Charles River Task Force on Equitable River Access

The Charles River Task Force on Equitable River Access (“task force”) has been formed and is currently holding public task force meetings. Two public hearings are occurring in Fall 2025 and a third public hearing will occur in Spring 2026. This webpage will serve as a central place for meeting information and announcements.

Background

The Legislature established the Charles River Task Force on Equitable River Access under Section 205 of the FY2025 Enacted Budget to study and make recommendations to the department to: (i) address equitable access to the Charles River in the area between the Longfellow bridge and the Eliot bridge; (ii) ensure that inclusive processes are in place to engage all relevant stakeholders when decisions involving the Charles River area are made; and (iii) improve communication with all involved stakeholders.

The task force's recommendations shall include, but shall not be limited to, ways to: 

1. Ensure that the department considers environmental justice principles when making decisions involving the area of the Charles River between the Longfellow bridge and the Eliot bridge
2. Ensure that all stakeholders are engaged when substantive decisions are made regarding closing or limiting access to Memorial drive
3. Ensure that the residents of the abutting neighborhood receive proper notification when the department makes changes to access to Memorial drive
4. Improve programming along the Charles River that may be enjoyed by a wide variety of stakeholders.

The task force is co-led by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), supported by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the consultant for this project. 

Task Force Co-Chairs

EEA Co-chair: María Belén Power, Undersecretary of Environmental Justice & Equity (designee: Jonathan Guzmán, Director of Environmental Justice & Equity, EEA Office of Environmental Justice and Equity)

DCR Co-chair: Nicole LaChapelle, Commissioner (designee: Monika Roy, DCR Senior Director of Environmental Justice)

Task Force Members

• Director of the Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health within the Department of Public Health, or a designee: Logan Bailey, Lead Scientist, Toxicology Division, Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health, Department of Public Health
• Cambridge Health Alliance: Derrick Neal, Chief Public Health Officer, City of Cambridge
• Cambridge Redevelopment Authority: Kyle Vangel, Director of Projects and Planning
• Cambridge branch of the NAACP: Ken Reeves, President
• Cambridge Black Pastors Alliance, Inc.: Jeremy D. Battle, Pastor, Western Avenue Church
• Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, Inc.: Galen Mook, Executive Director
• Charles River Conservancy, Inc.: Laura Jasinski, Executive Director
• Cambridge Mothers Out Front: Angela DeSousa, Member and Leadership
• The People for Riverbend Park Trust: Franziska "Fran" Amacher, Trustee
• Individual: Lawrence Adkins
• Individual: Sheila Headley-Burwell
• Individual: Steven Miller
• Individual: Thomas Leonard
• Individual: Denise Haynes
• Individual: David English

Task Force Meetings

Task Force Meeting 1

Held virtually on Thursday August 14th, 2025, from 12:00pm-1:00pm.

Task Force Meeting 2

Held virtually on Friday September 12th, 2025, from 11:00am-12:30pm.

Additional materials presented:

Task Force Meeting 3

Held virtually on Monday October 6th, 2025, from 1:00pm-2:30pm. Meeting 3 Zoom recording.

Task Force Meeting 4

Held virtually on Monday November 3rd, 2025, from 12:30pm-2:00pm. Meeting 4 Zoom recording.

Task Force Site Walk

Held in person on Thursday November 6th, 2025, from 9:30am-11:30am with a meeting location at the Magazine Beach Parking Lot in Cambridge.

Task Force Meeting 5

Held virtually on Monday December 1st, 2025, from 9:30am-11:00am. Meeting 5 Zoom recording.

Task Force Meeting 6

Held in person as a workshop-style session on Wednesday January 28th, 2026, from 9:30am-12:30pm at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) building, 60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111. A hybrid option was available. Meeting 6 Zoom Recording.

Public Hearings

Three public hearings will be held as part of this task force. The first two took place in Fall 2025 and the third will take place in Spring 2026. Information about these hearings will appear here as it becomes available.

Public Hearing 1

Held virtually on Monday November 10th, 2025, from 6:00pm-8:00pm. Public Hearing 1 Zoom recording of the overview presentation. 

Translations of this overview presentation are available in Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, and Amharic.

Public Hearing 2

Held in-person on Monday November 17th, 2025, from 6:00pm-8:00pm at the Cambridge Community Center.