Help Belmont Students Breathe Easier

 Air Quality, Newsletter, September 2021  Comments Off on Help Belmont Students Breathe Easier
Aug 232021
 
Help Belmont Students Breathe Easier

By Erika Roberts So many of us are delighted the kids are in school full-time this fall. I for one will be skipping them hand-in-hand down the sidewalk on their first day back, even if my first and fourth graders are dying of embarrassment. The only part of the academic year that I dread happens daily during arrival and dismissal: dozens upon dozens of vehicles running their engines while parked as the drivers wait to pick up or drop off students.  With everything we have done to keep our children protected during a global pandemic, from remote learning to wearing [READ MORE]

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It’s Time to Switch from Gas to Clean Energy

 Environment, Newsletter, September 2021  Comments Off on It’s Time to Switch from Gas to Clean Energy
Aug 232021
 
It’s Time to Switch from Gas to Clean Energy

By Debora Hoffman Think natural gas is a clean fuel? Think again. The fossil fuel, touted as a bridge fuel in the fight against CO2 emissions, is far deadlier to the planet—and our health—than is publicized. The issue? Leaks. Leaked gas is methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2 (see “Is it Time to Get Natural Gas Out of Belmont?” BCF Newsletter, November 2020). During its first 20 years in the atmosphere, methane is 86% more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2.  So how much gas is leaking? A lot. Statewide, gas utilities reported that 5,753 metric [READ MORE]

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Natural Gas is Making Us Sick

 Newsletter, September 2021  Comments Off on Natural Gas is Making Us Sick
Aug 232021
 
Natural Gas is Making Us Sick

By Adrienne Allen  Your Sunday night supper may be making you sick. Most of us heat our homes and cook our food with natural gas. Natural gas has long been promoted as the “clean” bridge from coal and oil to green energy. This year, a Harvard study on climate and air quality found that fossil fuel-related air pollution, including pollution from natural gas, kills one in five people worldwide. In the United States, natural gas use has increased 400% since the 1950s, with unfortunate health and environmental outcomes.  We often think about air pollution as an outdoor threat—like the wildfire [READ MORE]

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September/ October Newsletter

 Newsletter  Comments Off on September/ October Newsletter
Aug 232021
 
September/ October Newsletter

Read the September-October 2021 Newsletter PDF. In this issue:   Natural Gas is Making Us Sick We often think about air pollution as an outdoor threat, yet cooking indoors with gas can worsen indoor air quality, as chemicals become concentrated in our home, causing illness and even premature death. Read more.   It’s Time to Switch from Gas to Clean Energy The fossil fuel, touted as a bridge fuel in the fight against CO2 emissions, is far deadlier to the planet—and our health—than is publicized. The issue? Leaks. Read more. Help Belmont Students Breathe Easier Every day we subject our [READ MORE]

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 Posted by at 9:17 am

Events July-August 2021

 BCF Events, July-August 2021, Newsletter, Plants  Comments Off on Events July-August 2021
Jun 252021
 
Events July-August 2021

Though days are now long and warm, event listings for local organizations harken back to the dreary depths of winter. Few groups are planning meetings this summer, the season of bittersweet freedom, of sunny days so many people did not live to see. Voltaire wrote in Candide, “We must tend our garden,” but he didn’t specify how, or who should benefit from said garden. If you’d like to help support your local web of life, consider enrolling in a class with the Native Plant Trust: “Native Species, Cultivars, and Selections: What’s the Difference?” held on Friday, July 16, from 1-3 [READ MORE]

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Jun 252021
 

To the Editor: As a 40-year resident in Belmont I take exception to the tone of the article in the latest issue of the Belmont Citizens Forum concerning the treatment of the shore of Clay Pit Pond (“Clay Pit Pond Deforestation Damages Wetland,” Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter, May/June 2021), which attempts to blame the residents who perpetrated an “ecologically damaging assault” on the area. Rather, it seems to me, that these “miscreants” have called attention to the town’s lack of attention and mismanagement of one of our town’s greatest assets: an attractive body of water in the middle of our [READ MORE]

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Belmont’s Invasive Plants: Japanese Knotweed

 Environment, July-August 2021, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants  Comments Off on Belmont’s Invasive Plants: Japanese Knotweed
Jun 252021
 
Belmont’s Invasive Plants: Japanese Knotweed

By Jeffrey North Invasive plant species are disrupting ecosystems from Belmont to Beijing, permanently altering the ecology of our forests, fields, and gardens and causing biodiversity loss and species extinction. This article is the third in a series on invasive plant species found in Belmont, the implications of their presence, spread, and ecological damage potential, and hopes for their removal and remediation. Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), also known as Asian knotweed, is native to Japan, China, and Korea. It is frequently found on the sides of volcanoes, where it breaks down igneous rock into new soil. You might think it [READ MORE]

