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from the Appalachian Mountain Club Bulletin
December 2002 by Mike Arnott Next target for an Office Park: the Belmont Silver Maple Forest. The Silver Maple Forest in Belmont, a privately owned forest abutting Cambridge, contains wetlands, vernal pools, abundant dens of animal lay areas, and bird breeding regions. The wildlife in the silver maple forest reservation includes coyotes, beavers, and at least occasional visits by a white tail deer. A vital part of the greater Alewife Northern Flood Plain ecosystem. It is currently threatened by development of an office park. Eight acres of silver maple forest, a rare tree cover in Massachusetts, are planned for decimation. Millions of unseen life forms will die or lose their habitat. Such cover does not exist within ten miles of Boston's Beacon Hill, according to Peter Alden, wildlife biologist. If you are interested in helping with some research on the environmental functions of the Silver Maple Forest and the Greater Alewife ecosystem, impacts of clear cutting or other related issues, please check out Friends of Alewife Reservation on their website: www.friendsofalewifereservation.org. For a map of the forest location, go to: http://www.friendsofalewifereservation.org/forestsoverview_soccer.htm If you are interested in this Save our Forest effort, contact: cekirwan@attbi.com |