&showtabssearch=tru

In addition: the ECC voted to table a NGRID request to install a conduit under a public sidewalk and have continued to table other infrastructure requests until NGrid responds to their resolution 

The ECC voted unanimously for a motion to the Everett City Counsel to draft a letter to NGrid and MassDEP instructing them of the necessity for Chapter 91 compliance for the three 

communities on the Malden River. 

2. Marcia:  Malden River Works Update: Whip Katherine Clark secured a federal earmark for  Malden River Works Project, City of Malden: $1,560,000 
3. Sheila: summarized Malden’s  Climate Action Plan – see attached document.  The Steering Committee will be finalizing their work in April.  This work will be integrated in the City of Malden Master Plan. 

Plastic Free Massachusetts has two Calls to Action to Modernize our Bottle Bill   Stay tuned for more details.

March 19th – Call your legislators  (or you can write to them using this link) Tell them you support House Bill 3676 and House Bill 3690/SB2104. With litter pollution engulfing our cities and waterways, we have zero time to waste.

Information here:  modernizing the Bottle Bill 

Plastic Free MA will provide a script for the legislator phone calls and meetings.

April 2nd – Massachusetts State House Lobby Day.  Register here: https://forms.gle/u5xLSvbszccYqk6MA

Adopt A Storm Drain is coming to the City of Malden!  Launch will be in April:  Stay Tuned

SAVE THESE DATES (some Details and Times to be determined/confirmed): 

Malden River Cleanups:

Sunday, April 7th (1:00PM-4:00PM)  – River’s Edge, Medford at the Tufts U. Boathouse with Tisch College of Civic Life  and Gentle Giant Rowing Club

Sunday, May 12th 9:30 AM –Noon with a gratis cheer of beer afterwards)– Idle Hands Craft Ales – our second Mother’s Earth Day neighborhood and River Cleanup

Events:

April 5th: (10-11AM; rain date 4/6) grand opening of the Bike to the Sea Bike Kitchen on Canal Street, Malden 

April 13th (rain date: April 14th) 10:00 AM Walk the Malden River Greenway with the Sierra Club and our community to create advocacy for the Malden River.

Start at Wellington and end at Nightshift Brewery.  Map will be posted on the Friends’ website.  April 13th – (Afternoon – time to be determined 2:00PM-4:00PM?) Learn about Rain Gardens! Replant the Beebe School Rain Garden with the Malden Community Gardeners 

April 20th – Everett Earth Day at Gateway Park in Everett

April 27th – 10am-3:00PM Malden Mass. Memories Road Show.  Bring 3 photos and share your story.  It will be highly appreciated if anyone can bring one photo of their experiences on the Malden River. 

April 28th – Noon – 3:00 PM Malden Earth Day Fair at Pine Banks Park – Hoping for the Adopt A Drain Launch with the Water Department.

May 19th (9:00 AM – onwards) – Mystic River Watershed Association’s 28th Herring Run at Blessing of the Bay 

Register Now to reserve your place on land or in the water!

JUNE 1st – 3:00-5:00PM (Rain or Shine)  – Brass Band on the Malden River with 375 year celebration of Malden and Malden River Works – There will be celebrations at the Malden River Works Waterfront Park site to be announced soon.

JUNE 2nd – Rain Date for the Malden River Works Placemaking Event. 

June 15th – The Friends will Celebrate Family Day at Malden Community Garden

Date TBD:  Explore the Malden River with the Chinese Cultural Connection

Action items

• To request that Malden and Medford follow Everett’s lead for a resolution/motion for notice to NGrid and MassDEP.  Ask Deb Burke, Director of Malden’s Office of Strategic Planning and Development (who was present at the ECC meeting) for the feedback from the City of Malden and to investigate whether the City of Malden and Medford can legally delay NGrid requests for infrastructure changes.  – Once Malden says yay or nay, then Philip B-G will speak with the City of Medford
• Deb Burke has been out of the office this past week.  Karen will reach her on Monday, 3/18
• Mark your calendars for events: we could always use an extra hand and head!
• Sign up to represent the Friends of Malden River at the Everett Earth Day (4/20) and the Malden Earth Day Fair (4/28)with an email friendsofthemaldenriver@gmail.com
• Join the Friends in the Plastic Free Mass events, Legislative calls or letter writing efforts, and/or Lobby Day (4/2) – spread the word to support the legislation. The State Reps need  to hear from the public
• Karen Lynch asked for the info regarding Cleenland and Neighborhood Produce for refills.Neighborhood Produce has over 100 items in bulk (and you can bring your own containers). The Ball Square – 691 Broadway store is the only Cleenland satellite location in Boston, with all their best-selling cleaning and home care items (in both bulk and retail options).  
• Please don’t use laundry or dishwasher powder pods:  they are suspect of PVA’s (polyvinyl alcohol) and plastics: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/11/6027
• Share social media posts of the Friends if you use Social Media
• Spread the Word of events in your fashion! 

