Newton Conservators Nature Notes

Saturday, October 7, 2006
Greetings!  This email newsletter provides information on upcoming nature and environmental related events, exhibits, and information in and around the Newton, Massachusetts area.   The Newton Conservators have upcomng events in their Fall Walk Series including a canoe excursion tomorrow along the Charles River in the Lakes District.  Don't miss the Fall Harvest festival at Angino Farm (Oct 22) and of course this month's Environmental Show which is also about the farm.  There is lots of more information in this issue, so take time to explore it.

 

In This Issue

 

* Newton Conservators Fall Walk Series
    - Canoe Trip at the Charles River Lake District - October 8, 2:00 pm - 
    - Newton/Wellesley/Needham Aqueduct Bike Ride - October 15, 2006 – 2:00 pm
    - Charles River North Street/Bridge Street MDC Trail Walk - October 22, 2:00 pm

    - Cutler MDC Park, Millennium Park /Wells Avenue Charles River Loop - October 29, 2:00 pm


* Newton Conservators Fall Lecture - Thursday, November 30, 2006
    - Invasive Alien Plant Update - A Newton Perspective
        A Lecture / Slideshow with Naturalist Peter Alden

 
* News from Newton Angino Community Farm

    - Newton Angino Community Farm Harvest Festival - Sunday, October 22, Noon- 3 pm
    - October Environmental Show:  Angino Farm Update
    - Lecture:  Farms and Families in 18th Century Newton - Thursday, October 12, 7:30 pm
    - Newton Farmer's Message (from the Farm Newsletter)
    - Italian Pole Beans at Newton Community Farm
    - Donations to the Farm


* EcoAlerts from American P.I.E. 
    - You are what you eat.
    - Turning a Leaf


* Notes of Interest    - Harvest Moon
    - Life Jackets
    - Tab Environment Page
    - Carol Corbett
    - Newton History Museum at The Jackson Homestead
    - Mass Wildlife
   -  Wellington Parkfest

   -  Crystal Lake
    - Nature Events
    - Newton Pride Fall Bulb Sale - October 13 - 14
    - Harvest Fair  - Sunday, October 15, 11 am - 5 pm
    - The Community Preservation Act in Brookline - Tuesday, October 17th
    - Partners in Parks: Building a Movement -  Saturday, October 21st

    - CRWA Annual Meeting with Bill McKibben, Nov 15


* News from the Newton History Museum
    - Time Travel in Chestnut Hill - An Archaeology & Landscape History Walk - Saturday, October 14, 
    - Map Night at the Newton History Museum - Wednesday, October 18, 7:30-9 pm
    - From Farlow Park to Farlow Hill - Newton Corner's Historic Homes & Landscapes - Sat, October 21,
    - As We Were: American Photographic Postcards - Tuesday, October 24
    - An Archaeology Roadshow at the Newton History Museum - Saturday, October 28
    - "Remembering Norumbega"  -  3A Gala Celebration of Norumbega Park,Friday Nov. 3


*New Natural Heritage Atlas Available


*Newton Conservators     

- Activities      

- About the Newton Conservators
- About Newton Conservators Nature Notes 

 

 
Newton Conservators Fall Walk Series

 Each Spring and Fall, the Newton Conservators organize a series of walks to local open space areas. These walks are led by knowledgeable leaders and are open to the public and normally last for an hour or two.  These walks (and sometimes bicycle or canoe trips) are a great way to get to know open space areas in Newton. Below is the current walk schedule.  A printable version of the walks list is available on the Newton Conservators website at:  http://www.newtonconservators.org/events/walksfall06.pdf.  If you wish to check out the walk list online for updates and photos of some of the walk areas, see http://www.newtonconservators.org/walks.htm. 

 

Canoe Trip at the Charles River Lake District
October 8, 2:00 pm

An almost-annual favorite is the canoe trip through the Charles River Lake District, a mixture of residential, commercial and wetlands. It starts from the Charles River Canoe Service on Commonwealth Avenue and passes Norumbega Park, Fox Island, Auburndale Park, Weirs Cove, the Waltham Watch building, Mount Feake Cemetery, and Purgatory Cove and stops just short of the Moody Street dam. These wetlands are well populated with ducks, geese, blue herons and the occasional hawk or egret, so you might want to bring your binoculars. Meet at the Charles River Canoe Service on Commonwealth Avenue in Auburndale. Trip leader is Bill Hagar, current president of the Newton Conservators. Parking is across the river.


