Friends of Alewife Reservation (FAR)
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Updated July 13, 2013 |
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National Day of Service
Thirty volunteers from the Boston area came to the Department of Conservation and Recreation's Alewife North Trail . . . Read more
Wildlife Walks
First Fridays 1:00-5:00pm
Walk with a local naturalist on the first Friday of each month 1:00-5:00 to learn more about the plants and animals of our area. Call the office 617-415-1884 for more information. Call several days before to reserve a spot.
Read more
Storm Water Wetlands
Restoration Project Tour
Over 160 thousand plants are to be installed creating large volumes of water storage . . . and 3 levels of marsh and boardwalk . . . Read more
Winter Solstice Service
Salutations were bestowed on the winter spirits and the guardians of the silver maples that have been with us for so long . . .
Read more and see more photos
Millenium Group Volunteers
at Native Garden
Millenium came out June 21st 2012 to help with Garden and keeping North Trail clear.
Ecology Camp
July - Aug
Read about the camp and see more photos, on the Ecology Camp website Preserve the Silver Maple Forest
Citizens of Arlington, Belmont and Cambridge showed their support for preserving the Silver Maple Forest at the Belmont Uplands. The forest, surrounded by wetlands, is slated to be destroyed for a housing development.
Read more
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Alewife: Map — Directions — Places to Park (on Events page) |
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News |
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FAR office |
FAR's office is located in the Fresh Pond Mall at 186 Alewife Brook Parkway, Suite 304, Cambridge, MA 02138 Phone: 617 415-1884 Viewing/borrowing materials |
Belmont Uplands: Forest Development and Developer |
DEP File #: 123-0180, Notice of Intent (NOI); EOEA #13312 Environmental Notification Form (ENF)
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Cambridge Storm Water Basin - New England Restoration Model |
Cambridge and regional storm water basin makes progress
- added to website January 31, 2012
Major Progress in Alewife Reservation Stormwater Wetland Construction - December 19, 2011 FAR Wins Financial Support from State for Education at the New Wetland-Stormwater Restoration Project - updated January 25 with Department Of Fish And Game Riverways Program scope document. A Major Wetlands Restoration/Storm Water Management Model Project, and Environmental Learning Center for Cambridge and the Massachusetts metropolitan western corridor, covering 8 to 10 acres, by City of Cambridge, Bioengineering Group, MWH Inc., Mass Water Resources Authority and SEA construction and Friends of Alewife Reservation. List of the 22 project pages (with link to the 7MB Adobe Acrobat file, which takes about 22 minutes to download with a 56K dial-up modem - compared to about 15 to 30 seconds for each project page) New on January 6: Planting details page available as easy-to-read-and-print Microsoft Word file and text Adobe Acrobat file. Letter plus number designations from the drawings added to page-number list for easier reference.. Restoration Plans Move Forward for Wildlife and Communities of Cambridge, Arlington, Belmont, Somerville and Metropolitan Boston |
Development News |
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Resources from FAR |
Biodiversity
in the Alewife Reservation Area: Species, Habitat and Ecosystem —
Available from FAR for $10. Describes Reservation and its wildlife and
locations and access. A major assessment: 120 pages of maps, charts, illustrations and details of the Reservation topography; habits of the wildlife. |
Storm water brochure developed by Friends of Alewife Reservation and City of Cambridge for local businesses and neighbors as a watershed Pilot Project, implemented and organized by local Scout troop. | Stream
Team materials page (updated October 5, 2004) |
Image collections — slide shows |
Silver Maples In the Urban Wild: art of Sarah Leon
4 paintings
See also the text at Silver Maples In the Urban Wild - art of Sarah Leon, which includes a link to artist's website North Trail Maintenance Improvement Project Improved Pathway for conservationists, hikers, birders and class rooms, fishermen. Partners: Student Conservation Americorps, Department of Conservation and Recreation, Friends of Alewife Reservation 67 photos/slides, taken March 2006 Walk, January 7, 2006 15 photos/slides by Janet Malenfant |
