Friends of Alewife Reservation (FAR)
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Ecology Camp July 2009 weekly summaries
from Katherine Walsh Week 1 · Campers answered the Journal Question: o What are the different resources (energy) used to power your home? What is energy efficiency? What are three ways to conserve water in your home? What are three ways to conserve electricity in your home? · Heather Buckner, our volunteer from Tufts, arrived and introduced herself. · Jason Taylor of HEET arrived and began the presentation in the conference room. · Created WIKI o http://farsummerecologycamp09.wikispaces.com/ o Wiki name: FARSummerEcologyCamp09 · Jason’s presentation o How to properly dispose of a broken CFL, especially in an emergency o Outside on the ladders: how to replace a lightbulb o Practiced speech to parents about changing lights in their own homes and saving both money and electricity o Jason gave out packages of CFLs to some of the campers as prizes for answering questions correctly o Worksheets § “Carbon Cutter’s Kit” Table of Contents § 11 Ways to Save Electricity § Example of an electric bill § “Electricity Bill Comparison” worksheet § Parent/Kid Contract § Letter to Parents § Safety Sheet § Carbon Cutter’s Invoice § What You Have to Do and List of Materials · Safety talk with the campers (important reminders) o Walking or biking on roads and sidewalks o Stinging nettles o Sunblock o Hats o Long sleeves o Sunglasses o Water and food o Bug spray · Office Behavior Talk · First full reservation walk- made it to the whole end o Photos of everything we saw; stopped every 30 feet or so to look around,, observe, talk about what we saw, and discuss different wildlife and plant issues o What we saw § Poisonous berries § Red raspberries § Wasp nest § Bird’s nest § Large toad § Spider § Bees § Cat tails § Ants § Beetles § Inch worm § Skunk hole § Umbrella birch § Amur honeysuckle § Animal tracks, possibly fox or raccoon · Read through the campers “Personal Thoughts” answers to gain a better sense of what skills and education they hope to gain this summer, what they can bring to the camp, and their understanding of the word “ecology”. · Spoke with Marcella, all set for viewing the photo show on July 22nd from 1-2:30 with Janet Hobbs; show will be there through August · Spoke to Janet Hobbs on the phone; agreed to be at the opening and represent FAR; tell everyone that any donations and proceeds will go to the preservation of the forest and not FAR; mention Ellen Mass as the President
· Campers answered Journal Entry o There are many different people and positions involved in making environmental regulations. Put these in order of who you think is the most influential: -scientists/ecologists o Why did you put them in that order? Who are we forgetting? · Kites with Don McCasland o Campers made kites downstairs in the lobby. Don walked them through the steps of making the kites and explained the different pieces of the kites and what their function was; Then we went to Danehy Park to fly the kites. Took LOTS of photos. o Campers flew their homemade kites and flew some of the kites Don brought. Had a group discussion comparing and contrasting kites, parasailing, and hang gliding. · Back to office and labeled points on the map based on the last two weeks out on the reservation. Campers placed labels on the map. Discussed why we are labeling this map and the different topics we are pinpointing · Group discussion about wind energy, Cape Wind, preservation. Discussed morning journal question. Discussed Monday’s journal question. · Went to reservation and split into two groups o One group went to the shortcut and marked a trail through to the main trail so when Ale comes, we can create that trail. o The other group continued the mulching and pruning of trees throughout the meadow and near the stream. We also picked flowers for the office vase. o Sighting of 3 different deer and 1 Pheasant/Grouse; campers extremely excited and we took lots of photos · Attended photo show opening · Email from Ale, Ale to be coming all day, August 3rd. o I will likely be doing some indoor as well as outdoor presentations regarding designing sustainable trails, maps, maintaining existing trails, the permitting process, trail signage, how to best work with dcr on trail projects ( based on my experience with the friends of the blue hills, volunteers, sca and amc crews. I will also bring all of my trail tools as well as pictures of trail projects that have worked in wet areas such as those found at alewife.