Newton/Wellesley/Needham Aqueduct Bike Ride
October 15, 2006 – 2:00 pm

Join a 1.5 to 2 hour bike ride that explores opportunities to link trails that connect the aqueduct system in Newton, Wellesley, and Needham. The aqueducts have long served as a resource for walkers, and this ride will show that it provides a wonderful biking trail, as well. Of particular interest is how the various towns have chosen to mark and manage these linear open spaces. This ride is recommended for ages 12 and up, and an adult must accompany all minors. The trip requires an off-road or hybrid bike (thin tires will not handle this terrain). Helmets are required for all riders. This outing includes part of Walk 27 in the Conservators "Walking Trails" guide. See also our page, A Loop Along the Aqueducts. Meet at Starbucks in Waban Square. Henry Finch, Newton Conservators Board Member, will lead.


Charles River North Street/Bridge Street MDC Trail Walk

October 22, 2:00 pm

The spectacular new section of the Charles River Greenway that travels from Bridge Street in Newton to Farwell Street in Waltham was officially opened last September.  With the foresight of DCR planner, Dan Driscoll, the wide accessible path features natural stabilized soil paths, wood walkways over wetlands and the distinguished Blue Heron footbridge (10 feet wide, and approximately 140 feet long) over the Charles River near Cheesecake Brook. This segment of the Upper Charles River Reservation was the critical missing link needed to provide the desired continuous linear connections between Boston and Waltham.  Meet in Watertown in the southeast corner of the parking lot of the Super Stop and Shop store on Pleasant Street. From Newton, one can travel on North Street, cross the Charles River, take a right on Pleasant, and a right into the Super Stop and Shop. We will first explore the greenway downstream to Bridge Street and then upstream into Waltham.  Bring binoculars if you have them. Trip leader is Ted Kuklinski.


Cutler MDC Park, Millennium Park /Wells Avenue Charles River Loop

October 29, 2:00 pm

This is more of a hike than a walk and you should wear hiking shoes and be prepared to maintain an active pace. The walk will be 5 miles.  Starting at Cutler Park you will explore the Park, going to Millennium Park in West Roxbury, and complete the tour by way of the Wells Avenue Charles River Pathway.  These areas have been improved over the past several years and now provide a wide variety of trails, river landings and playing fields.  Meet in Needham on Kendrick Street at the Cutler Park entrance. The entrance is 1/4 mile south of the Charles River, on Kendrick Street in Needham. Kendrick and Nahanton Streets join at the Charles River Bridge.  Henry Finch will be the group leader. Part of this walk is on page 54 of the Newton Conservators Walk Guide.

 

Newton Conservators Fall Lecture

Invasive Alien Plant Update - A Newton Perspective

A Lecture / Slideshow with Naturalist Peter Alden 
Thursday, November 30, 2006, 7 pm, Newton Free Library

  

The City of Newton is under attack from alien invaders.  They have come from far away and are taking over our back yards, parks, and conservation areas.  Slowly and quietly they are creeping into our public open spaces, disrupting the natural balance of nature and crowding out our native plants   Some of them, like purple loosestrife, are quite pretty but take over our wetlands; others like japanese knotweed grow tall extremely fast while spreading farther afield underground; still others are even sold at garden stores to unsuspecting customers. Well known author, lecturer and naturalist Peter Alden, from Concord, MA, will present a lecture and slideshow with a stunning display of the twenty worst invasive alien plants in the Newton area.  You will come away from the presentation with the knowledge of how to recognize these plants and what some of the control options are.  You will find out what is happening at the state level and in the legislature in how to deal with severe menace to our city's biodiversity.   The lecturer will also conduct an instant village by village poll of attendees to try to assess where in Newton these invasives pose the most threat.  He has in preparation a new "Field Guide to the Invasive Plants of New England and the Northeast".   Peter Alden, was the inaugural speaker in Conservators lecture series (now celebrating its 5th anniversary).  Alden, a renowned birder and entertaining and informative speaker, has led over 250 ecotours to over a hundred countries on all seven continents and lectured all over the world for travel and museum organizations.  In his work for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, he spearheaded the first ever statewide Biodiversity Days, in which citizen naturalists in over 80 Massachusetts towns went out into the field to do a species census. This provided a valuable and interesting snapshot of common and unusual species present both here in Newton and across the state of Massachusetts.  He is the author of over a dozen nature field guides including the groundbreaking "National Audubon Society Field Guide to New England" (Knopf, 1998). This book is an easy to use field guide for identifying 1,000 of our region's wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, mosses, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, butterflies, mammals and much more. Other regional field guides in the series cover California, Florida, the Mid-Atlantic States, the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountain States, and the Southwestern States. For younger naturalists, along with Roger Tory Peterson, he produced the Peterson First Guide to Mammals of North America and coloring books for both birds and mammals. Other of his books include "The National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife" (1995) and "Finding Birds Around the World" (1982).  Signed copies of his field guide will be available before and after the lecture.
 
This free Newton Conservators Lecture Series event takes place on Thursday, November 30, 7 pm, at the Druker Auditorium at the Newton Free Library.  For more information,  visit www.newtonconservators.org/lectures.htm.  

