Soon, the Alewife T stop will get a face lift with images, natural forms and stories of the 130 acre urban wild that is teeming with life nearby. The Alewife snail is as prominent on the new Alewife Arts Mural as the red fox and mink. The brilliantly colored panels will be seen from Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridge Park Drive. The Alewife story is told with joy and depth as canoers and stewards meander along rivers and ponds, meadows, forest and marsh throughout metropolitan region's largest untouched urban wild. The 80 foot mural will be hoisted on the T October 22 to perk curiosity and respect for mother nature from communters and visitors . A 150 foot expanding Mystic River watershed mural exists in Somerville on Mystic Ave. with similar themes of mammals, birds, waterways, marshes, recreation and stewarding. The Alewife mural presents a public awareness conservation theme of beauty and protection. Arlington, Belmont Cambridge and Somerville have much to gain by recognizing the natural treasures and pleasures brought by the watershed to urban populations while conserving the natural world for future generations.

Most who commute to the Alewife metropolitan western artery have no idea what lurks behind the overgrown bushes and trees across from the T's Passenger Pickup. However, the Friends of Alewife Reservation, project sponsors, are shedding light on the wild, and continue to serve the community with projects that benefit the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Reservation overseers.

Twelve students worked on the project. Some of them actually photographed, illustrated and painted the species of insect, flower, tree, mammal or bird that they observed on the Alewife Reservation. FAR developed a full program with naturalists and recreation on site for the youth in conjunction with the Mayor's Summer Youth Program which supported the students with stipends. Amiee Wang came from Belmont to participate. Cambridge students were Eva Joly, Christina Groeger, Chris Ayabe, Anika Ahlberg, and Lena Groeger, Benyam Hailu, Stacey Smith, Billy Andre, Zack Milligan-Pate, Nina Alexander. Nathalie Andre, and arts assistant, Ann Barnard. The high school youth, mostly from Rindge and Latin High School, gained the ability to dramatize nature by understanding its workings. Renowned educator-artist and mural painter, David Fichter, directed the Project.

This past year, Friends of Alewife Reservation was recognized for sponsoring the Alewife Mural Arts Project through the prestigious Mass Cultural Council's Gold Star award and was honored at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. At the same time, The Project received the Cambridge Arts Council award and a grant for its development and completion and honors were held at the YMCA in Cambridge.

October 22, there will be a ceremony at the T underneath the new mural at 5:00. The public is invited.

For more information about FAR, call 617 290-4864 and see the information on this website.