· Picked up three laptops from Millennium Pharmaceuticals; computer was also donated by Tiax (Thank you to both Millennium, Tiax, Josh Sheldon, and Arlene Olivero for computer donations
· Campers answered Journal Entry Question about the deer o Describe the deer: their appearance and their behavior. How did they get there? What were your reactions? What are their habits? What are they looking for in the Reservation? · Group discussion, campers shared their thoughts and descriptions about the deer; later to be used in the Wiki · Walked to the Reservation to do invasive species removal with Ingeborg Heggemann o Ingeborg gave an introduction, talking about her work with wetlands, what we would be doing for the day, and how to use the tools properly to get the invasive species out o Campers removed purpleloose strife, multifloral rose, Concord grape vine, buckthorn o Dug up the roots of the invasive plants and pruned some back o Collected all the invasive species into trash bags to be hauled away o Group discussion about why we removed those invasive species, the difference between bogs, marshes, and swamps, what we will be doing next week with Ingeborg o We will do more invasive species removal and learn about bugs, toads, and salamanders · Found a baby turtle · Organized tools and bags in the porto potties · Campers wrote down how many bulbs they needed for their homes: Jason is having them donated by CEA · Wiki Project (see kid’s writings attached and below) o Jake prepared the computers for use o Campers broke into 4 groups and wrote reflections and summaries of the daily activities; interviewed each other for direct quotes; chose categories and a design for the Wiki: what subject matters, pictures, quotes, facts, songs lyrics. o Campers wrote about the discussions we have had, their journal entries, the wildlife they have seen o See attached sheet for some examples; the other groups’ writings are on the other computer o Campers have pages of wiki written in their journals to be transferred to the computers (that is the next step) · Examples of Wiki writings: Monday · Campers arrived and worked on journal question: Pretend you are the mayor of Cambridge and you have just received an unlimited budget to spend on tackling environmental issues. Which three issues are you going to tackle? How would you solve them? Lay out your exact plan, step by step, for meeting these challenges. Think about who you need to contact or get to support you. · Walked to reservation and picked up the tools; walked to the back trail that goes behind Cambridge Park Drive and Dodge; walked the whole trail doing trail maintenance in the overgrown areas and discovered three or four short-cut paths that can be worked on during a later date o SAW A RED FOX · Met with Ingeborg Heggemann o Ingeborg brought maps of what the reservation looked like 100 years ago and in the 1970s. She discussed how the reservation has changed, specifically the route of Little River and the placements of the buildings and parking lots. o We walked over to Muskrat Marsh and looked for the galarucella beetle on the purple loosestrife. Ingeborg explained to the campers that these beetles had been released by the DCR as a natural way of getting rid of the purple loosestrife. The beetles eat the plant and each year, the plant grows back at a shorter height than the year before. Ingeborg showed the campers photos of the beetle and asked them to try and locate them on the remaining plants in the marsh. Denesia found two! Kyle and Charlie then measured nine of the plants to take an average of the plant heights. Next year, Ingeborg will return and re-measure the heights to determine the effects of the beetle presence. Next, the campers picked remaining inch tall loosestrife and loaded the remaining invasive species-filled bags inton Ingeborg’s car. o Next Ingeborg took us on our first guided tour of the silver maple forest. She showed us what is believed to be the “Mother Tree” of the forest, the tree that was present during construction back in the 1970s. The campers were amazed that such a forest and so many silver maples grew in only 40 years. She also took us to the original bed/ditch of the Little River and showed us how the ground has reformed since the construction site was there. She is going to send us aerial maps to check out for further detailing of the history of Alewife Reservation. o Ingeborg also showed us “man-made” marshes/wetlands and we looked for the presence of other purple loosestrife with the galarucella beetle. We found that in one area, the beetle had made a significant difference in eradicating the invasive species. · We finished the day with a discussion on the history of the reservation.
· Campers answered Journal Question: Think and write about the history and importance ofAlewife Reservation. What have we learned about its history, its resources, the plants, wildlife, and people involved? What kind of work have we been doing? Why is this work important or how is it helping the reservation? · Campers worked on their journal writings and were told that on Friday, their journal question would be to write two questions for themselves about the reservation that they will solve by the end of the summer, they should start thinking about a deep, critical question they have. · Campers met with Janet Hobbs for a session of nature art. o Janet asked them first to use colored pencils and crayons to draw flowers, then taught them how to use watercolors to create a landscape painting. · After lunch, the campers went to the photo show and met Brooke Mohnkern, one of the three photographers. Brooke spoke to them about light and perspective. · After the photo show the campers tries to do some trail maintenance on the shortcut trails, but a few were actually homeless trails and not shortcuts through.
