Boston Flora

Tag: Emerald Necklace

  • Thursday, June 7, 5:30 pm – What Lurks Below … The Unseen Beneath Back Bay and Fenway

    The Emerald Necklace docents cordially invite you to a special event: What Lurks Below … The Unseen Beneath Back Bay and Fenway, on Thursday, June 7 at the Blount Auditorium, Wentworth Institute of Technology, 550 Parker Street in Boston.  The evening will begin at 5:30 with a reception, and the talk, by James Lambrechts, P.E., Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at Wentworth, will begin at 6 pm.

    Have you ever wondered what lurks below your feet as you stroll the pathways of the Fens or sit atop the stands at Fenway Park?  Professor Lambrechts will take you on a journey to the underground for a fascinating look at what lies beneath Back Bay and Fenway.  From ice age to Olmsted, foul marsh to fashionable neighborhood, join Professor Lambrechts on this expedition through a labyrinth of layers deep below the landscape.  For more information, call 617-522-2700, or visit www.emeraldnecklace.org.  There is free onsite parking.  Register online by clicking here.  This is a free event sponsored by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.

  • Sunday, May 13, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – 19th Century Women Activists and Reformers and the Back Bay Fens

    The Emerald Necklace Conservancy will shed new light on the connections between 19th Century Women Activists and Reformers and the Back Bay Fens on Sunday, May 13.  The free guided tour will begin at 1 pm at the Shattuck Visitor Center.  For more information, visit www.emeraldnecklace.org.

  • Sunday, April 22, 7:00 pm – Olmsted & Whitman: The Civil War Years

    Gerry Wright has researched, written and produced a one-man show honoring the life and work of Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of landscape architecture. The play provides insights into Olmsted’s passionate vision as he played critical roles in the dynamics of slavery as a writer, Executive Secretary of the U.S. Sanitary Commission in the Civil War, and as the landscape architect for New York City’s Central Park, Boston’s Emerald Necklace, the US Capitol grounds, along with multiple plans for colleges, communities and private estates. Olmsted was a key pioneer in the movement to preserve land as national parkland, both at Yosemite and Niagara Falls.

    Olmsted’s life story, from “vagabond,” to dry goods salesman, sailor, traveler, journalist, author, publisher, executive (including a goldmine in California), to becoming the father of landscape architecture in America is both inspiring as history and reason for continued commitment in the 21st century.

    The Olmsted play has been presented at the Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline, Boston’s 375th Anniversary Parade, Brookline’s 350th Anniversary Celebration, plus numerous communities of the Commonwealth; along with performances in Volgoda, Russia; in New York City for the 150 year anniversary of the legislation for Central Park; Olmsted Parks Conservancy in Louisville, Kentucky; and in Asheville, North Carolina. It will be presented, free, along with a second one act play, on Sunday, April 22, beginning at 7 pm at First Church of Jamaica Plain, Eliot and Center Street, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Call 617-524-7070, or email FrederickLawOlmsted@yahoo.com.

  • Saturday, April 21, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Two Cleanup Events at the Muddy River and the Kelleher Rose Garden

    Volunteers, take note.  The Emerald Necklace Conservancy will sponsor two spring cleanup events on Saturday, April 21, from 9 – noon.  If you’re interested in the Muddy River Cleanup or the Wake Up the Kelleher Rose Garden morning, rsvp to Kevin O’Grady at projectassistant@emeraldnecklace.org.

  • Thursday, April 19 and Friday, April 20, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Mayor Menino’s Free Fishing at Jamaica Pond

    Fishing demonstrations, tips and techniques will be on display at Jamaica Pond Thursday and Friday, April 19 and 20, from 10 – noon.  Try out available fishing gear.  A valid fishing license is needed, however.  For more information, call 617-635-4505, or email parks@cityofboston.gov.  The lyrical picture below, taken at Jamaica Pond, is available for purchase at www.nedhorn.deviantart.com.

