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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Rick Olick has joined the Mystic River Watershed Association board of directors

Cambridge’s Rick Olick has joined the Mystic River Watershed Association board of directors, along with Nasser Brahim, an employee at the Boston-based Kleinfelder engineering and design firm, and Mark Jacobson, of Lexington.

Olick is a nature educator for Mass Audubon, and before that was a federal attorney, federal administrative judge and directing attorney at a nonprofit organization serving refugees and immigrants. He holds degrees from Tufts University, the Emory University School of Law and the University of Massachusetts at Boston. He can be found regularly on the banks of the Mystic River, Horn Pond or Mystic Lakes photographing wildlife such as bald eagles, great horned owls, barred owls, hawks and waterfowl. “I enjoy kayaking and hiking, and I have long been interested in environmental advocacy, I’m looking forward to getting involved locally and to contributing to the great work that MyWRA has been doing,” he said.

“Only with an active and engaged board of directors can the Mystic River Watershed Association meet its mandate of restoring and rejuvenating our local rivers, ponds and parklands,” said Patrick Herron, executive director of the organization. “Nasser, Mark and Rick all bring much-needed expertise to this already robust group who are stewarding our organization.”

In other news, Exelon Generation has announced a grant of $12,500 to support Mystic River Watershed Association environmental education programs geared to youth. 

The organization runs education programs in 11 communities in the watershed. Last year it reached 1,400 students with lessons about the watershed – focusing on river herring (the Mystic is one of three rivers in the state that sees more than a half-million herring migrate every year) and stormwater pollution. The Exelon grant will expand the organization’s youth work into Everett.