Boston Flora

Tag: DCR

  • Thursday, January 19, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Why We Need Wilds in the City

    Dan Driscoll, Director of Recreational Facilities Planning, MA DCR and featured green space advocate in “My Green Manifesto,” will speak about the need for accessible, “wild” spaces in the city. He will talk about his work along the Charles River to transform a polluted, once feared space into a home for urban wildlife and an opportunity for human discovery and peace. The program will take place Thursday, January 19, from 6:30 – 8:30 at the BNAN office, 62 Summer Street in Boston. Registration required. To register and for more information email info@bostonnatural.org or 617-542-7696.

  • Tuesday, August 30, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Public Meeting on the Neponset River Trail

    At this meeting on Tuesday, August 30, from 7:30 – 9 at the Foley Senior Residences Dining Room, 249 River Street in Mattapan, the DCR will discuss and solicit public input on its recommended alternative to link the Lower Neponset River Trail to the Neponset Esplanade, from Central Avenue in Milton, to Blue Hill Avenue in Boston.  If you have any questions about this public meeting, please call 617-626-4974.

  • Saturday, August 6, 9:30 am – 12:00 noon – Run for Conservation 5K

    Wildlands Trust has organized a RUN FOR CONSERVATION! The 5k walk/run is an opportunity for runners, walkers, families, local non-profits, businesses, and everyone in between to come together and support land conservation in Southeastern Massachusetts. The Trust has partnered with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Bayside Runner to make the special event possible. The race will be held in DCR’s Myles Standish State Forest in Plymouth, the state’s largest forest reserve. Local non-profit organizations and businesses will be at the race, providing participants with information about local educational programs, events, and activities that encourage a healthy lifestyle, outdoor recreation, and an appreciation for conservation. If you would like to register your non-profit or business to be a part of this outreach, please contact skugel@wildlandstrust.org. We are also seeking volunteers to adopt water tables and to assist walkers and runners at different points throughout the 5k. All volunteers will receive a free race t-shirt and all race proceeds support Trust efforts to save land in Southeastern Massachusetts. This race will also feature a special barefoot division, which will send most mothers into cardiac arrest, but if you like the feel of dirt between your toes, go for it.  Cost is $20 for WLT members, $25 for non-members.

  • Esplanade Association Update

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay provided two grants to The Esplanade Association in 2010 in support of its work with trees – updating the tree inventory and replacing storm damaged trees.  We have received a note from Executive Director Sylvia Salas at The Esplanade Association which we’d like to share with our readers:

    “1. Tree inventory: We have been working with Joyce Husseni from Nitsch Engineering and David Rines on this project. David has assessed the condition of every tree on the Esplanade and has input this data into an Excel spreadsheet for Joyce to import into a database. David also has re-plotted tree locations on the maps, as needed. The assessment and data update include approximately 90 new trees, including the Yoshino cherries. The updated inventory will prove very useful to DCR as well as TEA in identifying and prioritizing tree work. We hope next to re-tag the trees.

    2. Replacement trees and tree care: The process of planting, even pruning, trees on the Esplanade is somewhat complicated because of oversight requirements by the Massachusetts Historic Commission and Boston Landmarks Commission, but we have managed to work through all of the DCR requirements to move forward with tree work. We are planting 10 willows at Otis Grove this spring and we intend to plant trees, as well as shrubs, ground cover and other plants at Eliot Plaza. The Eliot Plaza project is a significant one, encompassing a redesign of the plaza’s current landscape to convert it into the classic room within the park as intended by Arthur Shurcliff. We also have managed to get nearly 200 trees pruned around the Hatch Shell and are working with DCR to have as many as 300 trees pruned in the Otis Grove, Esplanade Café and Sherborn exercise areas this spring.

    Please express our gratitude to the members of the garden club for their support of The Esplanade Association’s ongoing work to improve the health and care of the Esplanade.”

  • Saturday, January 29, 9:15 am – 1:30 pm – Growing a Friends Group

    Organizing your group and keeping it energized can be challenging for both new and experienced advocates. Join other park/open space advocates in this workshop with Paul Sutton, Urban Wilds Initiative Program Manager, Boston Parks and Recreation; Conrad Crawford, Director of Partnerships, DCR; and leaders from established park friends groups in Boston. Presenters will share advice and experience about creating and building an effective friends group. There will be opportunities to ask questions, and following the workshop there will be a networking lunch at a restaurant in Chinatown for those interested.