  • Sunday, April 29, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Joseph Weiler Artist’s Reception

    Meet Joseph Weiler, the photographer whose work will be on display at the Shattuck Visitor Center from April 29 through June 15, at a reception at the Shattuck Visitor Center, 125 The Fenway, on Sunday, April 29, from 2 – 4.  Mr. Weiler’s fine-art photographs are black and white gelatin silver prints made from film negatives.  He works with conventional photographic processes and does all his own darkroom work.  Preview his photographs at www.weilerphotogallery.com.

  • Monday, March 19, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Muddy River Restoration Project Maintenance and Oversight Committee Annual Meeting

    The Muddy River Maintenance and Management Oversight Committee (the “MMOC”) consists of Secretary-appointed citizen members of the original Emerald Necklace Citizens Advisory Committee (the “ENCAC”) appointed to represent the public to protect the significant investment of over $90 million and ensure that improvements are properly maintained for many years. Other members are various organizations representing the myriad of cultural, educational and medical institutions in the area, the City of Boston and the Town of Brookline (the “Proponents”), and DCR. Other members of the MMOC come from Boards and Commissions and organizations with related interests. In effect, MMOC is a separate entity serving as ombudsman for the public, with frequent meetings and site visits to oversee and guide the performance of the Proponents.  The MMOC will hold its Annual Meeting on Monday, March 19 at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which is an awfully good reason to go.  RSVP to brilliant@fenwayculture.org.  Photo courtesy National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site.

  • Monday, March 5, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit Fundraiser

    There will be an Emerald Necklace Conservancy fundraiser to help fund the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit on Monday, March 5, from 6 – 8 at Jacob Wirth Restaurant, 31 – 37 Stuart Street in Boston.  For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact Ashley Helie at 617-522-2700, or email her at ahelie@emeraldnecklace.org.

  • Request For Proposals for Boston Committee Grant

    Established in 1989, The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America is a consortium of 14 garden clubs in the greater Boston area, from Buzzards Bay to the South, and coastal Maine to the north, with a total membership of 1,100 individuals. The Garden Club of the Back Bay is an affiliate member of The Boston Committee.

    Over the past years, the Boston Committee has awarded $110,000, through its Blossom Fund, to various not for profit groups in the City of Boston, for the purpose of beautifying our urban spaces. The Fund has been most effective when used to leverage larger grants. It has been at the forefront of projects such as the construction of the Blackwell Path at the Arnold Arboretum, which allows access to the Arboretum from public transportation. The Blossom Fund has helped with the construction and planting of a butterfly garden and maple tree allee at Massachusetts Audubon Society’s George Robert White Nature Center, in Mattapan. It has provided money for the restoration of the Kelleher Rose Garden on the Emerald Necklace. The Esplanade Association purchased irrigation equipment, the Charles River Conservancy restored the landscape surrounding the Eliot Bridge, and a garden was established at the Neighborhood Charter School, all with the help of the Blossom Fund.

    Now, the Boston Committee is soliciting proposals for a project in the vicinity of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. We expect to award a single grant for $50,000, with the potential to collaboratively raise additional funds in the future.

    The Committee members agree that innovation, positive community impact, and horticultural achievement must be the hallmarks of a successful Greenway proposal. Sustainability and future maintenance are important considerations. The grant will not be awarded for general fund drives, endowments, or for operating or staffing costs. The successful applicant must work with us to raise additional monies in the final year of the fund drive. Importantly, applicants must be an exempt organization under the IRS code.

    Complete details may be obtained by email. Contact Michele Hanss, current Chairman of The Boston Committee, at m.hanss@comcast.net. Applications are due February 10. We have received notice that applications may be forthcoming from the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park, The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, the Boston Aquarium, and the Boston Harbor Walk. After a full review and interviews, member Clubs will vote for the winning application, to be announced at our Annual Meeting in the fall of 2012, after which we will embark on the final year of fund raising. We encourage all groups in or around the Greenway to submit applications.

  • Sunday, January 22, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Historic Maps and Plans of the Back Bay Fens

    Learn more about the history of the Back Bay Fens at a fascinating docent talk on Sunday, January 22,  from 1 – 3.  Meet at the Emerald Necklace Gatehouse, 125 The Fenway.  Free, no reservations required.