Friends of Cambridge Athletics comes to Alewife for Community Service

Friends of Alewife Reservation would like to express great appreciation to Larry Childs, Friends of Cambridge Rindge and Latin Athletics, and accompanying parents for all their help at a cleanup at Alewife Reservation on Sunday, September 17. An enthusiastic group of sports youth from the Sailing, Crew and Football teams rose early on a Sunday morning to clean up trash, cut bittersweet, and clean around the roadways and Russell Field T entry. The area they worked in is a vital floodplain area at the Grace building, and we are rarely able to attend to it because the embankment is hard to reach and full of heavy Route 2 traffic. We also want to thank Maria Smith, who lives on Cambridge Park Drive, for her assistance with and interest in continuing.

We at Friends of Alewife Reservation praise the 70 youth for their high service purpose and note that the Reservation needs much tender love and care to ensure the survival of its river and wetlands because its water quality is poorly rated by US-EPA. After 11 years of stewarding the area, FAR hopes to receive a permit to do further flood retention on the North side of the River (this service project was on the South side), and we have already received a DCR permit for research at Blair Pond. That project will also need many volunteers to succeed, and we hope other High School youth will step up! You also may have observed wildlife murals painted by CRLS youth on the Reservation entry bridge utility boxes. This summer CRLS students participated in the 11th annual FAR Summer Ecology Camp, which some of the Sunday stewards may want to consider.

This could not have been accomplished without the planning and enthusiasm of North Cambridge resident and FOAC Advisor, Larry Childs. Parents and coaches accompanied the youth athletes.

This high level of public commitment and organization is what we strive for now and in the future. Department of Conservation and Recreation joins me in thanking you all.

Best,
Ellen Mass
FAR President

A group of student athletes poses near the Alewife T Station.

A group of athletes poses with their tools at a trailhead.

A group of athletes poses with their tools (and some butterfly nets) near the stormwater wetland.

A group of volunteers can be seen from across the stormwater wetland preparing to start work.