 

News from Newton Angino Community Farm

We pass along some news from Newton Angino Community Farm (NACF) concerning some of the happenings and progress at the farm. Visit the farm's website at www.newtoncommunityfarm.org for more information.   

 

Newton Angino Community Farm Harvest Festival
Sunday, October 22, Noon- 3 pm
The Newton Angino Community Farm Harvest Festival is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 22, at 303 Nahanton St., from noon-3 p.m. It will celebrate the success of Angino's first growing season. Plans include tours and history of the farm, activities for adults and children and a presentation by Le soir's Chef Mark Allen on delicious vegetable recipes. There will also be folk music, a sing along with children's songs and lively bluegrass music. A special recognitions/awards event is also being planned. More details will be provided on the Web site as plans are confirmed at www.newtoncommunityfarm.org.   Come on out and visit the Farm!  

 
October Environmental Show:  Angino Farm Update


Angino Farm, Newton’s last farm, is turning out crops again this summer after many dormant years.  The Environmental Show in October, produced by the Newton Conservators, tours the farm, the greenhouse, and the various plantings with Farm Manager Greg Maslowe, farm educator Liz Gleason and her students. Angino Farm was once one of several small family farms common on the south side of Newton, until land values and development rendered them extinct.  This farm, located at the corner of Winchester and Nahanton Streets was purchased last year with Community Preservation Funds, a special fund voted by Newton residents to preserve open spaces and historic sites, provide passive recreation and offer low income housing.  Matching funds are provided by the state. The Newton Conservators had advocated strongly to save Newton’s last farm both as an historic agricultural vista and an opportunity for our children and grandchildren to see and experience firsthand the way our food grows.

The farm is now open to families that have bought crop shares for the entire summer and to educational programs for children.  On Tuesday's it is open to anyone who wants to stop and buy some delicious organic vegetables.  Please park on the Winchester Street side of the Farm.  The farm's produce has also been available at the Friday farmer's market at Post 440 in Nonantum.

  

Be sure to catch this episode of the Environmental Show running repeatedly through the month of October on Saturdays (10 a.m.), Mondays (3 p.m.), Tuesdays (1:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.), Wednesdays (11:30 a.m.) and Thursdays noon, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.).  It is shown on NewTV's Blue Channel, which is Channel 10 for Comcast subscribers and Channel 15 for RCN subscribers.   This educational show is a volunteer partnership between the Green Decade and the Newton Conservators with each organization presenting on alternate months.   Learn to think globally and act locally with the Green Decade Coalition and learn more about your parks with the Conservators! 


Lecture:  Farms and Families in 18th Century Newton
Thursday, October 12, 7:30 pm, at the Newton History Museum

In the years leading up to the American Revolution, Newton's farm families worked together to provide good homes and hopeful futures for their children. Though we have the same goals today, these families' lives now seem remote to us because their records are buried in archives, and their farms are covered with streets and houses. In this talk, social historian Mary Fuhrer will recreate the world of 18th-century Newton farm families, and explain how she recovered their lost history.

Mary Fuhrer holds a B.A. from Princeton University, an M.A. from George Mason University, and is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of New Hampshire. She has worked as a museum historian and educator for the past 10 years, including as project historian for archaeological excavations and exhibits on colonial farming and everyday life at both Fruitlands Museum and the Museum of Our National Heritage.

This lecture is cosponsored by the Newton Schools Foundation, The Newton History Museum, Newton Farm Commission, and Newton Angino Community Farm.


Newton Farmer's Message (from the Farm Newsletter)

With fall coming and the fields full of vegetables, wildlife is returning to the farm. The deer and mice are starting to be a nuisance, but the hawks, owls, coyotes, and foxes are keeping the crop damage from getting out of hand.

In the last issue of the newsletter, I began talking about why our produce sometimes looks different from what you buy in the grocery store. Peart of this difference is due to our dependence on the work of volunteers. Volunteer efforts are crucial to the success of NACF. Despite its small size, there is more work than one farmer can manage alone. We rely on community members to help in all aspects of the farm, from planting to harvest, painting the farmhouse to fund-raising. When it comes to the harvest, this is especially true. Harvesting is the most labor-intensive part of farming—a time when all the work of the season literally comes to fruition. Each week we pick, wash, and sort hundreds of pounds of produce. For example, in a typical week we pick about 400 lbs of tomatoes alone! This labor requires the help of hard working volunteers.