· Met with Matt Wilson to go over the water quality testing kits and make sure we a) knew the directions and b) had everything we needed · Wrote the journal question on the board: 1) Please summarize Wednesday’s activities in detail. What types of nature art techniques did you learn? Describe the photo show. 2) Write two critical thinking questions about the reservation that you will be able to answer throughout camp through careful observations, research, critical thinking, and questioning. · John Francis arrived and introduced himself to the campers; he handed out “Be a Climate Hero: Climate Tips from the City of Cambridge” booklets · Jason Taylor arrived and gave the campers their fluorescent lightbulbs; the campers need to bring back the incandescents. This program is being sponsored by the CEA · Matt Wilson introduced himself and gave a short presentation; he handed out watershed maps and went over the terminology used in water testing, as well as the types of equipment needed. Matt also spoke about dry vs. wet testing and how our testing would be considered “wet” due to the high volumes of current rain. · Walked over to the reservation and split the campers into four groups. The campers noted the higher levels of the water due to the rain. Matt pointed out that the sediment and nitrate tests may be higher because of runoff into the rivers from the rain. Each group had a scribe to fill out the “Water Quality Monitoring Data Sheet”. The campers used the kits and followed Matt’s directions to start a series of tests. Overall, the plan was to conduct 9 different tests at three different sites, the sites being the Little River Canoe Launch, the Little River Bike Path, and Yeates Pond. · The tests included: pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, temperature, turbidity, nitrate, phosphate, coliform bacteria, and color/odor. The Coliform bacteria test takes 48 hours and the biochemical oxygen test demand takes five days, but all the rest took minutes. The campers learned how to collect a water sample using the water collector pole and how to read the millimeter signs on the test tubes. Matt spoke to them about the different tests we were conducting, why we were testing for the nitrates and phosphates, and levels of oxygen. Every single camper took part in the testing process and were calling out the noticeable color changes and fizzing in the water after they had added the testing pills. Our discussions were based on making connections to professional water testing and we plan on looking at the MRWA’s website and test results on Monday when we work on the Wiki. · Matt also took us to the Alewife Brook CSO and explained what a CSO is and about the floodplain nature of the Alewife Reservation. He went into its history, back to the 1800s when tanneries and other trades were polluting and dumping the waters until it became undrinkable. He mentioned how our drinking water is not as local as it could be. When we finished, Matt gave a closing presentation about why we are testing the water quality around real time and comparing it to years past testing. He spoke about how he and other volunteers test once a month at the Mystic River. · I led a closing discussion with the campers to discuss the journal question and critical thinking questions (see below); handed out the light bulbs; Campers added 10 new stickers to our map for our different sightings and projects. · Campers developed some critical thinking questions: o Is Alewife Reservation home to the rare flower, the pink lady slipper? o Is Alewife Reservation getting more healthy or less healthy? Compare its health to that of its past. o How large was the Silver Maple Forest before construction? o How will our trail maintenance and projects change the habitat of the reservation? o What new earth-saving tips or skills will we learn? o How are wasps nests formed? o How long can trees survive in the reservation?
Press release sent to four newspapers The Friends of Alewife Reservation 2009 Ecology Camp of Rindge and Latin students is in full swing with ecological training, earth science education, and environmental management skill-building. Tree pruning and mulching were taught by David Lefcourt, arborist at the Cambridge DPW, and pole sawing with Renee Toll-Dubois of the Eagle Eye Institute. Over 25 trees have been mulched and pruned in the restored meadow leading to the Bulfinch Company Discovery Park and Acorn Park Drive. Campers’ interest in the care for the Reservations’ trees goes beyond pure maintenance, as they have taken a preservation interest in the history and protection of the silver maple forest. Observations of “the mother tree”, that seeded the land 100 years ago, and led to a rare forest in the Boston region, noted to be "unique" by wetland scientist Charles Katuska. An ever-changing marsh-uplands ecosystem was compared with 1970s diverse vegetation, soil and hydrology maps. Engineer Ingeborg Hegemann used historical maps to illustrate the changing route of the Little River and the wetlands. Campers were given the chance to work within Muskrat Marsh, removing the invasive species, purple loosestrife, and observing signs of the galarucella beetle, placed by the DCR to combat its spread. Bikers watching campers have delighted in their maintenance of the public North Trail. The youth cleared overgrowth of the old fishing trail to the forest while identifying native and invasive plant species. Russ Cohen of Arlington taught the campers about edible plants and different recipes for teas and medicinal uses. Youth have spotted three deer, a red fox, two hawks, and a grouse. Darren Barnes, a sophomore wrote, “The deer looked as if it wanted to run into the forest away from us. It was likely born on the reservation because of its size. This is a good place for it to live because of the trees and plants for food and cover.” Deer sightings were a first for many of the campers. Education of plants and wildlife by consultants has enhanced the critical thinking of campers, illustrated by daily journal writing and WIKI web pages. Art teacher Janet Hobbs, conducted a session in plant drawing and landscape painting. Afterwards, campers visited the recently opened Friends of Alewife Reservation photo show at 150 Cambridge Park Drive (showing through August 14) to enjoy the professional photographers' rendition of Alewife Reservation. The campers met photographer Brooke Mohnkern to discuss light and perspective and were able to compare the photos with their own drawings. During the next three weeks FAR Ecology Camp will visit the sustainable Blue Heron Farm in Lincoln for a hands-on organic farming experience. They will take a work shop in solar energy with last year’s specialist John Francis in order to connect their lessons on home energy practices to solar and wind energy dynamics. They will continue studying and practicing water quality monitoring techniques with Matt Wilson and compare them to the actual tests of the Mystic River Watershed Association. The campers have learned about the floodplain nature of the Alewife Reservation and how CSOs are the present-day polluter differing from the 1800's tanneries. These skills and observations of water quality management will assist in their day of studying macro-invertebrates with Arlene Olivero.