    Where: The Metropolitan Community Room, 38 Oak Street, Chinatown (pictured below)
    When: Saturday January 29, 2011
    Time: 9:15am Coffee
    9:30am -12:00pm Workshop
    12:30pm Networking lunch
    RSVP: nina@bostonparks.org

    The Metropolitan is two blocks from the Orange Line’s New England Medical Center station, and a 10 minute walk from the Boylston Station on the Green Line.
    Hourly parking is available in the Metropolitan’s public garage.

    The workshop will cover topics relevant to newer groups and more established groups:

    * How to structure your friends group
    * Whether or not to incorporate
    * Recruiting key stakeholders in your community: individuals, youth, churches, businesses
    * Putting volunteers to work
    * Organizing activities and events
    * Relationships with park agencies
    * Advocating for your park

  • Saturday, January 29, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – St. Moritz Winter Wonderland

    St. Moritz, you say?  Switzerland?  No, Quincy, Massachusetts.  This hiking field trip with The Friends of the Blue Hills is a real eye-opener.  The St. Moritz area of Quincy was once the home to a huge winter carnival where elite athletes would perform, and locals could recreate. Join a DCR Ranger and discover the interesting history of this winter wonderland and explore its remnants, including where a 60-foot long 100-feet high ski jump once stood, on an easy hike.  Meet on Saturday, January 29 at the Shea Rink parking lot at 651 Willard Street in Quincy for this 2 hour excursion into the past.  For more information, click on to www.friendsofthebluehills.org. Although we couldn’t find an image from St. Moritz, Quincy, below is a vintage shot of ski jumping  courtesy of www.lakeshorepreserve.wisc.edu.

  • Garden Club of the Back Bay Donates $2,500 to Esplanade Emergency Tree Fund

    As most of you are aware, more than 50 of the Esplanade’s specimen trees were damaged or destroyed as a result of a violent storm that passed through Boston on June 6.  Willows, the iconic trees of the Esplanade, were particularly hard hit when they were uprooted and damaged beyond repair by what has been identified as a macroburst (although weather groupies say the more proper term is “microburst”).  Our Club Co-President Jackie Blombach says her dog Lily’s favorite apple tree is gone as well.  In response to the extensive damage sustained by the storm, The Esplanade Association’s Board of Directors has created the Esplanade Emergency Tree Fund to raise money to replace trees that have been destroyed.  The Garden Club of the Back Bay has sent $2,500 to this Fund, and we thank all who attended or supported our most recent fund raising event, The Twilight Garden Party, and all our loyal wreath buyers, without whom our ability to step forward in such emergencies would be impossible.

    The destruction of so many historic and stately trees is a terrible loss to the park and to all who enjoy this special green space.  The Department of Conservation and Recreation has reported more than 50 trees will either need to be removed or severely pruned.  The DCR commenced a tree clean-up operation immediately after the storm to assure that public safety concerns were fully addressed.  The Esplanade Association will work with the DCR to inventory the trees and assess the full damage to the park at the earliest possible time.  That inventory is funded in part through grants from The Garden Club of the Back Bay.

    You may contribute to this fund – donations of all sizes are urgently needed and will be tax-deductible – by logging on to www.esplanadeassociation.org, or by contacting Justin Burke at 617-227-0365, or by emailing him at jburke@esplanadeassociation.org.  If you are a GCBB member, please let him know.

    http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/3661009792_278f50a7a2.jpg

  • Wednesday, May 12, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Frameworks for the Future: Activities, Circulation, Wayfinding and Landscape

    On May 12, 2010, you are invited to join The Esplanade Association and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to review and comment on proposed improvements to the Charles River Esplanade. These suggested changes, made by the Esplanade 2020 Project and conceptual in nature, are meant to both improve the visitor experience and raise the ecological and aesthetic standards of the riverfront park. Team leaders of the Esplanade 2020 Design Group will present, and there will be ample time for community feedback and questions.

    Frameworks for the Future: Activities, Circulation, Wayfinding, and Landscape
    An Esplanade 2020 Public Meeting
    Wednesday, May 12, 6-8:30pm
    Boston Public Library, McKim Lower Level Conference Room

    Presentations at the public meeting will include: Overview of the Esplanade 2020 Project (John Shields, AIA, President of SheildsDESIGN); Activities (John Stebbins, AIA, LEED AP, Principle Emeritus of Cambridge Seven Associates); Circulation (Anthony Pangaro, Principle of Millennium Partners – Boston, Architect, former Manager of Boston’s Southwest Corridor Project); Wayfinding (Mark Favermann, Architect, President of Favermann Design); and Landscape (Craig Halverson, FASLA, President of Halverson Design Partnership).