Working with volunteers means that I often have people picking vegetables for the first time. I love this, because an important role of the farm is to introduce people in very concrete ways to where their food comes from. Too many of us only know what vegetables look like after they have been culled, scrubbed, trimmed, and often waxed. Our volunteer group also includes many children. Again, I believe that introducing children to where food comes from is one of the missions of NACF. Working with children and adults new to harvesting means that sometimes our produce does not look as professional as it might if we had a hired harvesting crew. But this trade off is part of what makes us a community farm. I extend my heart felt thanks to all the volunteers who have harvested with me this season. Your efforts have made this season possible and I hope have enriched your lives. I look forward to working with you, along with all the NACF volunteers, in the years to come.   - Greg Maslowe (farmer)


Italian Pole Beans at Newton Community Farm 
If you observed the two green leafy tepees at the farm, you may have wondered what is growing on them. They are a special type of Italian pole bean.  These beans came from the village of San Donato, Italy, located about 40 miles south of Rome. The seeds were brought to the U.S. by Donato Tempesta, the grandfather of a Newton resident, Sandra Corsetti. Donato, who arrived in the US in 1915 at the age of 15, lived in Brighton, MA, where he grew pole beans, tomatoes and arugula for 70 years.  The Donato pole beans are capable of growing at least 15 feet tall. Donato’s rule was to plant only 2 beans to a tall pole, and to pick the beans while they were young and still flat. Sandra Corsetti shared some of her bean seeds with neighbor Margaret Fogel, who planted seeds for the Newton Community Farm. Sam Fogel and Greg built each tepee out of six, 10-foot long iron rebars.  Sandra recommends cooking the beans as follows: saute garlic and onions until onions are golden in color. Next, add the beans and a little water and cook for several minutes.

- Sam Fogel (Volunteer Coordinator)


Donations to the Farm

 

There is a need to raise the funds needed to insure that the farm will live up to its full potential.  For example, we need to raise funds for a part-time educator to join our staff so that we can expand our educational offerings.  Most exciting, we need to raise funds to stabilize and then transform the historic barn into a community center where programs on environmental issues— both global and local, will be run year-round for people of all ages.  Programs might range from sessions on global warming to sessions on how to garden with native plants, compost, or install a home solar hot water heater.  We also envision a summer camp and a variety of other children’s programming.  In our vision, the building itself will model sustainable practices, from solar panels to a composting toilet while maintaining its historic character.  We hope to partner with the Conservators, Green Decade, the City, and others, on this long-term goal of making major capital improvements to the barn.   Donations to the farm are greatly appreciated (and are now tax-deductible!). Please make checks payable to Newton Community Farm and send them to NCF, 303 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459. 

- Jon Regosin


 

EcoAlerts from American P.I.E.  

Act today on these EcoAlerts, and thank you for your environmental responsibility.  This feature is courtesy of American P.I.E. , Public Information on the Environment, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization,  P.O. Box 676, Northfield, MN  55057-0676, Telephone: 1-800-320-APIE(2743); fax 507-645-5724, E-mail: Info@AmericanPIE.org. You are what you eat.
                  
This old adage, a popular way of describing the close link between diet and personal health, aptly applies to findings revealed at last week¹s International Congress on Obesity held in Sydney, Australia. Our affection for processed food, with diets rich in fats and sugar, is expanding our waistlines and leading to a near pandemic of obesity. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 billion adults around the world are overweight, putting them at much higher risk of ailments like diabetes and heart problems. The dependence on processed foods, artificial food ingredients and other elements of our biotechnical agriculture industry also jeopardizes our relationship with the soil of Earth and the natural world.

A cited reason for embracing the corporate food industry is that it is fundamental to feeding a growing world population which now has surpassed six billion hungry mouths. It is unlikely, however, that past growth trends in agricultural production can be relied upon to feed the mass of humanity, taking into account the loss of cropland to urbanization, the degradation of soil and water resources, and the limits to which synthetic fertilizers can be relied upon to increase yields. The issue of food scarcity, moreover, may be overshadowed by the problems of food quality and equitable distribution of food across the planet.

The Worldwatch Institute reports that three billion people - half of the global population - are malnourished; they are either overfed...or hungry. Bangladesh, India and Ethiopia exhibit heartrending percentages of children who are underweight, e.g., 56% in Bangladesh. Coming as no surprise, the United States is spearheading the rising incidence of overeating. More Americans than not are overweight - 55%. Twenty-three percent of adults can be classified as obese, and one out of five American children are considered overweight.

Coupled with the rise in obesity in the U.S., the distancing of food sources for Americans is causing rising fuel and transportation costs, the near extinction of family farms, and the loss of farmland to spreading suburbs. These troubling trends suggest that communities should not be exporting food before local needs are met and should not be importing foods that can be readily produced at home. To follow this precept, thousands of local businesses would capture much of the planet¹s food trade instead of a handful of multinationals.

Intense pressure for productivity by corporate agriculture has caused significant environmental havoc ranging from soil erosion to air and water pollution. We now also find that rising agricultural output is not yielding promised solutions for human health and well-being - neither for the hungry nor the overfed. American PIE urges people to support local farms, ask supermarkets to source food locally and, if possible, have a vegetable garden. These simple steps serve to remind us, too, that you are what you eat.