Day’s Activities Summary Journal Question: “The economy depends on the environment.” Write a thoughtful response to this statement. Do you agree? Disagree? Can this statement be true AND false?
Met Tim Factor and Stephen Gillies for a Bird Walk Broke the campers into teams of two; each team received their own field guide, a pair of binoculars, and a list of common possible birds to check off if sighted. Tim explained the proper methods for bird watching and for using the binoculars. The campers were taught to sight the birds first with their eyes, then use the binoculars to zoom in. The campers began sighting different birds and Tim asked them series of questions about: 1) distinct features of the bird 2) markings and colorings 3) body size, 4) wing shape and size, 5) beak shape and size, 6) flight pattern. The campers found a robin, Canadian geese, a red-tailed hawk, a cardinal, golden finch, a morning dove, a common pigeon, a warbler, a waxwing, and a swift. Tim noted with surprise and pleasure that Darren could do a perfect imitation of a cardinal call/song. Tim discussed the different habitats, breeding and migratory behaviors, and appearances of various birds. He also discussed why birds use songs and callings. Tim talked in great detail about the eating patterns of birds and the necessity to eat such large quantities because they fly so much. The campers asked various questions about bird anatomy and behavior, like “Do birds have ears?”, “What do they eat?”, “Why do they sing?”. Tim also taught the campers how to make a special sound that peaks the curiosity of the birds, enough to get many of them to fly towards us. We spent the bird walk both along the Meadow Trail and into the main reservation trail.
We had lunch at Alewife T-Station to keep cool and so we could meet Russ Cohen at 1pm.
Russ took us on a second edible plant walk, this time along the road between the T-Station and reservation, and then along the Meadow Trail and Acorn Park Drive. He pointed out many plants that were ripe and edible, some that were edible and not ripe, and others that were poisonous. He kept a particular focus on plants we could make easy dishes out of with quick recipes. One was how to make a special berry drink from the berries of the sumac tree. He told us to gather a dozen berry clusters for every gallon of water and let the clusters sit in room temperature water then break apart the berries and strain the juice. Ike collected many into a Tupperware container to bring home and make the drink. He will bring it in Friday to share with the other campers. Russ showed us an antidote plant for poison ivy and an antidote plant for stinging nettles. He helped us pick black berries and taught us a recipe to make blackberry ice cream. We also learned we could take cream cheese and mix it with the seeds of the peppery plant for a nice spread for crackers. Russ also showed the campers rose hip, a cup of which has more Vitamin C than 12 DOZEN oranges! The campers and I are planning to collect more of these plants and make some dishes to share at the picnic.
Invitation to the picnic
Dear members and friends of Friends of Alewife Reservation,
Friday, August 14th is a special ending day for our camp. We would like to invite you to attend the reservation tours led by our campers to see what they have learned and also to share our pizza picnic. Our youth will have also made some of the edible wild plant drinks and dishes from Russ Cohen’s recipes.
Our campers will be in small groups taking our younger campers from the Cambridge Boys & Girls Club around the Reservation to show them aspects of it. You will be able to meet our Coordinator and consultants at that time. We will meet at the Reservation on Acorn Park Drive, however if weather does not permit this, we will meet at the office for our picnic: 186 Alewife Brook Parkway at noon. Thanks for contributing to this effort. Each year, FAR tries to provide in-depth training so that some of these youth will go on to a career in environmental conservation services, so needed in this day and age.
