Biology/Chemistry/Natural Science/Engineering

• Which flora and fauna exist in the watershed at present, and what is their spatial configuration? Which open-space areas contain threatened species?
• What data are available on water quality and flow? What do we know, and with what degree of certainty, about water quality from the historical and current data? What are the data gaps? How can local quality and flow sampling be incorporated into state and federal data?
• What are the primary point and non-point sources of nutrient and pollutant loading of the river? Under what conditions, to what extent, and with what consequences do contaminants become remobilized from river and lake sediments?
• How do biotic indicators relate to other indicators of water quality?
• How can storm water be managed more effectively in the watershed, especially in light of EPA’s Phase II regulations of the Clean Water Act?

Public Health

• Where in the watershed have public-health issues such as fishing and swimming safety been raised? (This would be answered in part through a survey of local public health departments, which at present do not function on a watershed-wide basis.)
• What are the public health impacts of flooding and the current system of combined sewer overflows (CSOs)? (During heavy floods at present, raw sewage sometimes runs into residential neighborhoods.)

Policy Analysis

• What are the costs and benefits of acquiring specific open-space parcels in the watershed, and which should be targeted first for conservation measures?
• How do policies of public land conservation and acquisition compare in use and effectiveness among the towns in the watershed?
• Is the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative meeting its objectives in the Mystic watershed? In other watersheds in Massachusetts? What is needed to make it work better?

Social Sciences/Liberal Arts

• Where are open-space parcels within the watershed? Where are the critical areas for public acquisition or conservation, which would link existing parcels?
• What are significant historical landmarks in the watershed, and why are they important?
• What is the sociocultural and demographic "map" of the watershed? How have various ethnic and socioeconomic groups interacted over time in the watershed, and how has the river’s presence affected social organization?
• How did Native Americans use the watershed? Are there potential sites of archaeological significance?
• Which organizations are working within the watershed to promote environmental justice, and how can their work be better integrated?
• What are watershed residents’ perceptions of the river, other bodies of water, and the biophysical properties of this watershed? What do they perceive as problems, and what do they think are the causes and solutions? What (if anything) are they doing now to address the problems they perceive?
• Do residents know where storm drains drain? What do they know about watershed hydrology?
• What does "restoration" of the river mean to residents? What does "public access" mean (i.e., access for whom? when? how?)?
• Are residents aware of concerned groups in the watershed (e.g., MRWA, AMRA, FAR, MWC)? Are they aware of local conservation commissions or other forms of governance? Who works with these groups, and what percentage of the population is involved in one way or another?
• How can risk communication or messages to change residents’ behavior be phrased to have the desired effects? What will lead to lasting behavioral change?
• How do the methods of interacting with communities on river projects compare between relatively high- and low-income regions of the watershed?
• Which educational resources focused on the Mystic River or watershed exist at present? Who is developing and testing these, and in which communities and schools? How can Tufts best contribute?