Daily Archives: September 13, 2021


Saturday, September 25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Walks & Talks 2021: Fort Washington with Andrew Dolkart

Join Columbia University Professor of Historic Preservation Andrew Dolkart and explore the architecture and landscapes of the Fort Washington neighborhood in northern Manhattan. Fort Washington, the northwestern section of Washington Heights, developed relatively late in New York City’s history, in the 1920s and 1930s when mass transit lines reached the area. The neighborhood is anchored by Fort Tryon Park, designed by Olmsted Brothers in 1930 at the behest of John D. Rockefeller Jr. With its spectacular views of the Hudson River and Palisades, this is one of Olmsted Brothers great designs. The Walk & Talk will explore the southern end of the park, including the magnificent Heather Garden, the Linden Terrace, the Cloisters, and other features. The tour will then continue through the neighborhood, with its speculatively-built middle-class, Art Deco apartment buildings from the late 1930s. It will end with an examination of two of the great apartment complexes of the city; Hudson View Gardens is a Tudor-inspired complex, built in 1923-24, around extensive gardens, to create a suburban environment in the city, and Castle Village, dating from 1939, is, perhaps, the earliest tower-in-the-park housing project in America. 

Andrew Dolkart is a Professor of Historic Preservation at the Columbia University. He is a historian specializing in the architecture and development of New York City, with particular interest in the common, yet overlooked building types that line the city’s streets. He is the author of several award-winning books about New York and is well-known for his popular lectures and walking tours.

This Cultural Landscape Foundation event on September 25 is $55, and you may register HERE.

All events will be subject to local guidelines on gatherings. Face coverings will be required at all events and need to be provided by the attendees. Events have been planned to optimize social distancing. Attendance is limited, not only to maximize the safety of those attending but to promote an intimate learning experience. If this event needs to be postponed to comply with local ordinances, registrants will be notified directly.


Tuesday, September 21, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Introduction to Propagation, Online

Garden Centers are bursting with beautiful annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees, but filling your garden from these nurseries costs more than most people can afford. Tune in on September 21 at 7 pm with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society to learn how to garden for less with seedlings, divisions, cuttings, etc. from your friends and neighbors and your own garden. 

This lecture will be led by Gretel Anspach. Gretel is a Lifetime Master Gardener with the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association, a Trustee of Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and a recently-retired systems engineer for Raytheon. Gretel helped to establish and maintain two food production gardens that have provided fresh produce to the Marlboro Food Pantry for the last eight years.

 Interested in becoming a member? Click here to learn more!

$18/member
$27/general admission


Wednesday, September 22, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Forest Bathing 101: Tapping Into Everyday Nature

Join us for an interactive, meditative “stroll” guided by Judy Beaudette, who explains the history behind forest bathing (‘shinrin yoku’ in Japan), a research-based mindfulness practice that offers wellness through immersion in nature. Evidence-based research links forest bathing to powerful health benefits, including reduced blood pressure and stress levels, a stronger immune system, improved sleep, better cognition, and higher energy levels. You’ll have the chance to practice a few techniques and will leave with ways to weave forest bathing into your everyday life.

A lifelong nature enthusiast, instructor Judy Beaudette tended her first garden at age 12 in Nebraska, then went on to create vegetable and perennial gardens on both the East and West Coasts.  Her interest in forest bathing emerged while serving on the board of Friends of North Creek Forest, a Seattle-area nonprofit that successfully preserved 64 acres of urban forest as a wilderness park in Bothell, WA. Since 2017, she’s been designing and leading forest bathing walks for groups and individuals within the greater Seattle area. 

This webinar takes place September 22 at noon. Sponsored by the Ecological Landscape Alliance, free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register HERE