Sincerely, Ellen Mass, FAR President Katherine Walsh, FAR Ecology Camp Supervisor
To Do Before the End of Camp Thank you letter to consultants IN PROCESS End of Camp Questionnaire for the campers IN PROCESS 1) What were three specific things you learned this during camp that you never knew before? 2) What work sessions did you enjoy most and why? Which sessions would you change? 3) Describe what you thought was the most important thing we did this summer? 4) How has your opinion about the reservation changed since the first day of camp? 5) How did you feel about the group dynamics? 6) How was your supervisor, Katherine? What could she do better? What did you like that she did? Letters for Rep. Brownsberger and Governor Deval Patrick IN PROCESS (campers began today, will bring finals to the hearing) Certificates for Campers IN PROCESS, looking online and at a dollar store Speak to campers about Ellen and her leadership with FAR, the camper COMPLETE
Friday’s activities Arlene, Shawma, and Alex arrived We set up all the needed supplies and kits into four groups; the four groups will be led by Shawma, Alex, Stephen, and Jake; Arlene and I will be floaters to check on all the groups
Dunkin Donuts donated plastic, waterproof gloves for the campers to use in the water (
Each group’s kit included: A bucket Pond strainers/nets A Pond Life field guide A Pond Life key A chart of common pond life organisms A Water squirter Ice cube trays A pipette Spoons
The campers arrived and answered the journal question: Discuss our day of water quality testing with Matt Wilson. What kind of tests did we do? What did we test for and why? How might a CSO affect the results of these tests? What were the visible differences between Little River and Yeates Pond?
(Monday’s journal question will be to begin a rough draft of a letter for Rep. Brownsberger and Governor Patrick.)
Arlene gave the four leaders a tutorial of the day’s agenda, the kit pieces, and the different tests.
Arlene and the leaders introduced themselves to the campers. Arlene gave each camper a packet called “The Diversity of Life in a Pond: Macroinvertebrates”. She then gave a powerpoint presentation on pond life and macroinvertebrate diversity. She had slides showing pictures and descriptions of various macroinvertebrates, all the ones the campers would try to identify using the vials and then out in the water samples.
After the presentation, we gathered up all the supplies and walked to the reservation. When we got to the reservation, the campers were split into their four groups and each group sat at their own picnic tables. Each camper was given an activity sheet and each group was given a set of 10 vials. The campers had to examine the vials with hand lenses and compare the “unknown” organism in the vial to the pictures of the “known” organisms on their activity sheet (they macroinvertebrate key of sorts.) By looking at the pictures of the known and by drawing and describing the attributes of the unknown, the campers had to name the unknown, figure out what they really were. The campers really impressed us leaders with both their artistic skills and their high level of accuracy in identifying the proper names of the unknown. Each group was able to get through identifying three sets of 10 vials. We saved their worksheets. The campers truly enjoyed this activity as it was a game to them and they were the scientists, working to get as many correct as possible. Also, this game helped enforce their recognition of and identifying skills for macroinvertebrates.
Unfortunately as we were finishing the activity, the thunderstorms rolled in and due to the heaviness of the rain and for safety precautions, we had to head back to the office. We were unable to do any sampling with Arlene which is disappointing, but we just couldn’t help the weather!
When we got back to the office, we sorted all the supplies while the campers watched the Silver Maple Forest Summer Solstice video. Then I spoke to them about the letters for the Governor, the picnic with the Boys & Girls Club, next week's field trips, and the Wiki project. Following my talk, Arlene, Alex, and Shawma gave a closing presentation and talk to wrap things up. The three women asked the campers questions about what they did during the activity, what they thought about the water quality and the differences between Little River and Yeates Pond. They also spoke about their own work and careers to help the campers understand how they too can have a career in the environment. Each spoke about their current position, how they got there, and what types of education they had to get to where they are.
Daniel arrived and handed out the campers’ checks and some information about upcoming MYSEP events. I had the kids write down all the field trip information for next week and put that info into their camp bags.
Next we brainstormed ideas on the white board for writing a letter about the Silver Maple Forest to Representative Brownsberger and Governor Deval Patrick. We went over some key points they need to put into the letter 1) Their personal connection to the forest 2) Facts about the forest and what would happen if it was developed 3) the benefits of the silver maple forest as a habitat and as a rare forest 4) why they think it should be saved 5) how the developers have broken their promises before 6) the campers’ plea to save the forest. Then I had each camper sit individually and begin a rough draft of the letter; some started with an actual letter format, others began with bullet points of their ideas.
I read a few and was very impressed; *** would you like me to send you the final copies Monday or Tuesday afternoon so you can look them over??
After camp, I am bringing the letter to Bertucci’s immediately because Mark said he needed it right away if the picnic is in two weeks.
August 6th, there is a Public Hearing on the Acquisition of the Silver Maple Forest at 10am. I am going to have the campers attend because they have an extra hour each week of pay. I will attend also; we can bring our letters and I and some of the campers can speak.
Email to Brownsberger- COMPLETE I let him know we will be there and
speaking! This will be very good.