Turning a Leaf

Deep tree roots do a fine job of retrieving trace elements deep in the subsoil; for deciduous trees, the roots then give these minerals to the leaves for temporary storage. At season¹s end, leaves are returned to the soil but not before enabling brilliant folliage which will soon spread across much of the United States.

American PIE urges people to learn to appreciate leaves for their nutritive qualities as well as for their aesthetic ones. Well over half of solid waste is organic material suitable for composting, and ten percent is leaves and lawn clippings from our gardens. During the autumn season, bags of leaves are needlessly making their way to local landfills and incinerators, representing one of the worst kinds of conspicuous waste.

As nature's colorful gifts fall to the ground, consider turning leaves into a long-term investment for your property - and the health of the environment. Leaves can be turned to mulch, a valuable asset for the home landscape and gardens. Mulch helps control weeds, enables soil to hold onto valuable nutrients, permits plant roots to penetrate deeper and  conserves moisture in soil by thwarting the effects of rain and snow. Using mulch also protects soil from erosion and runoff caused by heavy rain.

In the winter, the combined effects of freezing, thawing and refreezing can disturb the soil in a garden. This same process can damage plants and shrubs. A layer of mulch over the soil acts as an insulator and reduces the danger to plants from the freeze-thaw cycle. While decomposing, mulch releases beneficial plant nutrients and improves the soil's composition. Leaves - turned to mulch - accomplish this at no financial cost to homeowners.

Turning leaves to mulch works best when they are ground up or permitted to partially rot. Decayed leaves are called leaf mold. The chemical makeup of leaf mold is the closest thing in nature to pure humus. Leaves, unless chopped up, tend to decompose quite slowly. If collected annually, however, a huge pile of leaves becomes a rich and continuing source of mulch for distribution on gardens, shrubs and trees, even for top-dressing lawns. Simply dig to the bottom of the leaf pile where decomposition has done its job. Oak or beech leaves, if used exclusively, will make a slightly acidic mulch, good for broad leaf evergreens and blueberries. If you choose not to use leaves for mulch this fall, consider adding them to the compost heap.  Mixed with other ingredients, leaves will decompose more quickly and build your inventory of compost. Visit our website to learn more about home composting <http://www.americanpie.org/slice_composting.html>

This fall, turn a leaf to good use in your landscape.



Notes of Interest 

Last night's full moon has a special name--the "Harvest Moon." It is the full moon closest to the northern autumnal equinox. Long ago, before electric lights, farmers relied on the Harvest Moon to light up their fields at night, allowing them to harvest autumn crops even after sunset.  The Harvest Moon of 2006 is a big one--almost 12% wider than some full Moons we've seen earlier this year. Why? Because the Moon is near perigee, the side of the Moon's lopsided orbit that comes closest to Earth. Courtesy of Space Weather News, http://spaceweather.com.  

Canoeists and Kayakers MUST Wear Life Jackets -- Between September 15 of this year and May 15 of next year, ALL people in canoes and kayaks, including waterfowl hunters and anglers, must be WEARING lifejackets. Most boating fatalities in Massachusetts are due to boaters’ failure to wear life jackets in accidents involving small craft in cold water/cold weather situations.

 

Newtonians should be grateful to Newton Tab departing editor Don Seiffert for his encouragement of the Environment Page.  You might think that most community newspapers have an Environment Page?  We wish!   During his tenure, Don even held a mini writing workshop at the paper for aspiring environment page writers. Good luck to him in his new position.  The Environment Page is a monthly feature of the Newton TAB dedicated to providing vital current information about environmental science, policy and local conservation activities. Potential writers should contact the Environment Page Editor, Lois Levin. For more information, also see http://www.greendecade.org.  Articles are archived on the Green Decade website.  

 

We note with sadness the recent passing on August 27 of long time Newton Conservators board member and community activist, Carol Corbett.  Carol was a great supporter of open space in Newton, a member of the Conservators grants committee, and organizer of the Conservators Annual Dinner Meeting.  She also had been the citizen chairperson of CDBG West Newton Advisory Committee which was responsible for the boardwalk and other improvements at the Dolan Pond Conservation Area.  Carol also never had email and would always request a printed copy of the Nature Notes.  Her activism will be sorely missed.  

 

The Newton History Museum at The Jackson Homestead (527 Washington Street) always has interesting programs. As part of their community commitment, they are happy to send you this listing of program highlights, events, and invitations each month.   You may register for programs by telephone at 617-796-1450. For more details about any of our programs,  please visit our  website at www.newtonhistorymuseum.org.     
 
