Results of Mystic River Earth Day and Department of Conservation and Recreation Park Serve Day could not have been better. Despite the lousy weather for a cleanup program, FAR was delighted to receive students and residents from BU, MIT and UMass, and from Belmont and a worker from the local bowling alley.

Sara Barbuto from the Mystic River Watershed Association assisted Ellen Mass of Friends of Alewife Reservation at the Alewife T stop where cleanup teams filled up on supplies and carbs to venture deep into the Reservation's natural resources park, with rich fecund smells and green sights of fantastic biodiversity within the 130 acre urban wild and newly constructed storm water wetlands.

The goal was to clear the remaining abandoned encampment along the south Little River trail which had been left since the Fall. One exceptional participant cleared the banks at Yates Pond with 7 bags of litter, which was just cleared of edge knotweed and the Pond fitted with a cantilever bridge for bikers. His contribution was equivalent to 4 workers at a leisurely pace. Because of the rain, sponsors were most grateful for the outstanding service of stewardship by this young man.

Adrienne of the DCR was able to help guide the youth to a swift and broad sweep to clean and upgrade the new marshes area and Little River as well, much to the pleasure of Friends of Alewife Reservation and their colleague from the Mystic River Watershed Association.