New ideas along the Mystic River: Grills, Stages, Oysters

By James O'Brien, Globe Correspondent

Two hundred thousand oysters dutifully drawing pollution from the waters of the Mystic River. A relinked network of bike trails. Public grills and new performance space in a waterfront park.

These are the ideas emerging for the Lower Mystic River, following the Massachusetts Environmental Trust's offer of up to $500,000 in watershed improvement grants.

"The Mystic River remains the largest and most heavily polluted tributary of the Boston Harbor," said the trust's chairman, Jim Gomes. "Increasing recreational opportunities was a successful strategy in the cleanup of the Charles, and we hope to replicate those results in the Lower Mystic."

The Massachusetts Oyster Project, in Charlestown, is seeking $25,000 to buy the 200,000 oysters. Project member Andrew T. Jay said that half of the mollusks, which are powerful pollution filters, would be seeded in the combined sewage outflow zone around the Amelia Earhart Dam in Somerville. The other 100,000 oysters would be placed in Chelsea Creek, which flows into the Mystic.

"One hundred thousand oysters filter 3 million gallons of water per day," Jay said.

Greg Nadeau, president of the Somerville Children's Network, applied for roughly $15,000 to place barbecue grills and an expanded shelter at Draw 7 Park.

The Charlestown Waterfront Coalition wants Boston to seek money from the state-managed trust to build a bike path from Medford Street to the Charlestown Navy Yard, part of what coalition member Ivey St. John called "a wonderful trail system that isn't quite connected."

"We look forward to receiving proposals for a range of projects," said Ian Bowles, secretary of the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, emphasizing that successful applications would involve efforts to help area residents "connect with their river."

Information about the application process, which has a Sept. 16 deadline, is available at comm-pass.com, under the "Search for solicitations" link, according to the agency.