The Lesley University Ecology Class of Dr. Amy Mertl has begun spring preparation for Friends of Alewife Reservation by mixing one part biochar to 3 parts compost to allow microbial action to begin to enrich the soil for this season's vegetation experiments at Blair meadow in Cambridge on the Belmont border. This green space is a beautiful oasis of meadow/forest habitat where deer browse and woodchucks abound, and a Pond purifies and beautifies the surrounding neighborhoods of Cambridge Highllands and east Belmont. Some describe the area as the Little Pond" neighborhood, as it is part of the Mystic River watershed's Upper Basin.

Students used large buckets and small buckets to give the correct soils ratio, and set the covered and mixed soils (around 200 gallons) in open air in the meadow to give it needed time to expand with life-giving organisms.

Students taking a quick break from their hard work.

The Lesley class is still trying to determine what to plant and what to observe to understand the surrounding 2 acre meadow's best functioning aspects and to learn best practicing management techniques for the meadow/forest ecosystem west Cambridge is so fortunate to have in its midst.

The ecology students are under the Division of Natural Science and Mathematics Department.

You can read more about biochar here.