Charles River Reservation
On the banks of the Charles River in the protected area
The area Charles River Reservation is a 17 mi ( 27.36 km ) long state park in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and is part of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston. Its area runs along the Charles River, and includes parts of the urban areas of Boston, Cambridge, Watertown and Newton. The part of the park between the Charles River Dam and the Eliot Bridge is a National Historic District entered in the National Register of Historic Places. The areas above the dam are managed as Upper Charles River Reservation.
Components of the protected area
The Charles River Dam
The 1978 built behind the TD Garden, Charles River Dam allows you to control the water level in the river bed. In 1910, a first dam was built below the Museum of Science to create a Trinkwassersee into a park in the city. The newly designed bank of the river became known as the Charles River Esplanade. In today's Dam, there are six pumps for the effective protection against flooding. The lock system of the dam connects the river to the port and is open all year round. There is also a fish ladder that allows migratory fish alewife, rainbow smelt and Alosa the rise during their migration in late spring.
The Charles River Basin and the Charles River Esplanade
The Charles River Basin was created in the early 20th century on salt marshes and tidal flats with the aim of the population to have access to a river landscape with outstanding recreational opportunities both on water and on land. Although the river basin has been artificially created, it is now an important habitat for hundreds of wildlife and plant species, on the one hand play an important role in the ecology of the region and to enjoy other park visitors. The water quality of the once heavily polluted basin has improved greatly in recent years and today attracts both wildlife and people to the river.
The character of the river basin varies along this 8.5 mi ( 13.68 km ) long section several times and forms three recognizable zones: the Lower Basin extends from the historic Charles River Dam to the Boston University Bridge, Middle Basin is the section of the bridge to Herter Park, and the Upper Basin leads from there to the Watertown Dam.
The Lower Basin is 2.5 mi ( 4.02 km ) long and 2,000 ft ( 609.6 m) wide. Dominant at this point are the Longfellow Bridge, the ascent to Beacon Hill and the golden dome of the Massachusetts State House. In particular, the parking areas within the protected area, such as magazines Beach and Herter Park, offer open spaces, which are intensively used by the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.
In the Middle Basin, a change from the previous more urban and formal accomplished towards a rural and natural environment. The Parkways along this stream separate it from the adjacent areas. The largest open space located between the sports facilities at Harvard University on the south bank and the cemeteries of Mount Auburn Cemetery and Cambridge to the north. Together these areas form a vital haven for migratory birds.
The John F. Kennedy Park
This 5 acres ( 2 ha) large park is located about 500 m south-west of Harvard Square and just north of Anderson Memorial Bridge to the city of Cambridge and was named after the former President of the United States. In the design of the park plants were included that bloom around the birthday of John F. Kennedy in May, and there is a designed as a memorial fountain. The materials used in the park and plants come - as some native trees and the granite from which the fountain was made - from New England. The fountain and columns at the entrance bear inscriptions with quotations from the speeches of the former president.
The Riverbend Park
The Riverbend Park extends on the north side of the Charles River from Eliot Bridge to Western Avenue in Cambridge. In the warmer months of Memorial Drive on Sundays for the through traffic is blocked.
Recreation and leisure activities
Due to the protected area of the Charles River Bicycle Trail Bike Path runs. On the river boat tours are offered, in addition, canoeing, sailing and rowing are possible. There are some picnic and sports and playgrounds, and in the winter Ice skating is possible. Every now and then are also held concerts.