The Friends of the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway invite you to learn how East Boston’s abandoned rail corridor became the beautiful Greenway it is today, on Thursday, May 21 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm at the East Boston Branch Library of the Boston Public Library, 365 Bremen Street in East Boston. Special guest speaker Valerie Burns will speak. Valerie served as the president of Boston Natural Areas Network for the last quarter-century.
We have received a letter from our good friends at Boston Park Advocates which we wish to share with our readers:
Help make parks and open spaces a priority for Boston’s candidates. The Boston Park Advocates is a network of people and organizations who champion our city’s parks and open spaces. You may have been involved in the past, attending a workshop, as sponsor of a candidates’ forum, or by testifying at a city budget hearing.
We’re jumping into this exciting campaign season. Will you join us? Here’s what’s happening:
Mayoral Candidates’ Forum on Thursday, August 15th 7-9pm at the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse.
Survey on parks & open space sent to all the candidates.
Updated www.bostonparks.org – check it out!
Follow Twitter and facebook activity to get the candidates talking about greenspace.
Calendar of events so park advocates can make sure candidates hear about open space issues.
What can you do?
First, join. Go to the sponsorship link on the website to add your organization to the growing list of groups that care about parks and open space. Let’s show candidates that Boston park advocates are from many disciplines: youth, sports, public safety, arts, bikes, health, CDC, and more.
Second, link to www.bostonparks.org from your organization’s website to get more people educated about parks and open space.
Third, get involved, go to candidate events, ask about their experiences with parks and let them know what you think is needed from a new mayor to make our greenspace even more spectacular. There are lots of ways to get involved, look at www.bostonparks.org to learn how.
We’re not supporting a candidate, we’re supporting parks! Please join us.
For Boston Park Advocates,
Christine Poff, Franklin Park Coalition
Valerie Burns, Boston Natural Areas Network
Julie Crockford, Emerald Necklace Conservancy
Liz Vizza, Friends of the Public Garden
Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) and its affiliate, The Trustees of Reservations are pleased to announce that Valerie Burns has been chosen as the 2011 recipient of The Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s Liff Spirit Award. The award honors the vision, wisdom, humanity and joy that Justine Mee Liff brought to her work as Boston Commissioner of Parks and Recreation from 1996 until 2002. It is presented annually to an individual or individuals whose leadership, commitment to cities, passion for public places and ability to inspire others, best reflects Justine’s spirit and legacy. Burns received the award at the 8th Annual Party in the Park in the Back Bay Fens on Wednesday, May 18, 2011.
As president of Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN), Burns demonstrates a strong commitment to conserving and expanding urban green spaces and encouraging community members to advocate and work for all the city’s parklands. “It is an honor to receive this award,†says Valerie. “As Justine did in her work, it is important to celebrate the beauty, joy and community that Boston’s parks and green spaces bring to our city.â€
BNAN’s mission is to improve, preserve and expand special kinds of urban open space such as community gardens, urban wilds, and greenways, always guided by local residents. The organization involves over 20,000 individuals and families each year in the stewardship of these green spaces. In 1995, BNAN introduced an initiative under Burns’ direction called, Greenways to Boston Harbor, which created the Neponset River Greenway and the East Boston Greenway that has leveraged to date $43 million in public funding for new parklands in the neighborhoods of Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park and East Boston.. These two greenways, moving towards completion, now provide 9 miles of walking and biking trails and almost 100 acres of parks as the expansion of public parks in parts of the city underserved by open space. BNAN is also the leading organization for community gardens in Boston, providing services to all 150 community gardens and owns and protects 43 gardens.
Boston Natural Areas Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together local residents, partner organizations, public officials and foundations to preserve, expand and enhance urban open space, including community gardens, greenways and urban wilds. For more information about the organization, becoming a member or the calendar of events, visit www.bostonnatural.org.or call 617-542-7696.
