Water Chestnut Pull August 9th, 2014

Water chestnuts are an invasive species in the Mystic River.  This means that they are not only not native to the river, but they are causing harm to the river by being there.  The Mystic River Watershed Association, the City of Medford and the MA Department of Conservation & Recreation have been working together for several years to remove these plants.

Among other problems, the most visible problem is that they clog the river and boaters can not get up and down the river.  Less visible is how they choke out other species and if allowed to grow too thick, can even make it difficult for fish and other aquatic life to live in the river. You can read more about this problem on MyRWA's website.

Many organizations have contributed money to hire mechanical harvesters to remove the water chestnuts.  However, the machines are not able to get all the plants out of the river and some areas must be cleared by hand. This year, as part of its care for creation mission, Grace Church has decided to participate in the efforts.  Volunteers go out in small boats and pull the plants up by hand, depositing them in laundry baskets in the boats. Volunteers on land empty the baskets into a dumpster for proper disposal. The process is a lot of fun, like weeding a river!  However, you should come prepared to get very wet and dirty.

If you would like to join Grace Church at the water chestnut pull on August 9th, please sign up below. We need to know how many people will attend.  There is no age limit and children enjoy the activity, however, children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult in their boat and have a parent or guardian sign the waiver when they attend.



You can see photos from other MyRWA water chestnut events here: mysticriver.org/events-photo-galleries/2014-water-chestnut-removal-events/