The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) was founded by Dr Herbert Meyer and a group of concerned citizens, and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1972. It was Dr. Meyer's advocacy, foresight, perserverance, and high expectations that formed the basis of many of the successes the MyRWA has had. MyRWA's mission is to protect and restore clean water and related natural resources in the basin's communities and to promote responsible stewardship of our natural resources through educational initiatives. Our overarching goal is to make the Mystic River fishable and swimmable by 2010.

Since MyRWA's beginning, thousands of people have taken part in MyRWA-sponsored river and lake clean-ups, canoe trips, walks, lectures, and other activities. For the past three years, we have co-sponsored the annual Herring Run Celebration, a river festival that highlights the annual return of migrating herring to the Mystic. In addition to these activities, MyRWA is active in research, water quality monitoring, policy and advocacy.

A small organization, MyRWA accomplishes its mission by forging links with citizens’ groups, universities, businesses, and government agencies. These alliances permit MyRWA to work throughout the watershed, to document current conditions, and advocate for resource management and protection. As an umbrella organization, MyRWA connects, but does not direct, the efforts of many smaller groups working in each watershed community and leads watershed-wide environmental programs. This collaborative approach has created a stronger watershed voice and is helping to attract much-needed public and private resources to the Mystic.