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Fernald Site Contains Rare Specimen Trees

 Environment, July-August 2021, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants  Comments Off on Fernald Site Contains Rare Specimen Trees
Jun 252021
 
Fernald Site Contains Rare Specimen Trees

By Eric Olson It is vanishingly rare that a town within ten miles of Boston can, with a single purchase, add nearly 200 acres to its portfolio of open space. That is exactly what Waltham did in the fall of 2014 when its mayor and city council agreed to buy the former Fernald Development Center from the state. I bet most Belmont residents are at least passingly familiar with this property, tucked up in Waltham’s northeast corner between Trapelo and Waverley Oaks roads, less than a quarter-mile from the Belmont line. As a resident of Newton, I had never heard [READ MORE]

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Belmont Day School Cleans Up Lone Tree Hill

 Newsletter  Comments Off on Belmont Day School Cleans Up Lone Tree Hill
Jun 252021
 
Belmont Day School Cleans Up Lone Tree Hill

Nineteen students and three teachers from Belmont Day School spent the morning of May 19 removing invasive garlic mustard and trash from Belmont’s Lone Tree Hill. The bags of garlic mustard and trash were collected by Belmont’s Department of Public Works. Thank you to everyone who pitched in to help keep Belmont beautiful!

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New Group Seeks to Keep Belmont Beautiful

 Environment, July-August 2021, Lone Tree Hill, Volunteer  Comments Off on New Group Seeks to Keep Belmont Beautiful
Jun 252021
 
New Group Seeks to Keep Belmont Beautiful

By Jeffrey North In 2008 volunteers and government leaders in Mansfield convened, and more than 700 volunteers assembled to give that town a good spring cleaning. They formed a Keep America Beautiful (KAB) chapter the next year to continue their efforts. Now Belmont can do the same—drastically reduce the volume of refuse littering our public spaces and strengthen our sense of community by organizing volunteers and donations for a cleaner, greener place to live. Belmont can take its place among the 33 local nonprofit KAB chapters across Massachusetts (collectively KMB) that are making significant improvements to their communities. Litter attracts [READ MORE]

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Belmont Once Had a Cooperative Market

 Historic Preservation, History, July-August 2021, Newsletter  Comments Off on Belmont Once Had a Cooperative Market
Jun 252021
 
Belmont Once Had a Cooperative Market

By Jane Sherwin Many people are aware that Belmont was a town of farms until the mid-twentieth century, but fewer may know that we also had a cooperative grocery: the Belmont Cooperative Society Market, which opened in 1911. The Market, the earliest commercial building in Cushing Square, was located on the southwest corner, where the Bradford development now stands. A second store stood in Belmont Center. In his wonderful Footsteps Through Belmont, the late Richard Betts, town historian, wrote that among other things the market sold spring water from a nearby well, and later, gasoline for horseless carriages. A 1905 [READ MORE]

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Cochituate Rail Trail Shows Success

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, July-August 2021, Newsletter  Comments Off on Cochituate Rail Trail Shows Success
Jun 252021
 
Cochituate Rail Trail Shows Success

By John Dieckmann After we published an article on rail trails in our January newsletter (“Bikeway Building Booms Beyond Belmont”), well-known cycling advocate and expert John Allen pointed out that we didn’t include the Cochituate Rail Trail in Framingham and Natick. Since then, I have had the time to ride this trail and write this update. The Cochituate Rail Trail (CRT) runs from the village of Saxonville in Framingham to the Natick Center commuter rail station along the right of way of the abandoned Saxonville Branch Rail Line. It is the culmination of advocacy dating back to the early 2000s. [READ MORE]

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Belmont Community Path Moves Forward

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, July-August 2021, Newsletter  Comments Off on Belmont Community Path Moves Forward
Jun 252021
 
Belmont Community Path Moves Forward

By Sara Smith, Jarrod Goentzel, and Eric Batcho Momentum is picking up again for the Belmont Community Path, a critical two-mile link in the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT), a safe, off-road path that will ultimately link communities between Boston and Northampton. The 25% design is nearing completion, and the town has appropriated funds to begin securing the right of way. Both of these steps move Belmont closer to obtaining state and federal construction funds and bringing the path to fruition. Community path 25% design phase The town’s contractor, Nitsch Engineering, will complete the 25% design of Phase 1 in [READ MORE]

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Jun 252021
 
Bike Infrastructure Makes Belmont Safer

By Jeff Roth Few Belmont residents use bikes to get around this small town of only 4.7 square miles, although most live hardly a mile from schools, recreation facilities, stores, transit stations, and restaurants. About 8.2% of Cambridge residents commute regularly by bike, but Belmont’s car-centered infrastructure likely is closer to the state average of 0.9%. Given that short, local trips are responsible for 60% of automobile pollution, how can we encourage car-free travel? Benefits of Walking and Cycling There are many benefits to expanding cycling and walking options in Belmont. People who cycle regularly for transportation and fitness have [READ MORE]

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July/August 2021 Newsletter is Here!

