FAR Annual
Meeting
January 31, 2008
• Slideshow of
Highlights of 2007
• Community Involvement and Activities
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Ecology Camps, Science Classroom
Stewardship and Community Service
Spiritual Practice/Gatherings
Art
Nature Inventory and Appreciation
Local History
• Current and Future of the Reservation
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Silver Maple Forest
Muskrat Marsh
Storm water basin Constructed Wetland
DCR Master Plan implementation
Stewardship Challenges: Fire, Trash
• FAR Regrouping
– October 25, 2007 Community representatives meet to discus
future stewarding and educational activities
Ecology Camp, Summer 2007
Ecology Camp, Summer 2007
• 10 youth, ages 16-19
• 5 days a week, 7 weeks
• Youth Opportunities Boston, FAR partnered
• Skills learned water quality monitoring, trail
maintenance, wetland restoration, environmental
issues…
Brownsberger visits award picnic at camp
Supervisor Chernika Corbitt oversees YOB
behavior at Camp
Cambridge Middle School Students Study Nature
Curriculum at Alewife
Cambridge Public Schools third graders studying
Habitats last June at Alewife Reservation. Three
Cambridge schools were recipients of a grant funded
program between CPS and Habitat Audubon.
Bird Blind Project by Advanced Science Class at
Cambridge Ridge and Latin High School
Julia J. Berg and Sumbul Siddiqui
• We observed 8 of the 20 most common bird species
over a two week period. Our goal was to determine "How
human presence (represented by a loud radio and
surrounding urban area) affects the bird species
population at Alewife Reservation?" We then asked, How
does this compare to bird population with minimal human
activity in the area, represented by a bird blind?
Youth Opportunites Boston Surveys Communters
for the Uses of Alewife Reservation
These surveys were taken around the Alewife Transportation
Redline stop by Youth Opportunities Boston: Alandra Sheffield,
Junior Polanco, Lillian Dias, Indira Tate, Alex Gaudette.
Surveyed >200 people
Montgomery and Watson at FAR
Community Service Day
Excel Academy cleans Alewife Reservation — October 30, 2007
Stephanie Lee, Shannon Coyle, Teachers
Excel cleans Blair Pond with Ellen
Mass
City Year
event
Former Mayor Michael Sullivan, Ellen
Mass FAR, and Leroy Heard YOB
Scouts, Arlington Troop 302
Bill Ackerly, Stewart Sanders, Ellen Mass, Mark Kirk put
up boxes with DCR built boxes throughout Reservation
City of Cambridge/FAR partner on
Drain Project with Eagle Scouts on
Drain Stencil Project.
City Brochure made.
Annual Solstice and Vernal Equinox
Ritual Service, 1st Parish UU Cambridge
Redwood Forest Advocate, Andy
Barnet. Concert and Festival to
benefit Silver Maple Forest
NEW Poster of the Alewife Arts Mural for $10. The gorgeous 18x24
inch high resolution color mural poster is primarily of the western end of the
Reservation, spotlighting the ecosystems of the Reservation.
Sara Leon presents art show at Habitat
Audubon Society in Belmont.
Alewife Reservation paintings. Proceeds to
benefit forest campaign.
FAR Biodiversity Book, Biodiversity in th
Alewife Reservation Area, includes maps.
FAR sponsors annual Edible Wild
Plant Walks. Annual Mushroom
walk by Boston Mushroom Club.
Dave Brown Wildlife Walk
One of many Peter Alden walks, Author of
Audubon Guidebooks of New England
Fauna and Flora
• Dave Brown 2008, New Survey findings
Species
Coordinates
Evidence
Behavior
1
Red fox
0322604E/46960
74N
Tracks
Undetermined
2
E. coyote
0322499E/46961
20N
Scent
mark
Marking
3
River
otter
0322420E/46962
08N
Haul out,
scat
Eliminating
4
River
otter
0322437E/46962
09N
Haul out,
scat
Eliminating
5
River
otter
0322450E/46962
22N
Haul out,
scat
Eliminating
6
River
otter
0322458E/46962
41N
Haul out,
scat
Eliminating
7
Red fox
0322492E/46962
28N
Tracks
Undetermined
8
E. coyote
0322562E/46961
90N
Tracks
Hunting
9
E. coyote
0322615E/46961
72N
Tracks
Hunting
10
Gray fox
0322586E/46961
60N
Tracks
Hunting
11
Fisher
0322591E/46962
00N
Tracks
Hunting
12
Bird of
prey
0322629E/46942
04N
Pluck site
Feeding on bird kill
#
Redwood Forest Advocate, Andy
Barnet. Concert and Festival to
benefit Silver Maple Forest
NEW Poster of the Alewife Arts Mural for $10. The gorgeous 18x24
inch high resolution color mural poster is primarily of the western end of the
Reservation, spotlighting the ecosystems of the Reservation.
Sara Leon presents art show at Habitat
Audubon Society in Belmont.
Alewife Reservation paintings. Proceeds to
benefit forest campaign.
FAR Biodiversity Book, Biodiversity in th
Alewife Reservation Area, includes maps.
Deer photos at
Alewife by
Monotomy birder
Deer photos at
Alewife by
Monotomy birder
Otter
Tracks
Huestis-Hill Farm at
Uplands: Oldest
farm in Belmont
Silver Maple Preservation
Current View
Planned Development
Rare
Woodland
Habitat
Silver Map
Forest Key
Advancements
in 2007
1. Legislative action in behalf of forest, HB21
2. Civil Action Suit against zoning board decision
3. Regional postcard acquisition request to Govenor
Patrick (1500)
4. State House Hearing (above), testimony by
legislators, FAR, and others
5. Tidelands status of uplands challenged at DEP
6. Lawn signs distributed in Belmont
View of
Alewife
Reservation
and
Woodlands
Muskrat Marsh Improvement
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Lesley University
Bulfinch Company
U.S. Dept. Agriculture
Reginal Conservation Commissions
Neighbors groups
Massachusets Wetlands Restoration
Program
• Horsley and Whitten, Environmental Services
• Volunteer Engineer
FAR receives MA Wetlands restoration
program Priority list
FAR organizes Five agency and group partners
work 2005 on Muskrat Marsh Studies
City of Cambridge Stormwater Wetland at
Alewife Reservation. Constuction Planned 2009
DCR Master Plan, waiting for
design plan and implementation
DCR’s Alewife Brook West Bank
Greenway Plan, 2007
Meeting with FAR, DCR Commissioner
Rick Sullivan, others. Called by Rep.
Brownsberger.
Pictures from Charles River
Reservation in Watertown.
Our dream of boardwalks, observation
platforms, signs, and benches.
West
Cambridge
Highlands area
Blair Pond on
Belmont Border
neglected.
Turning to Mud
Flats
Fire Size of baseball field south of
Little River, April 2006
Dumping at Silver Maple Forest
Taskforce Restructuring
• 14 interesting groups respond to FAR call for expanding
and restructuring
• Schools/Education
• Art
• Wetlands Restoration
• Forest Preservation
• Recreational Access
• Wildlife Projects
• Research
• Stewardship
FAR raises $12,000 at Summer
Shack for Mural Project
You are needed
to help with
FAR and the Reservation’s
path into the future