American Legion Highway isn’t working as well as it could. The Boston Nature Center of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, working with LivableStreets Alliance, wants to hear from you about how you want to use this street and what changes you would like to see, as they strive to improve this highway. This survey is anonymous and the information will be shared with the City of Boston to advocate for what you have asked for. Access survey HERE
Join photographer Eduardo del Solar on October 3 at the Boston Nature Center in Mattapan to expand your compositional ability centered on fall color photography. Equipment recommendations for digital cameras, lenses, and accessories will be offered. We’ll discuss exposure, lighting, composition techniques, image critiques, and the ethics of nature photography. The class is from 1 – 4.
Participants must have either a digital point-and-shoot or digital SLR camera. Cell phone cameras will not suffice.
Mass Audubon Members $20, Nonmembers $25.
PLEASE NOTE: This program will be conducted in accordance with current Municipal, State, and Mass Audubon Covid-19 protocols. Groups are limited to 11 pre-registered adults. Participants are required to wear a face covering and follow social distancing guidelines. Mass Audubon cannot loan field equipment at this time. A detailed confirmation letter will be emailed 24 hours before the program.
In the event of inclement weather, participants will be notified of a make up date. Registration is required. Register now.
Join the Massachusetts Audubon Society at the Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street in Boston on Thursday, January 10, from 6:30-8:30 pm for a special event hosted by REI Boston.
Come watch two episodes of the film Miles of Portraits: Alaska and hear about the many ways the bicycle brings people together. FREE general admission, or $49/ticket package. The ticket package includes: one general admission ticket, two signed magazines, and a poster.
Registration is managed by REI Boston. While tickets are free, registration is required to attend this event. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/miles-of-portraits-alaska-boston-nature-center-tickets-53228125757
When Annalisa and Erik ride their nearly 100-pound loaded bicycles, people ask them questions. A lot of questions. Across America and around Alaska, their bicycles have become the ultimate conversation starter and have introduced them to hundreds of people. Miles of Portraits is a magazine and film that captures their stories.
Come watch episodes of the film and hear Annalisa and Erik, both Type 1 diabetics, talk about these kind souls they met on their 1,000-mile bike trip around Alaska as well as their own story managing the disease out in the middle of nowhere.
At the Annual Meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay on May 8, the membership approved the following grants for fiscal year 2017. These grants, given to organizations whose mission closely tracks our own, are in addition to $20,000 allocated directly to neighborhood tree care. We thank all our volunteers and supporters, who make the magic happen. Image courtesy of www.tclf.org. The following list is in alphabetical order:
Arnold Arboretum: $1,500 for the Campaign for the Living Collections, to collect and preserve plants of critical conservation value.
Blossom Fund of the Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America: $500
Boston Nature Center/Mass Audubon: $4,000, to support scholarships for their summer camp. Children range in age from 5 – 14 and are from local neighborhoods of Mattapan, Roslindale and Jamaica Plain.
Charles River Clean Up Boat: $2,000
Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee: $5,000 for its tree care program, including Dutch elm disease monitoring and soil improvement.
Emerald Necklace Conservancy: $2,500, to the Olmsted Tree Society for planting a pathway tree.
Esplanade Association: $5,000, for the 2017 critical tree maintenance program, allocated to pruning.
Friends of Copley Square: $1,500 for treating trees for root stress, and for fertilizer and fungicide.
Friends of the Public Garden: $5,000 for tree care and preservation of the historic elms planted on Commonwealth Avenue in the block west of Massachusetts Avenue.
Food Project: $2,000 for building raised bed gardens for Boston residents and community centers.
Mothers Out Front: $1,000 for educating the public on the effects of gas leaks on trees in the urban landscape.
Ronald B. Davis, PhD, Professor Emeritus, School of Biology and Ecology and the Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, will speak on Thursday, October 13, 7:00–8:30pm at the Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street, Mattapan, on the topic of Bogs and Fens.
Bogs and fens are wetlands underlain by deep water-saturated peat. In New England, at least 25 of them can be visited on boardwalks, where one can see unique assemblages of flora and fauna, including carnivorous plants, orchids, and uncommon bird species. Dr. Ronald Davis will illustrate his lecture with outstanding photographs and explain some of the unique features of these beautiful and fascinating ecosystems. Fee: Free for Arboretum members and student; $5 nonmembers. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277. Presented jointly by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center. Image from www.hikenewengland.com.