You can visit the Mass Wildlife website at http://www.mass.gov/masswildlife.  Subscribe to MassWildlife News, a free electronic monthly newsletter updating you on research, events, new laws and other agency activities.  All you need to do is send an email to:  do is send an email.

 

The 8th Annual Wellington Parkfest (rescheduled from a rainy Oct 1) will be held at Wellington Park in West Newton (Kilburn Road) on Sunday, Oct 15, 1-4pm.  New basketball and tennis courts will have a ribbon cutting around 2:15 pm.  Free - hot dogs, soda, hot dogs, kids games, sports, fun.  For info: wellingtonpark(AT)aol.com.

 

There may be a meeting/event at City Hall on the evening of Oct. 19 where possible interest in Crystal Lake improvements may be discussed.  Watch for further details.  

 

Check out Nature Events in nearby communities and organizations by checking out the Links page of the Newton Conservators website.

Waltham's events include a Charles River Canoe and Kayak Trip from the new DCR Woerd Avenue (Waltham) Boat Launch on Sunday, Oct. 15 and a Fall Foliage Walk at Prospect Hill Park (Waltham) on Saturday, Oct. 21.

 

Newton Pride Fall Bulb Sale - October 13 - 14

Newton Pride Fall Bulb Sale will take place Friday, Oct. 13, noon-7 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Newton Cultural Center, 225 Nevada St., Newtonville, is Oct. 6. Visit newtonpride.org to see the complete bulb catalog. Orders can be picked up at the sale. Many varieties will be available at the sale in bags of 10 to 25 bulbs, plus organic fertilizer. Proceeds from the sale support citywide community projects. For more information, call the Newton Pride Committee at 617-796-1540 or 617-527-8283, or e-mail contactus(AT)newtonpride.org.

 

Harvest Fair  - Sunday, October 15, 11 am - 5 pm

The Mayor's Office for Cultural Affairs and the Newton Pride Committee have planned a Harvest Fair on Sunday, Oct. 15, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on the Newton Centre Green (raindate Oct. 22).  More than 100 handmade and international crafters will include quilted, knitted and crocheted items; stained glass windows, sun catchers and decorative boxes and lamps, wooden furniture, trellises and boxes, leather accessories; jewelry and so much more. There are still spaces available for crafters interested in participating. Call 617-796-1540 for an application.   Children's activities will include pumpkin decorating, face painting, sidewalk art and sand art. Entertainment will include the Suzuki School of Newton, Loose Ends Band and Newton's own Nathan Berla-Shulock.  Kiddies rides will be featured on Saturday, Oct. 14, and Sunday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

 

The Community Preservation Act in Brookline
Tuesday, October 17th,  7:30 pm, Brookline Library

Our neighboring town of Brookline considers adopting the Community Preservation Act.  Join Brookline GreenSpace Alliance for its bi-monthly Alliance Meeting.  Jay Gonzalez will speak about the Community Preservation Act, a state law that will generate millions of dollars of new revenues for Brookline if adopted by the voters at the November 7th election.  Jay was a member of the Town's CPA Study Committee, he is on the Board of Brookline GreenSpace Alliance and he is a lawyer at Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge who specializes in municipal finance.  For more information, contact info(AT)brooklinegreenspace.org.
 
Partners in Parks: Building a Movement
Saturday, October 21st, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm, Massachusetts College of Art, 621 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA
Please join the City Parks Alliance in conjunction with many local parks organizations to create a shared vision for parks.  Opening remarks will be given by Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston, and Stephen Burrington, Commissioner of Mass. DCR followed by a panel featuring national experts on parks.  Small groups will discuss issues ranging from linking park issues with public health issues, the economic values of parks, and more.  For more information or to register for the conference, please visit www.cityparksalliance.org.


CRWA Annual Meeting with Bill McKibben, Nov 15

Mark your calendar for CRWA’s Annual Meeting on November 15, 2006, from 5:30-9:30pm at the Newton Marriott Hotel.  Popular speaker and environmental author Bill McKibben is the featured speaker. The first fifty people to make a reservation will receive a free copy of McKibben’s book, Wandering Home, so reserve you space early by contacting Kevin Hudson at khudson(AT)crwa.org or calling 781-788-0007 x231.  We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments and future strategies of CRWA and honoring dedicated volunteers and important civic leaders.


 

News from the Newton History Museum 

Time Travel in Chestnut Hill - An Archaeology & Landscape History WalkSaturday, October 14, 10:30 am-noon This is a free event cosponsored by the Chestnut Hill Neighborhood Association.  Meet at the corner of Suffolk Rd. and Hammond St. (3-way stop sign). Park on Suffolk Rd. Wear sturdy walking shoes. Held rain or shine. Several years ago on what is now the Boston College campus, archaeologists excavated a homestead that had been occupied over the 19th century by blacksmith Elijah Thwing, gentleman farmer John Haynes, and Dr. Daniel Slade, a retired Boston surgeon who wrote Principles of Landscape Gardening as Applied to Small Suburban Estates.  We'll read evidence from all these periods in neighborhood topography, streetscapes and architecture.


