The 2014 Annual Meeting of The Esplanade Association will take place Tuesday, April 29, from 6:30 – 8 at The Hampshire House, 84 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Meet new Executive Director Kate Fichter and hear about the accomplishments of the past year and challenges facing the organization. If you are interested in attending, email info@esplanadeassociation.org.
The Esplanade Association is pleased to welcome Kate Fichter as its new Executive Director. Kate has extensive experience in civic design, project management, and long-term planning, having worked for both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. A native Bostonian, she grew up in the Back Bay and has known the Esplanade since her childhood. She is a graduate of the
University of Chicago and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Kate will be taking over from Margo Newman, The Esplanade Association’s Executive Board Chair, who has graciously been our interim volunteer Executive Director for the past year. Kate’s duties will include direction of all the operations of the organization, including capital projects, program activities, park care, and advocacy. To read more about The Esplanade Association, visit www.esplanadeassociation.org.
Climate change research indicates that “biological spring†has shifted earlier in most parts of the world, with plants leafing and flowering approximately one week earlier than a century ago. Such work uses plant phenology—the timing of life-history events—to track responses to warming. Plant phenology is strongly linked to climate, can be easily observed, and affects important ecosystem services, thus it is one of the most reported and critical indicators of climate change. However it is also one of the most variable—showing remarkable variation across species, habitats, and time. Elizabeth Wolkovich, PhD, Assistant Professor at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, (and talented photographer – see below) will speak about her research aimed at improved prediction of this variation and how temporal assembly and species attributes may interact with phenology to shape current and future plant communities. The program will be held in the Hunnewell Building of the Arboretum on Thursday, April 24, from 6:30 – 7:30. Free, but registration requested at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.
