January/February 2018 Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter & PDF

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Construction and Housing, donations, Environment, Historic Preservation, Jan-Feb 2018, Lone Tree Hill, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Plants, Recycling, Stormwater, Traffic, Transit, Volunteer, Water Quality  Comments Off on January/February 2018 Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter & PDF
Jan 162018
 

View or download the January-February 2018 issue as a color PDF here, or read single articles below. . Articles in this issue: A Vision for Belmont Looking Back, Looking Ahead by Sue Bass Nearly eight years ago, in the spring of 2010, the town completed two years of work on a comprehensive plan intended to guide the next decade of change in Belmont. Looking back, how are we doing? The $148,000 plan, called “A Vision for Belmont: Mapping a Sustainable Future,” which was adopted by the Belmont Planning Board and is posted on its website, made nine primary recommendations. Read more.   [READ MORE]

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Remaking The Hell Strip

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Environment, Jan-Feb 2018, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Plants, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on Remaking The Hell Strip
Jan 162018
 
Remaking The Hell Strip

Pavement and Policy in Belmont by Kate Bowen In 2015, I wrote a story for this newsletter on “hell strips,” those swaths of dirt between the sidewalk and the street, where water-thirsty plants die and well-suited natives thrive. To recall the benefits, these planted strips cool streets in the heat. They provide filtration of fine particulate matter making sidewalk areas healthier. They provide food for birds and insects, and hold snow in winter. And, they delineate the vehicle travel/parking lane from the sidewalk area. This last function has become most important to me. In 2016, Bartlett Avenue, where I live, [READ MORE]

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Environmental Events Sept-Oct 2017

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Environment, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Plants, Recycling, September 2017, Solar Power, Traffic, Transit, Water Quality  Comments Off on Environmental Events Sept-Oct 2017
Sep 132017
 

Extreme Events and Climate Change Thursday, September 14; 7–8 PM What We Know and What We Can Do Ellen Marie Douglas, Associate Professor of Hydrology, School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston. Douglas will discuss observations of our changing climate, what changes may be in Boston’s future, and some plans for how to adapt to these changes. New England Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf, Boston. Belmont Drives Electric, Ride & Drive Sunday, September 17, 1–4 PM Learn about electric vehicles and test drive Chevy Bolts, Volkswagen Golfs, Nissan Leafs, and other electric vehicles. Meet local owners to get their experience. [READ MORE]

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Belmont Citizens Forum July-August 2017 Newsletter

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, donations, Environment, July 2017, Newsletter, Parking, Plants, Staycation, Stormwater, Traffic, Water Quality  Comments Off on Belmont Citizens Forum July-August 2017 Newsletter
Jul 102017
 

View or download the July-August 2017 16-page issue here as a color PDF.  . Articles in this issue: The Future of the Incinerator Site A Cure for Belmont Traffic Congestion New Lilac Planted On Town Green Fix the Stormwater System; It’s The Law Environmental Events  

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Belmont Citizens Forum May-June 2017 Newsletter

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Construction and Housing, donations, Environment, Historic Preservation, Lone Tree Hill, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Plants, Recycling, Stormwater, Traffic, Transit, Volunteer, Water Quality  Comments Off on Belmont Citizens Forum May-June 2017 Newsletter
May 122017
 

View or download the May-June 2017 20-page issue here as a color PDF.

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Watering Trees in a Drought

 Air Quality, Environment, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Plants  Comments Off on Watering Trees in a Drought
May 122017
 
Watering Trees in a Drought

If 2017 is as Bad as 2016 . . . by Jeremy Marin We’ve just come through a very rainy April, but the summer of 2016 was one of the driest in recent memory. With global warming, the same conditions can occur again. If the summer of 2017 is dry, here’s how to take care of your trees. Just like there’s no single best tree for all yards, there’s no single best way to irrigate trees during periods of drought. The easiest and most effective options for one family will be difficult, frustrating, or impossible for others. Not all trees [READ MORE]

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Lone Tree Hill Annual Spring Volunteer Day

 Environment, Historic Preservation, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants  Comments Off on Lone Tree Hill Annual Spring Volunteer Day
May 122017
 
Lone Tree Hill Annual Spring Volunteer Day

Tree Plantings and Pleasant Street Pickup by Radha Iyengar On Saturday, April 29, the Belmont Citizens Forum (BCF) in conjunction with the Judith K. Record (JKR) Memorial Conservation Fund held its Fifth Annual Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day. The rain held off and the volunteers came out in full force. This year the work was divided between planting trees along the Pine Allee, and cleaning up the trash along South Pleasant Street (across from Star Market and Artefact Home & Garden). In 2015, the JKR Memorial Conservation Fund engaged Tree Specialists, Inc. of Holliston, MA, to inspect the health of [READ MORE]

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Environmental Events Jan-Feb 2017

 Air Quality, Environment, Historic Preservation, January 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, Water Quality  Comments Off on Environmental Events Jan-Feb 2017
Jan 192017
 

Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation Annual Meeting and Potluck Supper Sunday, January 22, 5-7 PM Help us celebrate over 15 years of educational programs and stewardship. Enjoy good food and learn about the activities of the Friends group. Following supper, we will briefly review the past year, then share ideas for future programs and projects at Fresh Pond in a relaxed roundtable discussion. Guests and newcomers welcome. RSVP to Catherine Pedemonti at friendsoffreshpond@yahoo.com. Basement of Neville Place, 650 Concord Avenue, Cambridge Winter Nature Storytime at Fresh Pond Friday, January 27, 10-11 AM Friends of Fresh Pond host children and their [READ MORE]

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Belmont Staycation Postcard from a Monday

 Environment, Plants, Staycation  Comments Off on Belmont Staycation Postcard from a Monday
Aug 212016
 
Belmont Staycation Postcard from a Monday

Hi, On the Monday of my trial Staycation I enjoyed walks and bike rides around my neighborhood, then I tried two new activities and one old favorite: It was hot, but I rode my bike from the Winn Brook neighborhood past the Beech Street Center to Trapelo Road and checked out the gourmet food shop Art’s Specialities.  I met the owner, Artur, who tempted me with their jugs of specialty vinegars and oils.  He decanted some black walnut vinegar for me, which I look forward to drizzling on locally grown lettuce.  I bought a bar of chocolate, some cranberry crackers for [READ MORE]

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Letter to the Editor: Hell Strips

 Newsletter, November 2015, Plants  Comments Off on Letter to the Editor: Hell Strips
Nov 062015
 
Letter to the Editor: Hell Strips

To the Editor; If I were not a very experienced gardener, I wouldn’t know from reading Kate Bowen’s otherwise excellent article (“Garden in Your Sidewalk Hell Strip” BCF Newsletter, September 2015) that hell strips are called hell strips for a good reason. Growing conditions in these areas are as a rule hellish! Only a few tough-as-nails plants can withstand the salt, CO2 pollution, and tree root competition that characterize these strips. It would have been great if the article had acknowledged these challenges, and also provided a list of top 10 hell strip plants that have passed the long-term survival [READ MORE]

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