Join Emerald Necklace docents on Sunday, April 14, beginning at 1 pm at the Shattuck Visitor Center, 125 The Fenway in Boston, as they talk and walk through the sites of the Back Bay Fens, including the Kelleher Rose Garden and the oldest World War II Victory Gardens in America. Free and open to the public, reservations recommended, RSVP online or call 617-522-2700.
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.
Led by Emerald Necklace docent Barbara Balasa, this informal talk on The Secret Life of Cones, Sunday, February 24, from 1 – 2:30, at the Shattuck Visitor’s Center, focuses on all things coniferous and will feature a hands-on exhibit of a variety of cones from North America, including the curiously named “widow-maker!†Space limited, reserve online at https://25749.thankyou4caring.org/eventregistration?erid=140278&trid=419898e4-8a51-4a9b-9bd7-1eba4020b332 or call 617-522-2700. Photo from www.wildliferanger.co.uk.
Honor your loved ones with a unique and lasting Valentine’s Day gift. On Valentine’s Day, your special someone will receive a customized E-card from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy to announce your gift in their honor ( If you would like a card mailed to your honoree, please order by February 7th, 2013.) It will include the name of the rose that you selected so that you and your Valentine can visit your sponsored rose in the Rose Garden for years to come! In addition, all sponsors and their honorees will receive an invitation to an exclusive summertime reception for the Rose Garden. Sponsorships are $75 and will support the ongoing care and replacement of the roses. If you do not specify a rose, we’ll choose one for you. Questions? Call 617-522-2700. Below, from left to right, are Cherish, Crimson Glory, Love Potion, and Walking on Sunshine, $75 each or all four for $250.
You’re invited to join The Emerald Necklace Conservancy for a memorable evening with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on Thursday, February 21.
A pre-concert dinner reception will take place at 6:30pm in the Cabot-Cahners Room at Symphony Hall followed by a concert at 8pm with compositions by Stravinsky and Haydn. Veteran BSO conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos joins the BSO for two very different works for orchestra and voices: the complete music from Stravinsky’s 1919 ballet Pulcinella-an early example, reinterpreting Baroque music, of the composer’s neoclassical style, and named for a character from Italian commedia dell’arte-and Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, composed in 1796 during the series of European wars following the French Revolution. These concerts feature the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, three soloists making return appearances at Symphony Hall-Alexandra Coku, Karen Cargill, and Matthew Polenzani-and, in his BSO debut, bass Ildebrando D’Arcangelo. Please RSVP by January 15. Purchase tickets by check or online for $150 & $250. To purchase tickets>> https://25749.thankyou4caring.org/eventregistration?erid=140278&trid=419898e4-8a51-4a9b-9bd7-1eba4020b332.
Join the Emerald Necklace Conservancy as they come together to thank their volunteers, members, and friends, and look forward to a resilient future for our parks. The meeting will take place Thursday, November 15, beginning with a reception at 5:30. The program will begin at 6:30. The event will take place at Northeastern University Curry Student Center Ballroom, 346 Huntington Avenue in Boston.
Featuring Keynote Speaker Coleen O’Connell
“Urban Parks: Ensuring a Resilient Future”
Coleen O’Connell, an educator for 26 years, is an instructor at Lesley University in Environmental Studies, focused on Ecological Teaching and Learning. She was the former Education Director of the Audubon Expedition Institute and Executive Director for the Geocommons College Program.
As you may know, on July 19th the Bottle Bill passed the Senate! This is a huge victory after a long, 14 year struggle. Now, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy needs the House of Representatives to jump on board and YOU can help!
What is the Bottle Bill? The Bottle Bill is the state’s most successful recycling and litter prevention program. Since the Bottle Bill’s inception in 1983, over 30 billion containers have been redeemed, contributing to a healthier environment, cleaner and safer communities, and a stronger economy.
An Updated Bottle Bill would expand our container deposit system to include “new age†drinks such as non-carbonated beverages, water, iced tea, juice, and sports drinks. Projected to save cities and towns over $4 million in reduced cost for trash removal, this update would create jobs at redemption centers and at the companies that make products with the reclaimed materials. For more information from the Sierra Club about the Bottle Bill, please click here.
Why is this Important? An estimated 20 billion “new-age†beverages are consumed annually in the US, and this number is only expected to increase. As consumers purchase more of these beverages, an increasing number of containers are finding their way to landfills — an estimated 69,000 tons nationwide. An updated Bottle Bill would decrease litter – and increase recycling.
What can YOU Do? Tell your State Representative to help pass this bill by signing the letter of support. Every House member needs to be contacted and get the message! Please contact your state representative by email or phone TODAY. To find your House Representative, please Click Here.
