Friends of Alewife Reservation (FAR)
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Social Justice in the Silver Maple Forest
By Leslie Wheeler On a clear, chilly Sunday, thirty-plus children, family members and friends from First Parish (UU) in Cambridge hiked on a snow-crusted trail into the woods behind the Alewife T-Station. The group arrived at a clearing in a forest of silver maples on the north side of the River and opposite the Alewife Reservation. Here they were greeted by two members of the Friends of the Alewife Reservation, who handed out percussion instruments, reindeer bells and information about the animal residents of the forest. The group used the instruments to make a song of thanks for the both the beautiful day and the beauties of nature. The Rev. Jory Agate then led them in a Native American prayer, written by Chief Jake Swamp of the Mohawk tribe, that included the words: "And thank you, Mother Tree, who has brought forth this wondrous forest." Rev. Agate then reminded the children of a Dr. Seuss story about the Lorax, a creature who can speak to the trees, and guided a discussion of the ways in which trees are helpful to us, by providing oxygen, giving us wood, providing shelter for animals, and food. Rev. Agate noted that trees are an important part of the ecosystem, and that valuing them is in accord with the principle of "valuing our interdependent web." First Parish member and Friend of the Alewife Reservation, Ellen Mass, then spoke about the rarity of this type of silver maple forest, pointing out how a silver maple leaf is different from a red maple leaf, and that the area has been slated to turn into a Biotech office complex within the next two years, thus destroying the unique refuge, which, according to a study financed by the Friends, is home to 16 different types of mammals ranging from coyotes to white-tailed deer. The large silver maple around which the group stood, is called Mother Tree, said Mass, because it had given birth to numerous seedlings. The group then made "gift tags"--laminated strips of paper expressing each's unique sentiments of the special forest, and of the "trees which cannot speak for themselves". The gift tags were tied onto the special maples with green, yellow and purple cloth ribbons, including the mother tree, and the group was urged to come back at other times when they could see the holes and burrows of the various animals that inhabit the forest. From Leslie Wheeler lesliewheeler@attbi.com First Parish Church 3 Church St. Cambridge, MA. 02138 Social Justice Sundays were created by a few Unitarian Universalist churches for Children's Religious Education components of the church. First Parish of Cambridge with parents and adults, go once a month to a place for this issue. 
Cambridge First Parish Service in the woods with friends, parents and children - children tie messages around silver maple trees to give nature a voice for preservation. This page added December 2, 2002 |