Planning Team for Silver Maple Forest Rally:
Silver Maple Forest Parade Energizes Advocates
Over 100 participants from Cambridge, Arlington, Belmont, and beyond were energized for action at the Silver Maple Forest Day of Action Saturday June 28, 2014. Short speeches from elected officials and citizen groups began the event at the Alewife MBTA, where a crowd of double the expected size came in from all directions. Politicians spoke of challenges trying to preserve this tall forest which has grown on public and private land in Belmont and Cambridge, and of the importance of rising to those challenges with renewed energy and ideas. Mike Connolly, legislative aide to City Counselor Dennis Carlone, introduced the speakers after describing his encounter with three deer on his first visit to this forest just a short walk away from Alewife T station. While the speeches began with disheartening observations from State Senator Will Brownsberger, who has tried three times to authorize state bonding towards any acquisition opportunity, and bemoaned what the loss of the forest would mean, the statements rose in optimism as EK Khalsa of the Mystic River Watershed talked of the practical value of forest preservation to the surrounding residential and commercial projects, and Quinton Zondervan of Green Cambridge spoke of the criticality of preserving the forest to increase resilience to known climate change affects like sea rise and severe storms.
The presence of Andy Rojas as Chair of the Belmont Board of Selectmen at this type of event was a first, as was the presence of Phil Sego of the Massachusetts Sierra Club, who tied the fate of the silver maple forest as a wildlife habitat to similar challenges nationwide, and spoke of the importance of politicians hearing many citizen voices. The optimism of Cambridge City Counselor Nadim Mazen was palpable when he expressed confidence that a growing movement of concerned citizens can find a way to get beyond dichotomies like that between affordable housing and environmental preservation. Anne-Marie Lambert of the Belmont Citizens Forum further emphasized climate change and stormwater issues by encouraging citizens to insist that current precipitation data and upcoming climate change reports be taken into account before fully permitting the proposed development. Fred Paulsen of Belmont also emphasized that rainfall data used in the 40B application to the Town on December 16, 2005 is vastly different from today's data. Fred said that reductions in the number of family units and changes to precipitation data warrant review by the new subsidizing agency as substantial changes to the project. The parade which followed was a visual and musical delight: led by giant Alewife fish puppets, the march to Acorn Park Drive included drums, placards, wildlife images and "Sunny Green," the giant sun goddess puppet. Musical magic came from the remarkable music of saxophonist Stan Strickland, who was invited to play dance music for the sun goddess and stilt dancer Maya Apfelbaum. The resulting performance with its shimmering musical scales, majestic goddess and awe-inspiring wings on stilts astounded and inspired participants. Strickland continued to accompany the citizen parade to the enormous silver maple trees at the end of Acorn Park Drive, where Apfelbaum led the group in honoring the trees and those who have worked hard to preserve them. After a group photo by the trees, the parade returned to an energetic performance by Red Herring Morris dancers, who also led 24 participants in a colorful maypole dance.
Closing speeches included an appeal to find a less flood-prone location for affordable housing, and to ensure public access to the resources and amenities provided by open space like this forest, a reflection on the need for sustainable development, and a plea to make regional connections to ensure citizens of Arlington, Cambridge, and Belmont all thrive together. By noon the participants were invited to take actions they could take and web sites they could check for updates on efforts to save the forest. With beautiful summer weather, art activities for children, long-time advocates available for discussion and answering questions, and a nature walk along the North Trail of the Alewife Reservation for hikers, energy did not diminish after the two-hour event.
Performers
Sponsors: Friends of Alewife Reservation, Coalition to Preserve Belmont Uplands, Sustainable Belmont, Belmont Citizens Forum, Green Sanctuary Team of First Parish Arlington, Sustainable Arlington, Occupy Arlington, Sierra Club, Green Cambridge, Lesley University Division of Science and Mathematics, Belmont Land Trust, Mystic River Watershed Association, Tromp, 350 Massachusetts Cambridge Node, Cambridge Residents Alliance, Fresh Pond Residents Alliance, Cambridge City Councillors Dennis Carlone, Nadeem Mazen, and Marc McGovern, Greenport.
Campaign Launch
Silver Maple Forest Campaign
The
Alewife Reservation
is a unique natural resource for the communities of Belmont, Arlington and Cambridge
and home to hundreds of species, including hawks, coyotes beavers, snapping turtles, wild turkeys and muskrats,
the reservation is a unique natural resource for the community.
Historical information (Powerpoint)
Friends of Alewife Reservation works to protect and restore this wild area and the surrounding area for the water quality, native plants, animals and over 90 bird species with paths for walking, running and biking, recreation, and for classroom education and research. We regularly steward and preserve the Reservation area for wildlife and for the enjoyment of present and future generations.