Circle The City will feature a car-free corridor on Sunday, August 5, between 10 – 1, along the Rose Kennedy Greenway downtown. Come out and walk, bike, roll and play on Open Streets. All Circle The City events will include free live performances, outdoor fitness, dance and yoga classes, Farmer’s Markets, bike clinics, children’s activities, culinary demonstrations, roller skating, hula hooping, and countless other opportunities to have fun on the streets and in the parks. A 2012 Urban Signature Project of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, Circle The City is a collaborative venture of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness, LivableStreets Alliance, Franklin Park Coalition and the City of Boston. Demonstrating an innovative model connecting conservation and recreation, Circle The City will serve as a national leader for exemplifying healthy living in the city and improved accessibility to urban green spaces. For more information, visit www.emeraldnecklace.org/circle-the-city/.
In crowded cities around the U.S. and the world, Open Streets initiatives are drawing people out of their homes and cars and onto miles of safe, car-free streets to celebrate active urban living in our most public space. With community-building, healthy lifestyles and park accessibility at the heart of these events, Open Streets engage participants of every age and background. The goals of Circle The City focus on encouraging healthy engagement with our parks by all residents of Boston, and include:
Improving neighborhood accessibility to parks and open space.
Gathering the community for free activities and performances on safe, car-free streets.
Increasing the involvement of youth in our parks through summer employment programs and regularly scheduled activities for children.
Circle The City is not a parade, nor is it a race. Rather it is a unique opportunity to safely enjoy the streets and explore new neighborhoods and parks.
Circle The City will feature a car-free corridor on Sunday, July 15, between 11 – 4, between Franklin Park and Jamaica Pond. Come out and walk, bike, roll and play on Open Streets. All Circle The City events will include free live performances, outdoor fitness, dance and yoga classes, Farmer’s Markets, bike clinics, children’s activities, culinary demonstrations, roller skating, hula hooping, and countless other opportunities to have fun on the streets and in the parks. A 2012 Urban Signature Project of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, Circle The City is a collaborative venture of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness, LivableStreets Alliance, Franklin Park Coalition and the City of Boston. Demonstrating an innovative model connecting conservation and recreation, Circle The City will serve as a national leader for exemplifying healthy living in the city and improved accessibility to urban green spaces. For more information, visit www.emeraldnecklace.org/circle-the-city/.
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy invites you to join them for free walking tours on Sundays, July 15 – August 26, from 1:00 – 2:30 pm, led by Emerald Necklace docents. Tours will begin and end at the Shattuck Emerald Necklace Visitor Center. The specific tours are as follows:
Sunday, July 15
The Changing Landscape of the Back Bay Fens
Frederick Law Olmsted turned a foul-smelling tidal creek and swamp that periodically flooded into “scenery of a winding, brackish creek, within wooded banks; gaining interest from the meandering course of the water.” Much has changed to Olmsted’s landscape over the years. Hear the fascinating story of the Fens on this guided walk.
Sunday, July 22
19th Century Women Activists and Reformers and the Back Bay Fens
Several 19th Century women played a part, though often overlooked, in Fens history. Join Emerald Necklace docents on a guided walking tour of the park and hear the stories of Marie Antoinette Evans, Mrs. Johnson, Ida Agassiz and others, while stopping at gardens and historic sites along the way.
Sunday, July 29
History and Landscape of the Back Bay Fens
From foul muddy flats to the parkland of today– the Fens has undergone many transformations in the last 125 years. Join Emerald Necklace docents as they talk and walk the historic landscape. Includes stops at the Kelleher Rose Garden, with its 1,500+ roses, and the oldest World War II Victory Gardens in continuous operation in America.
Sunday, August 5
Along The Muddy River
Where does it start and where does it go? Learn the answers and more on this guided walking tour of all things Muddy! Once tidal, the Muddy River has been reconfigured, widened, narrowed, dredged and filled. Hear the story of Olmsted’s plan for the Muddy and what the future holds for this waterway. Tour includes stops at two historic bridges that span the Muddy.
Sunday, August 12
The Plant Life of the Back Bay Fens
Explore the plant life in the Back Bay Fens with Emerald Necklace docents. Stroll among cherry trees and crabapples, see (and smell!) 200 varieties of roses in the Kelleher Rose Garden; view recently planted native species such as oakleaf hydrangea, sweet and hay-scented fern, witch hazel, common snowberry, and mountain laurel on the slope at Mother’s Rest; and meander through the Victory Garden for an eye-popping array of blooms and veggies. You may want to bring along a camera and notebook!
Sunday, August 19
The Changing Landscape of the Back Bay Fens
Frederick Law Olmsted turned a foul-smelling tidal creek and swamp that periodically flooded into “scenery of a winding, brackish creek, within wooded banks; gaining interest from the meandering course of the water.” Much has changed to Olmsted’s landscape over the years. Hear the fascinating story of the Fens on this guided walk.
Sunday, August 26
History and Landscape of the Back Bay Fens
From foul muddy flats to the parkland of today– the Fens has undergone many transformations in the last 125 years. Join Emerald Necklace docents as they talk and walk the historic landscape. Includes stops at the Kelleher Rose Garden, with its 1,500+ roses, and the oldest World War II Victory Gardens in continuous operation in America.
