Boston Flora

Tag: Emerald Necklace Conservancy

  • Friday, April 21, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of Justine Mee Liff Park

    Friday, April 21, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of Justine Mee Liff Park

    Residents and visitors will be taking in a new landscape this spring. On April 21, officials will unveil the Justine Mee Liff Park in the Fens and celebrate the completion of Phase I of the Muddy River Restoration Project. Join The Emerald Necklace Conservancy in celebrating this landmark achievement.

    Friday, Apr 21, 1-3 pm
    Upper Fens Pond
    near 400 Fenway and Emmanuel College

    Attending will be the US Army Corps of Engineers, Mayor Martin Walsh, Governor Charlie Baker, officials of the Boston Parks & Recreation Department, Brookline Selectman Chair Neil Wishinsky, Our Muddy River: Welcome Back, and many others!

  • Friday, April 14, 12:30 pm – iNaturalist City Challenge

    Contribute to Science, and participate in the iNaturalist City Challenge.

    Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. iNaturalist shares your findings with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe.

    Record your encounters with other organisms and maintain life lists, all in the cloud. Works on all devices: smartphones, tablets, etc. Help scientists and resource managers understand when and where organisms occur. Connect with experts who can identify the organisms you observe (they look at your picture and provide identification.) Build your knowledge by talking with other naturalists and helping others.

    The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is on a mission to make Boston the city with the most documented natural species. Join them on a nature walk Friday, April 14 at 12:30 (meet at the Longwood T stop), or make observations on your own using the iNaturalist app between April 14 – 18. Register for the walk at www.emeraldnecklace.org.

  • Thursday, February 23, 6:30 pm – Emerald Necklace Night at Symphony

    Introduce your friends to Party in the Park and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy with a Night at Symphony to benefit the Justine Mee Liff Fund. The event takes place Thursday, February 23 beginning at 6:30 pm at Symphony Hall. Evening includes pre-concert dinner and dessert at intermission. Supporter ticket level includes post-concert reception with conductor, Andris Nelsons. There will also be an exciting raffle, all to benefit the Conservancy. Purchase tickets ($150, $250) at www.emeraldnecklace.org. Sincere thanks to Mark Volpe, Kim Noltemy and the BSO for their continued support.

  • Saturday, January 28, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – All Out 2017

    Join the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and REI on January 28th at Daisy Field in Olmsted Park from 10 am to 3 pm for All Out 2017. Activities include Navigation with Map and Compass, Hiking, Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, all free. Sign up in advance at www.emeraldnecklace.org.

  • Thursday, November 10, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – An Emerald Evening

    Ben Taylor, Chair of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s board of directors and former publisher of the Boston Globe, has been a strong park advocate and champion of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy since before he joined the board in 2002. His guidance and leadership of the board have helped the Conservancy fulfill its ongoing mission to restore and improve the park for all. An avid proponent of the critical importance of the Emerald Necklace to sustain the quality of life in the city, Ben is one of the park’s strongest advocates and supporters. An enthusiastic park user himself, Ben walks or bikes pathways of the Emerald Necklace almost daily.

    An Emerald Evening will be held on November 10, 2016 at 6 pm in the Koch Gallery of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The evening will include a reception and the awarding of the Olmsted Award of Excellence to our honored guest. All proceeds from the event will directly support the Conservancy’s programming in the Emerald Necklace park system. For more information visit www.emeraldnecklace.org.

    The Olmsted Award of Excellence is awarded biennially to an individual or organization who demonstrates an unwavering determination to carry out Frederick Law Olmsted’s vision and commitment to urban parks. The inaugural award, made in 2013, was presented to park supporter and advocate, Sarah Freeman. The 2014 award honored former Governor Michael Dukakis.

    Tickets ($250) may be purchased online at https://25749.thankyou4caring.org/emeraldevening2016

  • Karen Mauney-Brodek Joins the Emerald Necklace Conservancy

    The Emerald Necklace Conservancy, a nonprofit organization based in Boston dedicated to the renewal, maintenance and advocacy for the Emerald Necklace parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, appointed Karen Mauney-Brodek as President.

    Mauney-Brodek joins the Emerald Necklace Conservancy from the City of San Francisco’s Parks Department, where she served as the Community Opportunity Fund Program Manager and led communication, outreach, planning, design and construction of several public park renovation projects, including both external and internal stakeholder management.

    She was also the project leader for the Glen Canyon Park Improvement Plan and developed, implemented and managed a plan for over $20 million in capital investment. Prior to joining San Francisco Parks, Mauney-Brodek was Chief of the Design Build Program in the Design & Construction Division of the New York Department of Parks and Recreation — the largest municipal parks department in the United States — managing $15-20 million annually for building and maintenance in the city’s 100 parks and playgrounds.

