Daily Archives: March 2, 2013

Thursday, March 14, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Brooklyn’s Resilient Edge: The Transformation of Industrial Waterfront into Brooklyn Bridge Park

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Brooklyn’s Resilient Edge: The Transformation of Industrial Waterfront into Brooklyn Bridge Park, is a lecture by Nate Trevethan, Senior Associate at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates and senior design team member for Brooklyn Bridge Park, sponsored by the Friends of Fairsted, to take place March 14, 2013, with reception at 6:00 pm, lecture at 7:00 pm, at Wheelock College, 43 Hawes Street, Brookline. Free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Reservations are requested: e-mail friendsoffairsted@gmail.com or leave a message at 617-566-1689, ext. 265.

Ambitious and visionary goals guide the creative team in their transformation of Brooklyn’s former industrial waterfront into a new public landscape of diverse recreational, economic, ecological and social possibilities: to preserve the historic urban context and the way it is experienced in this dramatic waterfront site. The award-winning design by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates gives voice to physical history, geography, industry, urbanity and evolving recreational needs as it transforms a challenging waterfront into a sustainable public park of monumental vistas and diverse landscape experiences.

Friends of Fairsted gratefully acknowledges the support of the following co-sponsors: National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site; Wheelock College; Arnold Arboretum; Boston Society of Landscape Architects; Brookline GreenSpace Alliance; Brookline Historical Society; Charles River Conservancy; Emerald Necklace Conservancy; The Fenway Alliance; Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery; Friends of the Muddy River; Friends of the Public Garden; High Street Hill Association; Historic New England; The Landscape Institute of the Boston Architectural College; Library of American Landscape History; Massachusetts Historical Society; Muddy River Restoration Project Maintenance and Management Oversight Committee; National Association for Olmsted Parks; New England Landscape Design and History Association; Society of Architectural Historians, New England Chapter; The Trustees of Reservations.

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Thursday, March 14, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Seeds of Change: Reclaim the Legacy of Seed Saving

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On Thursday, March 14, Thoreau Farm, The Concord Seed Lending Library (Fowler Branch), Gardening for Life, and ConcordCAN will present Seeds Of Change: Reclaim the Legacy of Seed Saving, at Thoreau Farm, 341 Virginia Road in Concord, beginning at 7:30 pm.  Speaker Bryan Connolly, noted field botanist, homestead farmer, FEDCO seed saver, and author of The Wisdom of Plant Heritage, will address the history and utility of seed saving within the context of climate change, plus give practical advice for most common garden products.  If Concord Schools are closed due to bad weather, the program will be canceled.  Free, but donations are always welcomed.  For more information, visit www.concordfood.ning.com.

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Saturday, March 16, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon and 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Gardening is for the Birds, and Ethnobotany

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This Berkshire Botanical Garden morning class on Saturday, March 16 from 10 – 12 is for the gardener/naturalist and bird lover. Understand the unique relationship of our avian friends with plants, and how to provide birds with all they need to make the garden a welcoming home. Learn about the variety of song birds, their requirements for survival and the plants that attract them to the landscape, as well as the importance of structural elements in the garden to attract these welcomed guests. The ecological perspective in this lecture will help gardeners better understand essential plant/animal relationships. In the afternoon, from 12:30 – 2:30, learn about the many uses of plants growing in the fields and forests of New England. This lecture will look at the fascinating history of plants in North America from a human perspective and explore their role in the survival and development of society, as well as their importance today. The instructor will discuss some of the major figures in plant discovery and how plants were used for food, shelter, medicine, clothing, hunting and religious ceremonies.

Drew Monthie is a horticulturalist, garden designer and ecologist working in upstate New York. He is committed to teaching about the importance of using native plants to provide beauty and preserve biodiversity in yards and gardens. The morning class costs $25 for BBG members, $30 for nonmembers, and the afternoon session is separately priced at $25/$30. However, if you enroll for both, you will receive a 20% discount. Visit www.berkshirebotanical.org for details.