Week 5 Update Monday
Ale and Jim Presentation Presentation on the DCR and trail maintenance Ale brought laminated maps of the reservation for the campers to draw trails on; where they think there should be trails, signage, parking lots; they discussed ideas for publicizing the reservation and getting more people to use it Presentation of the laws protecting the reservation and the laws regarding trail maintenance Slides on stream crossings and proper uses of stream bridges, bridge maintenance Presentation included slides on the relationships between water and trails and slides on possible damage that can be done to trails Campers watched a “How To” video on proper trail maintenance tools and techniques Booklets for all the campers: Guide to Swimming, Camping, Hiking, and Biking Ale went over the maps and the different “highlights” of the reservation: Little Pond, Little River, Blair Pond, Yeates, Pond, the North Trail, the Main Trail, the canoe launch, the bike paths. Ale also brought maps of Blue Hills Reservation in case the campers are interested in visiting. Ale would like to work with you, Ellen, on submitting permits for trail maintenance. Presentation of trail maintenance tools: Jim showed, named, and described the use for each tool; emphasized safety features and having things like water, food, and a first-aid kit.
We took a walk to the reservation and walked along the Main Trail halfway. We stopped at two water crossings: the first with a bridge made up of a crate and the second, a bridge made up of a plank connecting the two banks. Ale talked about what might make good bridges or how the DCR could fix these bridges to be safer and more suitable for hikers and bikers. She also talked about other project proposals we could make to the DCR, like clearing brush and vegetation that is blocking parts of Little River from flowing more freely. She mentioned that removal of this brush would help prevent flooding problems further upstream. Ale was able to point out to the campers signs of erosion near the bridges and described how they could be fixed with water blocks. The campers asked questions about staffing and the breakdown of the management and DCR bureaucracy which Ale explained to them (she described the different regional and district offices, etc.) Before Ale and Jim left, they spoke to the campers about seasonal employment opportunities with the DCR.
(Later I explained to the campers why we did not do any actual trail maintenance work. They had a good idea since Ale mentioned “us” as people who are doing things without permits. The campers knew enough not to respond or say anything about work we have done. Ale didn’t even really seem to care, but she did go over in great detail the laws, fines, and permits.)
Letters for Governor and Representative by the campers Read/Presented to the Campers about the Silver Maple Forest, its natural history and the history of the case over the development and acquisition; these facts and history I got from the FAR website, specifically Rep. Brownsberger’s letter December 22nd, your letters and FAR file with the DCR, notes from the trialarticles from the Globe and Belmont Citizen Herald, the DCR superceding order, and the Bond bill. 3 campers have volunteered to speak: Brian, Elijah, and Charlie. Denesia is thinking about it and will let me know Wednesday. She is a good writer, so she could read some points from her letter. Each camper wrote a final draft of a letter and will all be attending (in nice dress clothes) the hearing on Thursday; I will have these typed up on FAR letterhead and each camper will sign their signature at the bottom. I went over very specific details for the rest of the week; specific times, meeting places, and proper attire for all our field trips/special events; I made them write down the details so they would not forget or be late.
Invitation to Picnic; Ellen when would you like this to be sent out? ASAP? Also, I know to invite all the consultants; do you also want this to go to members of FAR or any other “important people”. Are we inviting the Rep?
Dear members and friends of Friends of Alewife Reservation,
Friday, August 14th is a special ending day for our camp. We would like to invite you to attend the reservation tours led by our campers to see what they have learned and also to share our pizza picnic. Our youth will have also made some of the edible wild plant drinks and dishes from Russ Cohen’s recipes.
Our campers will be in small groups taking our younger campers from the Cambridge Boys & Girls Club around the Reservation to show them aspects of it. You will be able to meet our Coordinator and consultants at that time. The tour and kite flying with the Boys & Girls Club will occur at 10:30 and the picnic will be held at 12 noon. We will have a short ceremony after the picnic. We will meet at the Reservation on Acorn Park Drive, however if weather does not permit this, we will meet at the office for our picnic: 186 Alewife Brook Parkway at noon. Thanks for contributing to this effort. Each year, FAR tries to provide in-depth training so that some of these youth will go on to a career in environmental conservation services, so needed in this day and age.
Sincerely, Ellen Mass, FAR President Katherine Walsh, FAR Ecology Camp Supervisor
Directions: The Reservation is located at Acorn Park Drive across from Tiax and Bullfinch. You can drive by car and park, or walk from Alewife T Station.
Thank you to consultants (please edit or add as you see fit! And when should I send this thank you? Maybe towards the end of next week, when the Wiki is completed so I can include the link and they can see the finished product?)