Drop in at the Boston Nature Center in Mattapan Saturday morning August 27 (from 10 – noon) and learn all about honey bees from the Boston area beekeepers. The Massachusetts Audubon Society, Boston Nature Center, and the Boston Area Beekeepers Association will host an apiary on the sanctuary, and the beekeepers will “bee” more than happy to help you explore all aspects of bee life. Learn how they make honey, how they survive the winter, and much more! Free. Registration is required. Register online at www.massaudubon.org or call 617-983-8500 to register by phone.
At the Annual Meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay held at the College Club on May 16, the membership voted to award the following grants to a group of worthy recipients whose projects fulfill our mission to protect, beautify and educate. In addition, we again commit $20,000 for tree care in our neighborhood.
Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee – $5,000 for its tree care program, Dutch elm disease monitoring, and soil improvement.
Friends of the Public Garden – $5,000 for inoculation of certain mature elm street trees not located on the Mall, planted beyond Massachusetts Avenue.
The Esplanade Association – $4,000 allocated to tree pruning.
Boston Nature Center/Mass Audubon – $3,500 to support scholarships for BNC’s summer camp program for children ages 5 – 14, from local neighborhoods of Mattapan, Roslindale, and Jamaica Plain.
Emerald Necklace Conservancy – $2,500 to the Olmsted Tree Society for planting a pathway tree.
The Food Project – $2,000 for its Build A Garden Program, building raised bed gardens for neighborhood residents and community centers in and around Dorchester.
Charles River Clean Up Boat – $2,000 for continued operational expenses.
Friends of Copley Square – $1,500 for treating trees for root stress, with fertilizer and fungicide.
The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America, Inc. – $500 to the Blossom Fund in support of the 9.2 mile Fairmount Indigo Corridor Planting Project.
Please click on to the links above, where available, to read more about these organizations and specifically the projects which we are helping to fund. The Garden Club thanks all our supporters who, through donations and patronage of our fund raising efforts, allow us to share our money and expertise in a substantial way.
At the Annual Meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay, held May 11 at The College Club of Boston, the membership voted to approve the following recommendations of the Executive Committee. Co-Presidents Jackie Blombach and Jolinda Taylor were pleased to announce that, in addition to $20,000 to be spent directly by our Club for Back Bay tree care (primarily pruning and inoculation), other not-for-profit organizations will benefit from our fund raising efforts throughout the year, primarily our Twilight Garden Party and Holiday Wreath Sale.
$5,000 to the Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee for its tree care program, Dutch elm disease monitoring, and soil improvement.
$5,000 to the Friends of the Public Garden for inoculation against Dutch elm disease for certain Belgium elm street trees not located on the Mall, planted beyond Massachusetts Avenue.
$4,000 to The Esplanade Association for its tree care program and planning, including updating inventory and data manipulation.
$3,000 to the Boston Nature Center of the Massachusetts Audubon Society to support scholarships for summer camp for children ages 5 – 14 from local neighborhoods of Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain.
$3,000 to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy for the planting of perennials in the Fenway.
$2,000 to the Charles River Cleanup Boat for general operating expenses.
$2,000 to the Trustees of Reservations/Boston Natural Areas Network in support of the MBTA Indigo Line/Fairmount Indigo Line Project, which will convert City-owned vacant lots along the rail corridor into parks and gardens. This donation will help convert a vacant lot at Windermere Road in Uphams Corner.
$1,500 to the Friends of Copley Square for treating trees with fertilizer and fungicide for root stress.
$1,000 to the Blossom Fund of the Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America in recognition of its 25th Anniversary.
We thank all our contributors and patrons whose generosity allows us to make these grants. We hope to see many of you at this year’s Twilight Garden Party on June 4.
Friends of the Boston Nature Center are invited to enjoy an intimate presentation for the book release of A Healing Landscape, with author Steve Holmes. This fascinating book chronicles the cultural and environmental history of the BNC sanctuary site. RSVP’s appreciated by calling 617-983-8500.
Is your green thumb going to waste during the winter months? Join the Massachusetts Audubon Society on Sunday, January 20 from 2 – 3:30 to learn how to garden right inside your home. We will begin by discussing and practicing techniques for planting, care, and harvesting. Going beyond herbs, we will explore growing everything from micro-greens to sugar snap peas right in your kitchen window.
Registration is required. The price is $5 for Mass Audubon members, $7 for non members, and the class will take place at the Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street in Mattapan. To sign up, visit www.massaudubon.org, or call 617-983-8500. Image from www.harvesttotable.com.