 Newsletter  Comments Off on July/August 2021 Newsletter is Here!
Jun 252021
 
July/August 2021 Newsletter is Here!

Read the July-August BCF Newsletter Featured in this issue: Bike Infrastructure Makes Belmont Safer Few Belmont residents use bikes to get around this small town of only 4.7 square miles, although most live hardly a mile from schools, recreation facilities, stores, transit stations, and restaurants.  Given that short, local trips are responsible for 60% of automobile pollution, how can we encourage car-free travel? Read more. Belmont Community Path Moves Forward Momentum is picking up again for the Belmont Community Path, a critical two-mile link in the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT). The 25% design is nearing completion, and the town [READ MORE]

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 Posted by at 10:10 am

The BCF Needs YOU!

 Newsletter  Comments Off on The BCF Needs YOU!
May 052021
 

The Belmont Citizens Forum is looking for writers, photographers, artists, and researchers to contribute to the BCF Newsletter—no experience necessary! It’s a great opportunity to learn about journalism and contribute to your community. We welcome contributions from Belmont and beyond on preserving natural and historical resources, limiting traffic growth, and enhancing pedestrian safety. For more information, contact bcfprogramdirector@gmail.com.

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 Posted by at 10:35 am

Belmont Roots May/June 2021

 BCF Events, Environment, May-June 2021, Newsletter  Comments Off on Belmont Roots May/June 2021
May 042021
 
Belmont Roots May/June 2021

Now that the weather is at least occasionally balmy, local organizations are contriving new events that bear some resemblance to past years’ experiences. You may not get the thrill of the crowd cheering as you finish a race, or the warm glow of watching other concerned citizens clearing garbage from your favorite outdoor spaces, but you will get out of your home. The Charles River Watershed Association’s Annual Run of the Charles has “a virtual twist” this year. Register for the fundraising 5K or one of five different paddling races any time before Sunday, May 23. You and your paddling [READ MORE]

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Letters to the Editor May/June 2021

 Newsletter  Comments Off on Letters to the Editor May/June 2021
May 042021
 

To the Editor: Tanks…tanks…tanks. The Select Board voted unanimously on February 8, 2021, to grant a license to replace the current underground fuel tanks with two 6,000 gallon above-ground tanks to be located between two existing DPW garages approximately 75 feet from our neighboring residential properties. At the time this vote was taken, no detailed cost-benefit analyses had been provided for either the proposed tank installation or for any alternate tank configurations or sites. Several alternatives had been suggested by concerned residents, including my suggestion of (1) installing one smaller dual-compartment underground tank at either the same site or another [READ MORE]

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 Posted by at 2:56 pm

Belmont’s Invasive Plants: Asian Bittersweet

 Environment, Lone Tree Hill, May-June 2021  Comments Off on Belmont’s Invasive Plants: Asian Bittersweet
May 042021
 
Belmont’s Invasive Plants: Asian Bittersweet

By Carolyn Bishop Asian bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), also known as Oriental bittersweet, is one of the most beautiful and problematic invasive plant species in our area. In the past, bittersweet was commonly sold in wreaths and floral arrangements, which were especially popular in the fall due to bittersweet’s brilliant yellow-shelled orange berries. Little did we know we were helping to spread a very invasive, damaging, non-native plant. Asian bittersweet was brought to the United States in the 1860s as an ornamental and for erosion control. Now it is found from Ontario and Quebec south through the Great Lakes states, from [READ MORE]

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Restoration Projects Approved for Lone Tree Hill

 Environment, May-June 2021, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants  Comments Off on Restoration Projects Approved for Lone Tree Hill
May 042021
 
Restoration Projects Approved for Lone Tree Hill

By Jeffrey North The Land Management Committee for Lone Tree Hill approved plans and funding for three 2021 forest restoration and meadow management projects for Lone Tree Hill at a March 3 meeting. The Judy Record Conservation Fund is providing matching funds for the projects, for a total of $22,000 for these initiatives. Area A1 Restoration Continues In early spring, licensed field technicians trained in identifying invasive plant species will cut, mow, and apply plant-specific herbicide in the Area A1 woodland. They will combat Asian bittersweet, buckthorn, garlic mustard, black swallow-wort (Cynanchum louiseae), and lesser celandine, and at least one [READ MORE]

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