Urban Wilds Past-Present-Future
The Alewife Reservation's wildlife, wetlands, meadows, and woodlands. A Friends of Alewife Reservation presentation by Michael Arnott, with 67 slides. Urban Wild (Alewife Reservation) Paintings by Vicki Paret, a page with 3 images. Summer 2004 Alewife Reservation Photos Unseen and Unknown Areas and Wildlife Spectacular photos by Michael Arnott, FAR Steering Board, AMC naturalist, with 10 slides Friends of Alewife Reservation images — maps, plans, photos (Silver Maple Forest, fauna, flora, water, and people — many categorized by season), with 135 slides . |
Development Information |
Alewife Master Plan - Complete contents of June 2003 MDC CD, with maps. | Alewife
Master Plan - assessment (Summary of strong and weak points of MDC Master Plan — not a FAR final assessment.) | |
Floodplain Map from FEMA of GIS - Belmont Uplands DEIR / proposed land-swap area | Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to put bulletin board / sign up at Blair Pond (part of Master Plan) |
Of Special Significance | ||
Silver Maple Forest building — architect's renderings | Aerial view 1 of building Aerial view 2 of building | |
Little Pond — headwaters in proper perspective | Aerial view of Little Pond | |
Boston Basin ecoregion, Cambridge land use, Vernal pools (including potential pools near Little Pond) |
Maps | |
MDC Master Plan Nov. 20, 2002 presentation — Ellen Mass' description |
MDC Master Plan — Ellen Mass' description | |
MDC Master Plan Nov. 20, 2002 presentation — Russ Cohen's comments |
MDC Master Plan — Russ Cohen's comments | |
370+ flora & fauna (with more flora, from Betty Wright) | Biodiversity lists for Cambridge | |
Forest, shrub, wetland, marsh, waterways — Ellen Mass | Greater Alewife ecosystem | |
Environmental Notification Form comments | Frontage Road Office/R&D | |
Maps: forests and proposed soccer field | Forests and soccer field | |
Alewife Wildlife Inventory - David Brown's initial findings | Alewife Wildlife Inventory (edited version) | |
Presentation to MDC and design firms | Plans for Alewife Reservation | |
About FAR | Get involved | |
FAR is a multileveled stewarding and advocacy group that desires to
protect the public Reservation land owned by the MDC
and to preserve it for wildlife and for future generations, providing a
highly accessible area in limited wilderness areas for passive
recreationists. The group is run by a board of overseers that oversee
activity and help advocate for Reservation needs.
Statement of Purpose |
If you'd like to be on our mailing list for updates and events, and quarterly newsletter,
join our email list
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We welcome you to join FAR for $20 a year. Our address for sending dues is 186 Alewife Brook Parkway, Suite 304, Cambridge, MA 02138. |
The naturalist, William Brewster, wrote in 1906 about the "Great Swamp" area, now known as the Alewife Reservation. Quote follows from his book, Birds of the Cambridge Region:
This fine, large meadow, upwards of one hundred acres in extent, has changed but little, either in character or surroundings, within the past thirty or forty years. It lies partly in Belmont and Waltham, but chiefly in the southeastern corner of Lexington, near the source of Beaver Brook. Although for the most part open and grassy, it contains many swampy thickets, several tracts of low-lying maple woods and a few wooded ridges and 'marsh islands.' The Concord Turnpike crosses it from east to west on an ancient causeway bordered by pollarded willows. Through the long and alluring vista formed by the trunks and overarching branches of these fine old trees one may walk or drive in cool and unbroken shade during the hottest June day, listening to the songs of Bobolinks, Red-winged Blackbirds, Swamp Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Maryland Yellow-throats, Catbirds and other marsh- or thicket-loving birds . . . As the meadow is also bordered on every side by sparsely populated country, abounding in woods, thickets, cedar pastures and grassy fields, it offers to the bird lover one of the most attractive and interesting resorts to be found anywhere, at the present time, within easy reach of Cambridge. |
Blair Pond in Cambridge, on Blanchard Road, fills in with mud flats from sediment. |
South Belmont forest. The forest is open grasslands and wetlands. Important transitions are between forest scrubland and river. Summer. |