Dear Friends,
It is hard to believe that our six week-long 2009 FAR Summer Ecology Camp is coming to an end. It has been a most successful and educational summer for our campers, much in thanks to you, our consultants. We would like to extend our deep gratitude and appreciation to you for educating our campers on various ecological topics at Alewife Reservation. We now hope they will take their new knowledge and incorporate it into their daily lives at home and in their schools. We especially thank you for opening their minds to possible career paths in the environmental field. With so many pressing environmental challenges, we need an upcoming generation of eco-warriors.
Thank you again for sharing your time and knowledge with our campers. We look forward to having you as a part of our 2010 FAR Summer Ecology Camp.
Sincerely,
Ellen Mass, FAR President
Katherine Walsh, FAR Ecology Camp Supervisor
Tonight and tomorrow from my home computer and the office laptop I will be uploading a) the camper’s final letters for the Governor and Rep, and b) the campers’ wiki writings. Will be emailing you the letters for you to see; will print the final copies with FAR letterhead (is that okay?) and will take to the hearing Thursday.
Called Arlington Boys & Girls Club, and spoke with Linda They will arrive at 10:30 am for a tour of the reservation and a talk by our campers. We will also have kites for them to fly. I told them about long pants, sneakers, hats, sunscreen, and they will also be bringing snacks.
The pizzas will arrive at noon and we will have a picnic.
Arrived at office and spoke on phone with Larry Millman to finalize the details of the day as the email I had “sent” Monday was still in the outbox! I picked up the box of hand lenses and Larry’s invoice. On my way out, I met John Francis who had showed up to bring the solar kits. At the end of the day, I called him to speak with him about the invoice and he asked me to mail it to him, so I popped that into the mail.
I met the campers at 9:00 at Harvard Square. We walked to the Museum of Natural History and met Stephen. The bird session had fallen through and so we had a little over an hour to wait. I did not want us just sitting around so I suggested touring the Harvard campus and visiting various buildings. We visited the Science Center, the Yard, and the Carpenter’s Building. Stephen was a good tour guide, giving different scientific and cultural descriptions of the buildings and campus trees.
At 10:30 we met Judy and Mark. Judy gave a short presentation on the history of the museum and the facts about its purpose and contents. She spoke about how it is the second oldest museum in the country and has over 80,000 specimens and models. She explained the process of getting different animals for the museum and mentioned various species that they have been getting recently, like marine mammals.
Next Mark brought us on a behind the scenes tour of the museum. He brought us into a room with stuffed models, and skeletons and bodies being preserved in alcohol. He explained the preserving process of skinning, using beetles to eat the muscles, and the tanning and preservation of furs and skins with alcohol. The campers got to see 40 voles and an entire lion skin. He spoke about their research lab in Bedford and his job requirements of getting the animals and preparing them for the Museum.
Next I split the campers up into pairs and Mark gave each pair a two page packet with information on various mammals that are present on the reservation. Each camper was given information on two different mammals. The campers had to read their information packet then take turns describing and presenting their mammal to the group. As the team presented, Mark found the actual stuffed mammal model and allowed the campers to hold, touch, and feel the models. The campers saw a red fox, beaver, deer skull, vole, shrew, and otter.
At 12:15, we met Larry Millman and had lunch with him. Then we walked to the reservation (on the way we saw our first vole, how ironic/perfect timing! It had somehow died along the pathway). I handed out the hand lenses to each camper and Larry took them on a walk, stopping and picking all and any mushrooms he found. In all he found about 7 or 8 various kinds. The campers got to hold and look at the mushrooms, studying their part and mycelium with the hand lenses. Larry spoke about the various colors, sizes, and smells of the mushrooms. We walked all around the mulched areas, Acorn Park Drive, the silver maple forest, and the Main Trail as far as the shortcut.
At the end of the day, the campers and I revisited our plan for tomorrow: when we will be meeting, what to wear, behavior, the speaking, and the letters.
Thursday: Arrived at the State House at 9:30 am, all the campers were in dress clothes. Proceeded inside to room A2 and had a seat. I went up to Rep Brownsberger to say hi and let him know we were there. I showed him and Sue Bass the map and Will and I worked out a plan for when the three campers would present the map and testify.
The campers enjoyed the experience, being able to see a real hearing and hear other types of disputes. When it will finally our turn, Bill 701, Will led off, explaining the bill and why it is being proposed. he next introduced the 13 campers, asking them to stand up; it was a great effect for the whole crowd to see all these campers and their dedication and interest. He called up Brian, Elijah, and Charlie who spoke in that order. I do not agree with what Stephen wrote about Charlie because when he was speaking, I watched two women nodding in agreement with him and what he was saying. His comments are not useful and I will not be sharing them with Charlie. The campers used the map to show the area they were talking about and focused on the educational and environmental values the forest provides for urban youth.
