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.
Tag: Emerald Necklace
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Wednesday, May 16, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm – Party in the Park
We’ve just received a Save the Date card from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. This year’s Party in the Park, the Justine Mee Liff Fund Luncheon, will take place Wednesday, May 16, will an 11 am reception followed by a 12:30 luncheon in the Kelleher Rose Garden, Back Bay Fens, The Fenway, Boston. The Justine Mee Liff Fund, named for our late Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, preserves the legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace. If you have been to this event in the past, you know it is splendid, beautiful, and benefits a worthy cause. For more information, visit www.emeraldnecklace.org/partyinthepark, or call 617-522-2700.
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Saturday, November 12, 8:00 am – 9:30 am, and Saturday, November 19, 8:00 am – 10:00 am – Bird Walks
Come on a bird walk through the Back Bay Fens , led by Arnold Arboretum’s Marc Devokaitus, on Saturday, November 12, from 8 – 9:30 am, and/or come on a bird walk of Jamaica Pond on Saturday, November 19, from 8 – 10, led by Gerry Wright of Jamaica Pond Boathouse. Free, but please rsvp to projectassistant@emeraldnecklace.org for information on the assembly site.
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Wednesday, November 2, 5:30 pm – Emerald Necklace Conservancy 2011 Annual Meeting
Join the Emerald Necklace Conservancy at it thanks its volunteers, members and friends, reflects on the year’s projects and advocacy and looks forward to a bright future for the parks. The keynote speaker will be Steve Curwood, host of NPR’s “Living on Earth.” A reception at the Emmanuel College Auditorium, 400 The Fenway in Boston, will begin at 5:30 pm, with the program beginning at 6:30. Free and open to the public, membership may be renewed at this event. Please rsvp online at www.emeraldnecklace.org, or call 617-522-2700 by October 24. The Conservancy wishes to thank its partner Emmanuel College and its sponsor the Colleges of the Fenway, plus Nature Steward Northeastern University, Parks Patrons MASCO and Wilmington Trust, and Parks Supporter Harvard University.
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Sunday, July 31, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – The History, Gardens & Changing Landscape of the Back Bay Fens
Join Docents from The Emerald Necklace Conservancy on Sunday, July 31 for a free interpretive tour of the Back Bay Fens. The tour traces the evolution of the area from what a city engineer in the 1870’s called “the foulest marsh and muddy flats to be found anywhere in Massachusetts” to the tranquil parkland of today. Starting at the Visitor Center located at 125 The Fenway, participants will embark on a leisurely excursion that will take them along the Muddy River, through the fragrant Kelleher Rose Garden (below) and the historic Fenway Victory Gardens. Along the way, they will learn how the park developed under the guiding philosophies of celebrated landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Highlights include stops at hidden treasures such as the Japanese Bell and the rustic Agassiz Bridge, made of Roxbury puddingstone. For more information, visit www.emeraldnecklace.org. Rain or shine, no reservations required.
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Thursday, May 12, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Olmsted Legacy: America’s Urban Parks
The Arnold Arboretum, in conjunction with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, will offer an evening of film and discussion on Thursday, May 12 in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum, from 7 – 8:30 pm. The documentary The Olmsted Legacy: America’s Urban Parks explores the formation of America’s great city parks, including Boston’s own Emerald Necklace, through the eyes of 19th Century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.  The film traces the life of Olmsted: his early struggles in school. his personal tragedies and his unorthodox career path. Olmsted and his firm carried out more than 500 commissions, nearly 100 of which were public parks. His work includes the linear park system that stretches from the Back Bay Fens to Franklin Park known as the Emerald Necklace. A Q & A session will follow the screening. For more information on the documentary, visit www.theolmstedlegacy.org. The admission fee is $10, and you may sign up by logging in to www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.
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Saturday, April 30, 12:00 noon – Grand Opening of the Emerald Necklace Visitor Center
Celebrate the grand opening of the Emerald Necklace Visitor Center at 125 The Fenway, Boston, on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1. All events are free and open to the public. At noon, Mayor Thomas M. Menino will cut the ribbon along with special guests. From noon until 3:30, a very special Art in Bloom floral arrangement inspired by the Back Bay Fens will be on display, courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. From 12:30 until 2, Gerry Wright will appear in his “other” persona, Frederick Law Olmsted, and the Park Rangers Mounted Unit “Adopt a Horse” program will be featured. At 2, 2:30 and 3, there will be screenings of Stories from the Emerald Necklace, a documentary film depicting the variety of visitor stories found in the Necklace. Also, between 12:30 and 1:15, artist Dustan Knight will talk about the creative process as Dustan works in watercolors to capture the special Art in Bloom floral arrangement on paper.