    The Esplanade 2020 Project is an initiative of The Esplanade Association, in collaboration with DCR, which is crafting a shared vision for the future of the Charles River Esplanade. In celebration of the park’s Centennial Anniversary, the Esplanade 2020 Project is suggesting visionary but realistic changes to the park that will elevate it to its intended status as a world class destination over the next ten years and beyond. Guided by community feedback collected at a series of public meetings, a core group of architectural, planning, and horticultural professionals is working to analyze current park conditions and make suggestions for substantial park improvements. Esplanade 2020 is an inclusive project, and broad community participation is encouraged.

    For more information about Esplanade 2020, or to RSVP, please visit www.esplanadeassociation.org or contact Chris Murton at 617.227.0365 or cmurton@esplanadeassociation.org.

  • Wednesday, March 10, 6:00 – 8:00 pm – Findings and Directions: An Esplanade 2020 Community Input Session

    On March 10, 2010, The Esplanade Association and the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) invite you join us at 6pm at the Boston Public Library, McKim Lower Level Conference Room B,  for Findings and Directions, the second of four Esplanade 2020 community meetings.

    The Charles River Esplanade is a park for people, and though it is loved by many, it has the potential to be much more. An initiative of The Esplanade Association, in collaboration with DCR, the Esplanade 2020 project is bringing together community members, public officials, and design professionals to craft a shared vision for the future of the Esplanade. The March 10 Findings and Directions meeting provides the public with an opportunity to review and assess a proposed, increasingly refined direction for Esplanade 2020. Since commencing the visioning project, and based on public comments made at the first community input session in January, the Esplanade 2020 Design Committee has created a framework of principles to guide our shared vision. Moreover, the Design Committee has begun to explore possible solutions to park issues and areas of concern voiced by community members. Findings and Directions will allow the public to evaluate these proposed guidelines and alternatives, and will help The Esplanade Association and DCR steer the vision of Esplanade 2020 in a direction embraced by the community.

    Findings and Directions will be moderated by The Esplanade Association, and will include substantial time for public input. A more detailed agenda will be distributed ahead of the meeting. The Esplanade 2020 project is gathering members of the community and asking them to dream big. Broad public participation in the project is invaluable as we work together to realize the full potential of the Charles River Esplanade, and we hope that you will join us. For more information about Esplanade 2020, or to RSVP, please visit www.esplanadeassociation.org or contact Chris Murton at 617.227.0365 or cmurton@esplanadeassociation.org.

    http://www.usgwarchives.org/ma/suffolk/postcards/esplan.jpg

  • Thursday, December 3, 5:30 – 8:00 pm – Boston Natural Areas Network Strategy Meeting and Debate Follow Up

    Please come to the Boston Park Advocates meeting on Thursday, December 3 from 6-8 pm at BNAN to discuss how we should tap into the Mayors’ support, capitalize on proposals by newly elected city councilors, and meet the challenges of the state budget and staffing crisis affecting state parks in the city.  The meeting agenda is provided below.  Please RSVP to Lauri Webster, whose telephone number and email are below.  Thanks!

    Boston Park Advocates

    AGENDA for Strategy Meeting and Debate Follow-up

    December 3, 2009, at 6-8 pm (pizza at 5:30m pm)

    Boston Natural Areas Network

    62 Summer Street (enter on Otis Street) in Downtown Crossing

    2nd floor conference room

    I            Welcome and Introductions, Network Building

    II            City Parks – Election Follow Up

    A            Tapping the Mayor’s Support

    B            Proposals from City Councilors

    -            Transparent Permitting

    -            Vacant Land Reuse

    -            Funding

    -            Trees – Maintenance and Replacement

    -            Programming

    -            Increasing the Capital Budget

    III            State Budget Crisis and DCR Parks

    A            Overview of Budget and Staffing Crisis

    B            How Is It Impacting Your Park?

    IV            Networking and Communication

    A            Best Ways to Share Information

    B            What Do You Need to Involve Your Network?

    Lauri Webster, Boston Park Advocates: A city wide network of advocates connecting for better parks and open spaces     2010 Columbus Avenue     Roxbury, MA 02119
    (617) 442-4141  office(617) 877-6256  cell or email lauri@bostonparks.org