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PLEASE NOTE: To enter the Festival space, please navigate to DCR’s Dealtry Memorial Pool Parking.
Event Program:
2:00 PM Registration Opens & Event Begins!
2:30 PM Watertown Dam Tour
With CRWA’s Senior Restoration Program Manager, Lisa Kumpf
3:00 PM Watertown Dam Tour
With CRWA’s Senior Restoration Program Manager, Lisa Kumpf
3:30 PM Speaking Program & Eastern Social Dances to Honor the Herring
Location: Between the Registration table and the Community Art Build in the circle near the parking lot.
3:45 PM Art Build Herring Parade
Location: From the Registration table across the Pedestrian Bridge
4:00 PM Event Concludes
Event Booths:
Community Art Build
Join local artists to create, share, and celebrate your dreams for a healthy, resilient Charles River.
Fish Hat Making with Kari Percival
Screen Printing with Hartman Deetz (free t-shirts!)
Quinobequin Review with Abbey Cahill
Face Painting with Lanaii Tolentino
Coloring Station with CRWA
River of Dreams
Test your knowledge of fish, the Charles River, and the history of the watershed with CRWA trivia.
Trout Unlimited Fishing Demo
Learn how to flycast with Trout Unlimited’s Rui Coelho.
MA Division of Marine Fisheries
Joseph Holbeche, Diadromous Fish Biologist
Ever wonder how a fish ladder works? Learn about the herring run and fish migration with Diadromous Fish Biologist Joseph Holbeche.
Watershed in a Box
X-Cel Education
Our biggest hit with children and families is “Watershed in a Box!” Join X-Cel Education graduates, X-Cel Education Executive Director Don Sands, and the Program Coordinator of X-Cel Conservation Corps, Aaron Dale, for a hands-on demonstration that shows how our watershed works! The unique model teaches kids the importance of nature, the different kinds of pollution, and how we are all interconnected.
Each spring, the Charles River becomes a vital spawning ground for diadromous fish species such as the Alewife, Blueback Herring, and American Shad. These fish, beyond their cultural significance, are key players in the ecosystem. However, their migration is hindered by defunct dams, leading to a decline in their populations. The Watertown Dam removal project is a crucial step towards restoring their habitat and supporting biodiversity in the river.
Dam removal is a pressing issue in Massachusetts as aging dams disrupt river ecosystems and hinder fish migration. The 2016 inspection report deemed the Watertown Dam in "poor" condition. CRWA, in collaboration with the Department of Ecological Restoration, conducted the Watertown Dam Removal Feasibility Study, released in June 2021, demonstrating the urgency and feasibility of removing the dam and restoring the river.
Learn more about dam removal >
For more information on why removing defunct dams is critical to restoring the Charles, explore this StoryMap >