From 12:45 – 3 pm, you may meet the gardeners at the Fenway Victory Gardens and visit the newly renovated Special Needs Garden, as well as participate in hands-on workshops. From 1 – 2:30, Alan Banks, Supervisory Park Ranger, will lead an interpretive walk through the Back Bay Fens beginning at the Visitor Center entitled “Garden in the Machine.” For the athletes, join a fun run with 3, 5 and 7 mile options led by Mark Lowenstein, author of Great Runs in Boston, with a route starting at the Visitor Center, continuing along the Necklace out to Jamaica Pond, and returning to the Visitor Center, starting at 1:15 pm.
Over at the Wentworth Institute, Frederick Law Olmsted, a one-man play written by performed by Gerry Wright, will begin at 3 pm, followed by a short reception, and at 4:30, in the same venue, there will be a screening of The Olmsted Legacy: America’s Urban Parks documentary. If you prefer, at 3 pm you may join Conservancy president Julie Crockford and City Councilor Mike Ross for a bike ride to Franklin park, and stay for the 4 pm Weeds as Feed walk led by a Franklin Park coalition naturalist. For complete times and directions, log on to www.emeraldnecklace.org/visitorcentergrandopening/.
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Wednesday, May 18 – 11:30 a.m. – Party in the Park
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy cordially invites you to attend the annual Party in the Park to benefit the Justine Mee Liff Fund, Wednesday, May 18 in the Kelleher Rose Garden, The Fenway, Boston. Cocktail reception begins at 11:30, and at 12:30 the Luncheon and Presentation of the Liff Spirit Award will begin. Valet parking available.   Please reserve by April 29. Individual ticket prices begin at $375. Mail your check to Emerald Necklace Conservancy, 891 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. For more information, or to reserve by telephone, call 617-522-2700. Visit www.emeraldnecklace.org for more information, or to buy tickets online.
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Thursday, April 28 – Sunday, May 1 – Birds and Bards: A Festival Celebrating Birds, Poetry, and Nature
Visit the Arnold Arboretum, Boston Nature Center, Forest Hills Cemetery, Franklin Park Coalition and the Franklin Park Zoo, Thursday, April 28 to Sunday, May 1 for Birds and Bards: A Festival Celebrating Birds, Poetry, and Nature. Spend the weekend exploring birds, poetry, and nature in over 1000 acres of green space along Boston’s Emerald Necklace. The festival includes activities for children and adults, most of which are free!
For complete event listings and information, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu/news-events/birds-and-bards.
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The Friends of the Boston Park Rangers
The Garden Club of the Back Bay web site has a new link on the right hand side of our home page – the Friends of the Boston Park Rangers. The Boston Mounted Horse Project: Preserving Boston’s Park Ranger Mounted Unit, can be found at www.SaveBostonsHorses.org. The friends group, led by Julie Donahue and Cokie Perry, has applied for independent non-profit status, but on a temporary basis, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy is serving as the fiduciary agent for the friends and welcomes donations payable to the Justine Mee Liff Fund, designated for the Boston Park Ranger Program. Checks may be sent to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy at 125 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115.
The Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit was created in 1982 through an initial effort by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. It has since grown into a program that once boasted more than twelve patrol horses and twenty-four year-round park rangers plus the addition of seasonal rangers. However, due to budget constraints, the program has been halved and is under consideration of total disbandment.
When the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit faced disbandment last year, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy raised $140,000 in donations to maintain the unit through the fiscal year 2010 and the early part of 2011. The efforts of the Conservancy saved jobs and protected the safety of the park system by providing funding to local enforcement to continue providing mounted security to the Emerald Necklace.
Now, facing a renewed effort to cease the mounted program, the Friends of the Boston Park Rangers have taken up the cause. Through fund-raising and donations, they hope to reach their goal of providing the city of Boston with $155,000 to maintain the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit through the fiscal year, and further prove the mounted program’s importance and necessity in maintaining the safety of Boston’s park system. Some very nifty aprons are available for purchase, too.
