Habitat – Page 2 – Belmont Citizens Forum

Persistence Built Western Greenway

Environment, Open Space, Sept/Oct 2020 Comments Off

Sep 032020

By Roger Wrubel It began for me in 1995. I was working with a new grassroots organization, the McLean Open Space Alliance (MOSA), that formed to try to protect more than 200 acres of undeveloped land owned by McLean Hospital. The hospital campus occupied about 50 acres, and McLean owned about 180 additional acres of forests and meadow beyond that. During a period when hospital finances were challenging, Partners HealthCare, of which McLean was a part, wanted to sell its “surplus” property to developers. This created great controversy in Belmont. About a third of the town favored development, including the [READ MORE]

Arlington Group Opposes Mugar Site Plans

March/April 2020, Newsletter, Open Space, Water Quality Comments Off

Mar 022020

Arlington Group Opposes Mugar Site Plans

By Meg Muckenhoupt The Mugar wetlands are 17.7 acres of open land in East Arlington. Oaktree Development has proposed constructing a 207-unit apartment complex and six duplex townhouses on this site, to be renamed Thorndike Place. The Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands opposes building on the site, which is bordered by Route 2, Thorndike Field, and Dorothy, Edith, and Burch Streets. The following interview with Clarissa Rowe, one of the founders of the Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands, was edited for length and clarity. Why is the Mugar site important? I think the reason Arlington and Belmont residents [READ MORE]

Arlington Group Opposes Mugar Site Plans

Construction and Housing, Environment, March/April 2020, Newsletter, Stormwater, Water Quality Comments Off

Mar 022020

Libby Atkins Remembered

Environment, History, Newsletter, November 2019, Open Space Comments Off

Nov 062019

By Roger Wrubel Many of us lost a dear friend, inspiration, and role model for aging gracefully when Elizabeth “Libby” Atkins, long-time Juniper Road resident, died at the age of 94 on August 19. I first met Libby when I interviewed to become the next director of Mass Audubon’s Habitat Sanctuary in 2000. She and her husband Elisha, who had grown up on the estate that became Habitat, let me know how much the sanctuary meant to them both, and I never forgot it. Elizabeth Potter married Elisha Atkins when he returned from the Pacific theater of World War II [READ MORE]

Belmont Staycation Postcard from a Saturday

Environment, Open Space, Staycation, Transit Comments Off

Aug 052016

Belmont Staycation Postcard from a Saturday

Another postcard from my trial Staycation — Check out the shorter postcards on our Facebook page; post your own there! Hi, This was a day with friends. I took a nature walk (check out our Maps section for local trail maps), and took a bus and subway to get to an event in Boston (check MBTA.com or a public transport app for schedules): Habitat: We had an out-of-town guest, and brought her to the Habitat in the morning to enjoy a longer walk. We took a very long route to Turtle Pond, passing through the Fern Trail and Red Maple Swamp trail and Border trail. It [READ MORE]

A Belmont Staycation Postcard from a Thursday

Historic Preservation, Open Space, Staycation Comments Off

Aug 042016

A Belmont Staycation Postcard from a Thursday

This is a postcard from my trial Staycation in July — Check out the shorter postcards on our Facebook page, and post your own there! Hi, Today I was really looking forward to visiting two old favorites: Belmont Farmer’s Market: I picked up some salad fixings from several different vendors, enjoyed cheese offered at State Senator Will Brownsberger’s table, and listened to a brass band. I chatted with the manager and a couple of neighbors. I heard vendors talking about the drought. I always feel a sense of community at the Farmer’s Market, as well as a greater connection with [READ MORE]

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