Supporting Public Access to Recreational Waters

Watershed Action Alliance of Southeastern Massachusetts (WAA) works with member organizations to protect and improve the health of the waterways of southeastern Massachusetts.We do this by:-- Sharing resources and ideas with member organizations;-- Raising public awareness of watershed issues; and,-- Building effective relationships with our state and local decision-makers.WAA, an environmental advocacy and education coalition formed in 2002, works for clean, plentiful and free-flowing water for wildlife and peoplein southeastern Massachusetts. WAA membership is made up of 11 watershed and two pond associations, spanning 66 towns. Find out more by clickinghere.

Watershed Action Alliance of Southeastern Massachusetts

Learn how  public access to fishing, swimming, boating and waterfront areas can be equitably and safely increased & about indigenous rights.

In this, the second session of Watershed Action Alliance&#x27;s virtual conference on environmental justice, our three speakers will address issues around public access to ponds, streams, the ocean and other recreational waters in urban areas, rural locales and remote islands. This event is free; however, donations will help us continue to provide educational programming and are greatly appreciated.You will hear from Vivian Ortiz, who will relate her experience inviting lifelong residents in her community to a hidden open space in their backyards, the Neponset River Greenway Trail. Vivian moved to the Boston neighborhood of Mattapan in 2012. At that time, she had no idea that she&#x27;d become the head cheerleader for a portion of a beautiful rail trail about 100 feet from her door. The Greenway extension was opened in May 2017 and named one of America&#x27;s Great Places by the American Planning Association in 2019. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been record numbers of people walking, roller skating, and biking along the Neponset River Greenway Trail.Melissa Ferretti, chairwoman of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe will talk about indigenous people&#x27;s access rights and realities revealing facts that will likely surprise you because they are, unfortunately, not widely known. She will touch upon some fo the challenges faced by local tribes and others across Massachusetts because of lack of knowledge of their rights on private lands and other areas of limited access. Melissa will describe the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and how this affects her tribe along with others. Kate Mulvaney, a social scientist at the US Environmental Protection Agency, along with her colleagues, has unearthed disparities in access to quality natural amenities with the goal of informing more equitable policy and natural resource management decisions. She will discuss her research on factors affecting usage of coastal areas by Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, such as distance to quality areas and perception of welcome, and present possible solutions.Following the presentations, there will be a 20-minute question and answer session. Attendees will receive an email with a Zoom link one week, one day and one hour prior to the event.Don&#x27;t miss our <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/what-is-environmental-justice-tickets-136844065283" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">first session</a> on March 17, 2021 when speakers will address the basics of environmental justice using examples from Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. And, register now for the <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/139310448301" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">third session</a>, Promoting Environmental Justice: the First Steps.More information about the conference may be found <a href="https://watershedaction.org/2021-conference" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">here</a>.

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Supporting Public Access to Recreational Waters

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Supporting Public Access to Recreational Waters

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