Map Night at the Newton History MuseumWednesday, October 18, 7:30-9 pm Examine Newton maps and discover how the City has grown and changed. Free. 

From Farlow Park to Farlow Hill - Newton Corner's Historic Homes & LandscapesSaturday, October 21, 2-4 pm This free event is cosponsored by Newton’s Community Preservation Committee. Meet at the gazebo behind the Newton Corner Library at 126 Vernon St. Wear sturdy walking shoes. Held rain or shine. Community Preservation Act funds are now supporting work at several sites along this walk, including the 1845 Greek Revival house that now serves as a branch library and the historic landscapes of Chaffin and Farlow Parks. We'll see beautiful 19th-century homes of all styles along Eldredge, Franklin, and Waverley Streets, and end with an open house at the 1732 Durant- Kenrick Homestead, where consultants will answer questions about a summer 2006 project supported by CPA funds.

 
As We Were: American Photographic Postcards, 1905-1930 with Rosamond B. Vaule
Tuesday, October 24, 7:30 pm

Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing by the author. Postcards brought photography to the masses. "Real photo" cards were the aristocrats of the genre - original prints documenting storefronts and townships, frisky children and sober adults, air ships and barn raisings. Author Rosamond Vaule will share some of the best, and talk about their social significance, manufacturing processes, and the fascinating lives of their photographers, both amateurs and professionals. Free. Newton History Museum.


An Archaeology Roadshow at the Newton History Museum
Saturday, October 28, 1:30-4 pm

 Bring in your "archaeological treasures" for identification and dating by archaeologists Barbara Donohue and Marty Dudek, both working at John Milner Associates, Inc. Arrowheads and old bottles welcome!  The archaeologists will use historic maps to help you see what Newton looked liked when your artifact was created.  Artifacts recovered at the Museum's site, the Jackson Homestead, will also be on display. FREE for Newton Historical Society members. For nonmembers, $5 per person or $10 per family (up to 4 people); Museum admission included. 

"Remembering Norumbega"  -  Friday Nov.  3, 6:30 pm
A Gala Celebration of Norumbega Park and the Totem Pole Ballroom 
The Newton History Museum is pleased to announce that the "Remembering Norumbega" Gala will be held on Friday evening, November 3 at the Windsor Club in Waban. Dance to the music of Bo Winiker and his swing orchestra.  Take a Swing Lesson.  Dine on selections from the area's finest restaurants.  Bid on unusual auction items reminiscent of Newton and Norumbega. And view memorabilia from the Newton History Museum's Norumbega Collection.  For more information, contact David Oliver, Development Director, at 617-796-1450.  "It may not be wicked to go canoeing on the Charles with young women on Sunday but we continue to be reminded that it is frequently perilous ... The canoeist arrested for kissing his sweetheart at Riverside was fined $20.  At that rate it is estimated that over a million dollars' worth of kisses are exchanged at that popular canoeing resort every fine Saturday night and Sunday."  - Leading Boston Newspaper 1903 

 

New Natural Heritage Atlas Available

 

The Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has released the newest Massachusetts Natural Heritage Atlas, which displays regulatory habitats of endangered species. The Natural Heritage Atlas shows boundaries of ‘Priority Habitats,’ for use with the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act regulations, and ‘Estimated Habitats,’ for use with the Wetlands Protection Act regulations. Unless certain exemptions apply, proponents of all projects or activities within delineated Priority Habitats are required to file their project plans with MassWildlife’s NHESP for review. This 12th Edition of the Atlas is the product of a multi-year updating and improvement of Priority Habitat and Estimated Habitat boundaries across the state to reflect the most recent endangered species data, the latest in scientific understanding of species biology and habitat requirements, and the newest GIS technology and data.  To view the revised Priority Habitats and Estimated Habitats, you can: 

·         Purchase a copy of the 12th Edition of the Natural Heritage Atlas with 187 pages of full-color, 11” x 17” maps covering the entire state or a copy of the Natural Heritage Atlas CD Viewer, which provides statewide coverage of Priority Habitats and Estimated Habitats using the MassGIS Data Viewer software. (Order form at http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/atlasorderform.pdf)

·         View the large Priority Habitat and Estimated Habitat maps that have been sent to the Conservation Commission and Planning Board of each town or city in Massachusetts with such habitats. 

·         Use the interactive web viewer available at www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/nhregmap.htm

·         Download the Priority Habitat and Estimated Habitat GIS datalayers from MassGIS for use with GIS software (www.mass.gov/mgis/).