After the youth, Sue, Caroline, Richard, and I testified. Sue used the map to show how the forest is the "meat" of the area, connecting so many of the ecosystems and emphasized its accessibility by T. Richard spoke about the flooding issue, and I talked about the educational, health, and social values.
After the hearing, Will took us to the Governor's office to bring the campers' letters. The campers were in awe of the state house, so all around, an amazing experience. Elijah's grandpa walked with us, he had come to see our campers speak.
Later that day I wrote the article for you below. Bill 701 Proposal to acquire silver maple forest
People who gave testimonies: Representative William Brownsberger Sue Bass Caroline Huang Richard ? Brian Haggerty-Perreault Elijah Scott Charlie Carbone Katherine Walsh (Linda and her friend were not there yet but they may have arrived later...)
Article: The Friends of Alewife Reservation Summer Ecology Camp visited the State House on Thursday, August 6th, for a hearing on the Silver Maple Forest of the Belmont Uplands. Representative William Brownsberger proposed Bill 701, a bill that would have the state acquire the silver maple forest in collaboration with the communities surrounding the forest. Three of the campers, Brian Haggerty-Perreault, Elijah Scott, and Charlie Carbone testified at the hearing in support of Bill 701 and the protection of the forest from development. O'Neill Properties owns the majority of the forest and is planning to build 299 units of housing on the property. The campers see the forest as a valuable environmental educational resource for the youth of Cambridge, Belmont, and Arlington, who would be losing learning environment that is so accessible by public transportation and by foot. Elijah Scott spoke about life as an urban youth, stating "Being from Cambridge, I'm used to seeing a lot of cars, buildings, and people. When go out to the reservation, particularly the Silver Maple Forest, I feel like I am in a totally different city. It feels good to me to be able to get out of my natural setting and into the forest with all the silver maple trees and animals." Brian Haggerty-Perreault pointed to the rarity of such a forest, while Charlie Carbone highlighted the various animals species that use the forest as their habitat. The campers know there are no laws protecting animals unless they are endangered, but having seen deer, fox, a red-tailed hawk, and rabbits, they realize this forest is a critical ecological habitat for many urban animals. While testifying, the campers were able to use a GIS map of the reservation to show the committee the critical location of the forest. Camp Supervisor Katherine Walsh also testified, pointing out the social, economic, and health benefits that such a forest gives to the area and shared how for some of her campers, this summer in the reservation and forest has been their experience with such an environment. Other testimonies in favor of the bill pointed to the silver maple forest's ability to prevent floods and erosion in the area, and how the forest ecosystem connects the area around Little River to that of Muskrat Marsh. At the end of the hearing, the campers delivered written testimonies to Governor Patrick's office.
Friday: Emailed next week's consultants: David Brown and Jason Taylor. Picked up check from MSYEP and Sue Bass; deposited that check and the check from Bullfinch into the Cambridge Trust account (total deposit $14776.76. Met campers at Porter and took the commuter rail to Lincoln. Walked to Blue Heron Organic Farm (nice nature walk, lots of trees around in Lincoln). Arrived and did introductions; the campers met Ellery, Ana, Mia, and Jackson. The farmers explained the organic nature of the farm, how they do not use any types of chemicals and so they have to do all their weeding and planting by hand. They also use only rain as irrigation. The farmers split the campers into three groups and trained them how to weed carrots and turnips, by teaching a) how to distinguish the good vegetable from the weed and b) how to pull the weed out from the roots. While we were weeding, the campers were given more education about the history of the farm, why the weeds have been growing so much this year, what the farm grows and sells (vegetables and flowers), to whom they sell (farmer's markets, restaurants in Boston and Cambridge) and the timing of the food year (planting, harvesting, selling). The farmers commended our campers on the work they were doing; the Blue Heron farmers were VERY thankful we were there because there is so much weeding to be done.
After the lunch break, we had a Q & A session with the farmers. Ellery spoke about having a career as a farmer. Mia spoke about the differences between local small farms and factory farms as well as monoculture vs. diversity in crops. The campers were able to connect what David Lefcourt had spoke about with trees (plant a diverse array to avoid a disease or bug wiping out tons) to the farm's method of planting a variety of vegetables to avoid losing a whole farm to blight. For example, this year Blue Heron lost its tomatoes and lettuce to the rain, but not the other crops. Ellery also spoke about some farming policies and how most of our supermarket foods come from thousands of miles away and we waste a lot of gas and oil that way.
The trip was a great success and said by the campers to be one of their top days at camp.
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