The International Union for Conservation of Nature has just published the November edition of its newsletter "Protecting the Planet: Delivering on the Promise of Sydney". You can check it out here .

The Ecological Landscape Alliance has an event coming up where you can learn about the health and welfare of urban forests .

The German government has taken the bold step of agreeing to phase out the use of glyphosate, a widely-used herbicide that also decimates insect populations and is suspected to cause cancer in humans, by 2023. A similar campaign is needed here. Article.

The September 2019 issue of The Citizen Forester is here! The Citizen Forester is the monthly newsletter of the Massachusetts DCR Urban and Community Forestry Program. Learn how you can join the tree steward training.

The chief engineer for Cambridge issued alerts for CSO (combined sewer overflow) events in Alewife Brook on August 30 and September 2. Avoid contact with contaminated water and be especially careful with children and pets.

The latest international climate science is always available from "Biodiversity for a Livable Climate," a non-profit think tank headquartered in Cambridge, MA that is dedicated to reversing global warming by restoring ecosystems. You can follow them and find out about the international conferences they host at local universities here.

The August 2019 issue of The Citizen Forester is here! The Citizen Forester is the monthly newsletter of the Massachusetts DCR Urban and Community Forestry Program.

The Massachusetts DCR's Universal Access Program organizes opportunities for residents with disabilities (and their families) to participate in outdoor activities such as kayaking and canoeing. Spots are still available for programs at Lake Cochituate, Lake Quinsigamond, Pottapoag Pond and Walden Pond. More information is here.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Mystic River Watershed Association issue a yearly water quality report card for the Mystic River watershed. Little River failed again, achieving a score lower than the previous year and a grade of D+. Read the report card here.

The tour, conducted with the help of naturalist Dave Brown, was a part of the Exploratory Committees' legal process for investing in the area.

Photo by Friends of Fresh Pond

Join Friends of Fresh Pond for their summer outdoor activities! Their program includes bird walks, woodland restoration gardening and other events. You can check their upcoming opportunities here.

The July 2019 issue of The Citizen Forester is here! The Citizen Forester is the monthly newsletter of the Massachusetts DCR Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Cities around the world are sinking as a result of climate change, but a noted landscape architect has described in a TED talk how intelligent development projects can help cities fight floods. Her project in Bankok, Thailand could serve as a model for Cambridge. Video.

On Saturday, June 15 the Cambridge Water Department, community groups and local residents came together to celebrate Fresh Pond. Events included live music, nature activities for youth and a Global Water Dance performance. You can watch a video of part of the performance here.

FAR is working with a local non-profit to merge its programs, filings, outreach information, including Mailchimp, donors and volunteers with a larger local and more active organization. See the May newsletter for details.

Photo by Larry Childs

Regular visitor Larry Childs recently walked the Reservation's North Trail to prepare for a wildlife walk this Sunday, Jun 9. You can read his observations here.

Photo by Kathy Johnson

Regular visitor Kathy Johnson has been following the lives of a family of great blue herons nesting at Jerry's Pond. You can read the latest update here.

Photo by Kathy Johnson

Regular visitor Kathy Johnson reports that the mute swan that has been diligently nesting at Yates Pond has revealed a flock of seven cygnets. Papa was there, too.

Belmont is working under a federal cort order to reduce the pollution it sends into Boston Harbor from leaks and connections of underground sewer pipes into the storm drain system. Currently, contamination flows through Cambridge's Little River and Alewife Brook in Arlington and Somerville. Read more here.

The May 2019 issue of The Citizen Forester is here! The Citizen Forester is the monthly newsletter of the Massachusetts DCR Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Nearly 40 youth from Boston, Cambridge, Arlington and Somerville came to clean the Alewife Reservation on Park Serve Day, April 27. Volunteers removed car parts, metal barrels, shopping carts, beds, syringes and other trash. Many thanks to all. Pictures.

The Massachusetts House Ways and Means committee has released a budget that meets nearly all the goals established by the Green Budget Coalition (see the fact sheet and justifications. Thank you to our readers and supporters of the Massachusetts DCR for helping make this happen. More information is here.

Friends of Alewife Reservation invites you to join fellow supporters of urban wildlands for the third annual Earth Day Cleanup at Jerry's Pond on April 28 from 2:30pm to 5pm. More information is available here for more information.

Friends of Alewife Reservation invites you to join fellow supporters of urban wildlands on Park Serve Day on Saturday, April 27 from 9:00am to 12:00pm. Volunteers will work together to remove trash from Alewife Reservation, maintain trails and improve the health of the ecosystem in this floodplain region. See the flyer for more information.

Photo by Jake Osborne

The Green Budget Coalition has submitted a letter to the State Legislature recommending funding levels for state environmental agencies. You can read the letter here.

Photo by Kathy Johnson

Regular Alewife Reservation visitor Kathy Johnson observed Kronker, a long-term resident great blue heron at Jerry's Pond, and his mate returning to their nest. Check out some pictures here.

The March 2019 issue of The Citizen Forester is here! The Citizen Forester is the monthly newsletter of the Massachusetts DCR Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Photo by Jake Osborne

The Senate recently approved a major bipartisan package of legislation that would greatly expand access to public lands in Western states, permanently authorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund and designate hundreds of miles of river as wild and scenic. Read more here.

Photo by Public Library of Brookline

Paula was a good friend to many in Cambridge, and a tireless activist on behalf of nature, climate change progress, Alewife Reservation conservation and much more. She involved herself in all aspects of progressive change. Our condolences go out to her husband, Eric Zinman and family. She will be deeply missed.

The Governor released his FY20 budget proposal earlier this month. Each of the four Green Budget priority line-items received an increase, but the total share of the state budget is still only 0.58%, far less than the 1% the governor campaigned on in 2014. We have a long way to go. More details are here.

Photo by Max Pixel

A Green New Deal has been proposed that would transform our economy and society at the scale needed to stop the climate crisis. You can read about it, and about the work of a recent climate justice workshop ("The Next Two Years and Beyond"), here.

Photo by Charlie Teague

Climate issues, as well as trees and parks, were ranked most important by neighborhood groups at a community forum held at the Citywide Senior Center on Saturday, January 12. You can read about the the forum here and read a response by FAR president Ellen Mass.

Photo by Stephanie Liu

Regular visitor Stephanie Liu sent us a heartwarming video compilation of some of her pictures and videos of a pair of eagles at Little Pond to celebrate the new year. You can check it out here.

Winter is here, which means it’s time for adaptive outdoor adventures like cross-country skiing, sit-skiing, snowshoeing, kicksledding and ice skating! Check out the DCR's winter newsletter for more information.

A Combined Sewer Overflow (when stormwater runoff and untreated sewage flow into a waterbody) occurred in Alewife Brook on November 25. These events contribute to the high bacterial load and generally poor water quality of Alewife Brook and Little River. You can read more here.

Photo by Stephanie Liu

Regular visitor Stephanie Liu recently captured some images of a family of bald eagles feeding at Little Pond. You can check out her pictures and read her observations here.

A Wildlife Walk is scheduled for Alewife Reservation on Saturday, November 10 from 1-3pm. The walk will be led by lifelong naturalist and wildlife tracker David Brown. Meet at the Acorn Park Drive parking lot. More details are in the flyer.

The November 2018 issue of The Citizen Forester is here! The Citizen Forester is the monthly newsletter of the Massachusetts DCR Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Photo by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

Natural ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, peatlands and oceans sequester billions of tons of carbon. Harming such ecosystems releases that stored carbon into the atmosphere. You can learn more about how these ecosystems help us, and how we can help them, here.