Monthly Meeting – March 11th 6:30-8:00 PM via Zoom – Join us!

Be sure to mark your calendars with the Event Dates mentioned below

Join the Friends of the Malden River Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84806972372?pwd=SDk5ZUgrbWZaY1paL1R2VlVReTZRQT09

Meeting ID: 848 0697 2372
Passcode: 621361

One tap mobile
+16469313860,,84806972372#,,,,*621361# US
+19294362866,,84806972372#,,,,*621361# US (New York)

Meeting ID: 848 0697 2372
Passcode: 621361

Agenda: 

Senior Attorney Maggie Sullivan of  Conservation Law Foundation will join us for the 3/11th Meeting.   Maggie Sullivan, “senior community resilience attorney who promotes meaningful public access and climate resilience on the Massachusetts waterfront”, will be speaking about our Mass General Law, Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act, Chapter 91 that provides public access to Massachusetts tidal and once tidal waters (Malden River was tidal before the Amelia Earhart Dam was built in 1966).

Bring your questions and ideas of how we can mobilize Malden River public access and improve our Malden River Walk using the Chapter 91 Law! 

Plastic Free Massachusetts has two Calls to Action to Modernize our Bottle Bill   Stay tuned for more details.

March 13th – Call your legislators  (you can write to them using this link)

Plastic Free MA will provide a script for the legislator phone calls and meetings.

April 2nd – Massachusetts State House Lobby Day

Adopt A Storm Drain is coming to the City of Malden!  From the front of their front yards, Malden Residents will actively keep our Malden River clean and help prevent flooding by signing up with Adopt a Drain!  You can Name Your Drain and interact with a website!

Bring your ideas and concerns to our ongoing meetings, the second Monday of each month (excluding legal holidays) at 6:30-8:00.  We meet via Zoom or in person at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Malden, River’s Edge in Medford, and in Everett.

SAVE THESE DATES (Details and Times to be determined/confirmed): 

At the meeting, we will discuss the available details.  For now, please mark your calendars! 

Please email FriendsoftheMaldenRiver@gmail.com to join the fun, if you can’t make the meeting. Check the web pages for incoming details: https://maldenriver.wordpress.com/ and https://www.maldenriverworks.org/

Malden River Cleanups:

Sunday, April 7th – River’s Edge, Medford at the Tufts U. Boathouse with Tisch College of Civic Life  and Gentle Giant Rowing Club

Sunday, May 12th9:30 AM – Idle Hands Craft Ales – our second Mother’s Earth Day neighborhood and River Cleanup

Events:

April 13th – Learn about Rain Gardens! Replant the Beebe School Rain Garden with the Malden Community Gardeners

April 13th (rain date: April 14th) 10:00 AM Walk the Malden River Greenway with the Sierra Club and our community

April 20th – Everett Earth Day at Gateway Park in Everett

April 28th – Noon – 3:00 PM Malden Earth Day Fair at Pine Banks Park

May 19th (9:00 AM – onwards) – Mystic River Watershed Association’s 28th Herring Run at Blessing of the Bay 

Register Now to reserve your place on land or in the water!

JUNE 1st – 2nd – Brass Band on the Malden River with 375 year celebration of Malden and Malden River Works – There will be celebrations at the Malden River Works Waterfront Park site 

JUNE 2nd – Malden River Works Stewardship by Boat and Canoe event

June 15th – The Friends will Celebrate Family Day at Malden Community Garden

Date TBD:  Explore the Malden River with the Chinese Cultural Connection