    “Karen has a wonderful track record of park experience in New York and San Francisco and a tremendous passion for the role that parks play in the life of any city. She has the ability to work well with our public partners and other stakeholders who care deeply about and use the parks,” said Emerald Necklace Conservancy Board Chair Ben Taylor.

    In response to her recent appointment, Mauney Brodek said, “I am honored to be part of the next chapter of the story of the Emerald Necklace and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. We are in a unique position to steward this marvelous park system and work with all of our partners to provide an amazing park experience.”

  • Through November 15 – Natural and Man-made Landscapes: Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace

    Painted over the last twenty years, watercolors by Thomas Loring are on view through November 15 at the Shattuck Visitor Center, 125 The Fenway. They are drawn from Frederick Law Olmsted’s parks and reflect the natural and man-made elements of the landscape that Olmsted created over 150 years ago with his colleagues: John C. Olmsted, H.H. Richardson, and Richardson’s successors, Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge. This collaboration was instrumental in realizing his far-reaching vision for the parks.

    Olmsted’s parks are a remarkable orchestration of organic forms in harmony with built structures. The design of the landscape is highlighted by contrasts of earth and water, light and dark, movement and repose. One’s eye is drawn to the sinuous forms, reflections in water and arrays of color at the interface of the natural and man-made. These watercolors were inspired by these splendid parks, and the artist is delighted to have the opportunity to show them at the Shattuck Visitor Center.

    Thomas Loring was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from Harvard University where he developed a lifelong interest in art and drawing. After beginning a course of study at the Boston Architectural Center, he went on to Carnegie Mellon University where he received a Master of Architecture degree. He started his career with Woollen Associates Architects in Cincinnati and Indianapolis before joining ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge, becoming a Principal at ARC, specializing in educational and scientific buildings. Painting in watercolor and drawing by hand has been complementary to his work in architecture for more than thirty years. He paints on site and in a studio in Boston and while traveling. For complete schedule of exhibit hours visit http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/about-us/shattuck-visitor-center/current-exhibit/

  • Garden Club of the Back Bay Announces 2016 Grants

    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.

  • Wednesday, April 27, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Frederick Law Olmsted’s Legacy of Public Parks

    “Speak Out” is a series of public lectures and presentations designed to inform, inspire, connect and engage audiences in the protection and preservation of the environment. The 2016 series features notable individuals with a broad range of experiences and perspectives and whose work has contributed to a better understanding of our changing environment. “Speak Out” is made possible through generous seed funding from the Caroline Loughlin Fund. The final lecture of 2016 will be given by Lauren Meier on Wednesday, April 27 at 6 pm at the Boston Athenaeum, 10 1/2 Beacon Street in Boston, on Frederick Law Olmsted’s Legacy of Public Parks. A historic preservationist, Meier is the co-editor of the recently-published Supplemental Series Vol 2 of the Olmsted Papers, Frederick Law Olmsted: Plans and Views of Public Parks. Co-hosted by the Boston Athenaeum. Register online at www.emeraldnecklace.org, or call 617-522-2700.

  • Wednesday, January 13, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm – Large-Scale Landscapes Symposium

    On January 13, 2016 (Snow Date January 14), join ELA and Wellesley College for a symposium on the development and maintenance of large-scale landscapes that utilize fewer inputs, are designed and maintained with the environment in mind, and become more sustainable over time. Experts who work daily in successful, sustainable large-scale landscapes will lead four presentations and one panel discussion. If you are a landscape professional responsible for planning and maintaining the landscapes of college campuses, municipal parks, cemeteries, public gardens, land trusts, private estates, or other large landscapes, join ELA as we explore ecological options for large-scale landscapes with a distinguished lineup of presenters. Included in the program are Ronnit Bendavid-Val of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Addressing Wear and Tear in High Use Areas, a panel discussion on Maintaining the Maturing Landscape with Mark Richardson, Horticulture Director of the New England Wild Flower Society, Ray Oladapo-Johnson, Director of Park Operations at the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Sue Pfeiffer, an arborist at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and John Olmstead, Wellesley College Landscape Manager. Also featured is a talk on Designing Rain Gardens for Long-lasting Success with Clay Larsen, Healthier and Lower-Cost Lawns with Chip Osborne, and Reawakening Large Landscapes: Activating the Space with Sandy Vorce of Audubon’s Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. Fees $85 – $110. For complete information and registration visit http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/large-scale-landscapes-symposium/