For more information about the new Natural Heritage Atlas or about endangered species regulations and project review, contact MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program at 508/792-7270 x200 or email natural.heritage@state.ma.us. The above is courtesy of MassWildlife News.  To receive electronically, send an e-mail to: Join-MassWildlife.news@listserv.state.ma.us

 

 

Newton Conservators Activities

The  Newton Conservators Newsletter is the official publication of the Newton Conservators and may be found online at http://www.newtonconservators.org/newsletters/.  The latest issue should be in the mail shortly and if you are a Newton Conservators member should be receiving it in the near future.  This is the first issue under new editor, Eric Reenstierna, who is taking over after many terrific years under the editorship of Doug Dickson.

 

The Board of Directors of the Newton Conservators meets monthly usually on the fourth Wednesday of the month (usually at City Hall).  Members are welcome to attend.  If you wish to attend you can contact us to confirm the date, time, location, and agenda.  The October meeting will take place on Wed.. October 25, 7:30 pm at City Hall.

 

The Newton Conservators have an active Land Management Group led by Landscape Designer, Beth Schroeder.  Each week, usually on Tuesdays, the group visits one of our open space areas to catalog the flowers, plants, animals, and other creatures that are found there.  If you are experience and knowledgeable in the areas of nature related identification, please let us know if you would like to assist in this long term effort to catalog the biodiversity in Newton. 
 
The Walking Trails in Newton's Park and Conservation Lands map guide put out by the Newton Conservators is a great resource for those who would like to explore Newton’s open space.  It is a 56-page guide containing detailed trail maps of 27 conservation areas in Newton, featuring parks, ponds, gardens, trails, canoe launches, nature guides, rock climbing, scenic views, handicapped access, geological features, and bird watching areas. The guide also contains photos, driving directions, interesting historical details, and an overall map of showing the locations of the 27 natural.  Many more folks have been observed out in our conservation areas with their trail guide in hand;.  It is available by web, mail and also at Newtonville Books and New England Mobile Book Fair.  Walking Trails in Newton's Parks and Conservation Lands may be purchased for $7.95 online at http://www.newtonconservators.org/buyaguide.htm or by mailing a check payable to The Newton Conservators, Inc. to The Newton Conservators, P.O. Box 590011, Newton Center, MA 02459.   It makes a great gift for your outdoors and nature loving friends.A special note:  The Newton Conservators are starting to consider the next edition of this great guide, partly due to additional open spaces and features added in Newton due to such things as the adoption of the CPA!  If you have any corrections that you think should be included please send them to The Newton Conservators, P.O. Box 590011, Newton Center, MA 02459.


 About the Newton ConservatorsThis email newsletter is sponsored by the Newton Conservators, a local organization The Newton Conservators, a nonprofit citizen advocacy organization which actively promotes the acquisition, creation, and preservation of natural open spaces for the people of Newton. Since its formation in the late 1950's, The Newton Conservators has been instrumental in safeguarding more than 200 acres of open space in Newton, creating several major public parks, and enacting ground-breaking environmental ordinances with respect to the protection and preservation of trees, wetlands and clean air, and the conservation of energy. that promotes the protection and preservation of natural areas, including parks, park lands, playgrounds, forests and streams, which are open or may be converted to open spaces for the enjoyment and benefit of the people of the City of Newton, Massachusetts for scientific study, education, and recreation.  It further aims to disseminate information about these and other environmental matters.  A primary goal is to foster the acquisition of land and other facilities to be used for the encouragement of scientific, recreational, educational, literary, and the other public pursuits that will promote good citizenship and the general welfare in the City of Newton.  If you would like to join the Newton Conservators, please send your name, address, phone and email address (if you wish email alerts) to The Newton Conservators, Inc., P.O. Box 590011, Newton Centre, MA  02459.  Membership Options are the following:  Individual $25, Family Member $35, Sustaining Member $50, Donor $75, Patron $100.  Membership is tax deductible.  Your membership includes the Newton Conservators Newsletter and emails and invitations to participate in guided tours of local conservation areas, lectures, and other programs and activities.  You will also receive by mail a copy of the new Newton Conservators open space map book, "Walking Trails in Newton's Park and Conservation Lands". 


About Newton Conservators Nature Notes If you would like to be more directly kept apprised of future nature related events, walks, lectures, and exhibits, you are invited to join the Newton Conservators sponsored "Newton Conservators Nature Notes" email list by sending an email request to emaillist(AT)newtonconservators.org .  Newton Conservators Nature Notes is automatically sent to members of the Newton Conservators who provide their email addresses as one of their membership benefits.  Newton Conservators Nature Notes may be found online at http://www.newtonconservators.org/naturenotes.htm.  You are welcome to submit any items for this sporadical newsletter via email to the same address.  Please feel free to forward our newsletter to others you feel might be interested in the information contained herein.