Mystic River Reservation

The Mystic River Reservation is a publicly owned nature preserve located along the Mystic River in Massachusetts, United States. It forms part of the 75-square-mile (190 km²) Mystic River Watershed, and runs through the towns of Arlington, Medford, Somerville, Everett, and Chelsea.^[1]

The reservation was established in 1893 by the newly formed Metropolitan Parks Commission (later renamed the Metropolitan District Commission),^[2] making it one of the first official nature preserves in Massachusetts, and one of five designed by the Commission in that year.^[3] Of these five, three were planned as woodland river reservations: the Mystic River Reservation, Charles River Reservation, and Neponset River Reservation.^[2] The Mystic River Reservation originally comprised a little over 100 hectares (250 acres) of land.^[3]

By the early 20th century, most of the land along the Mystic River in Medford, Arlington, and Somerville had become public (i.e. state-owned) land.^[1] The reservation is currently maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Bureau of Urban Parks and Recreation.^[2]

The reservation includes four waterfront parks: Draw Seven Park in Somerville; Torbert MacDonald Park in Medford; the Mystic Lakes in Winchester, Arlington, and Medford; and Mary O'Malley Waterfront Park in Chelsea.^[4] The reservation is open to the public year round, from dawn to dusk.^[5]

In 2010, the DCR unveiled a plan for restoring and preserving the reservation, called the Mystic River Master Plan. Proposed projects include a partnership between the DCR and the City of Medford to restore the Condon Shell (an outdoor amphitheater located just outside Medford Square); restoration of the Amelia Earhart Dam Basin parklands; and a $3.6 million federally funded link between the reservation, the Minuteman Bikeway, and the Alewife "T" Station.^[6]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} State Releases Mystic River Master Plan. insidemedford.com (2010-09-16). Retrieved on 2011-05-28.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Department of Conservation and Recreation. Mass.gov. Retrieved on 2011-05-28.
3. ^ ^{a b} Board of Paris Exposition Managers (Boston, Mass.); Massachusetts. Board of Metropolitan Park Commissioners (1900). A history and description of the Boston metropolitan parks. Published under the authority of the Metropolitan Park Commissioners by the Board of Paris Exposition Managers. pp. 1–. http://books.google.com/books?id=n9IUAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA32. Retrieved 28 May 2011. 
4. ^ Mystic River Reservation – Somerville, MA Patch. Somerville.patch.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-28.
5. ^ Department of Conservation and Recreation. Mass.gov. Retrieved on 2011-05-28.
6. ^ State Releases Mystic River Master Plan. insidemedford.com (2010-09-16). Retrieved on 2011-05-28.

External links

• Map of Mystic River Reservation
• Mystic River Watershed Organization website
• Department of Conservation and Recreation listing
• Reservation Bike Path

Coordinates: 42°29′47.778″N 71°19′5.1312″W / 42.496605°N 71.318092°W / 42.496605; -71.318092