Charles River Youth Corps

The Charles River and Upper Charles River Greenway are looking much cleaner due to the hard work of the Charles River Youth Corps this summer. The Charles River Youth Corps is part of the state-wide Youth Conservation Corps program run by the Trustees of Reservations. The Charles River program was begun in 2010 to give high school teens job experience in sustainable park and greenway management.

Four students from Newton and Lexington participated and helped to clean up the Upper Charles River Greenway in Watertown, Waltham, Weston, and Newton, as well as Wilson Mountain Reservation in Dedham. The students removed invasive Japanese knotweed and water chestnuts, maintained trails, removed litter, pruned back vegetation, and led volunteer groups. The teens also met with local environmental groups to learn more about local environmental issues and give greater context to their work.

If you are interested in participating in a future Charles River Youth Corps program, volunteer projects, and/or working with the youth corps, please contact The Trustees at charlesrivervalley@ttor.org or call 508-785-0339. More information on the other four Youth Conservation Corps programs can be found online.