Groundwork Somerville

The herbicidal treatment of aquatic vegetation at the three area yacht clubs originally scheduled for September 13 has been postponed until Tuesday, September 14 on account of inclement weather.  On September 14, Groundwork Somerville will oversee the spraying of selected patches of water lilies that have become overgrown on the Lower Mystic River around the Riverside Yacht Club and the Mystic Wellington Yacht Club in Medford, and the Winter Hill Yacht Club in Somerville.   The application will be conducted by Aquatic Control Technologies, which specializes in the removal and management of aquatic plant species.

For the treatment to be effective, there must be little to no water-surface disturbance near the application sites, allowing ample time for the herbicide to be absorbed into the plant tissue and then into the roots of the water lilies.

In support of the project goals, the three area yacht clubs have agreed to remain closed September 14. The DCR public boat launch adjacent to the Mystic Wellington Yacht Club will also remain closed on that day.

Groundwork Somerville is urging all recreational boaters to refrain from any boating on the Lower Mystic River on September 14. If this is not possible, boaters should maintain a “no-wake” speed limit near the three yacht clubs. Boaters’ cooperation will be crucial to the success of the herbicidal treatment.

The herbicidal treatment is part of Groundwork Somerville’s Mystic Invasives Removal Project, a multiyear effort to eradicate invasive water chestnut plants for the Lower Mystic River, and to address overgrowth of the native water lily.

Funded largely through a Massachusetts Environmental Trust grant, the project is made possible through an ongoing collaboration with the Mystic River Watershed Association, the Friends of the Mystic River, the Riveside, Mystic Wellington, and Winter Hill Yachts Clubs, and the Medford Boat Club, as well as countless community volunteers.

All aspects of the herbicidal treatment have been approved by the City of Medford and the City of Somerville, as well as state authorities.

For more information, contact Brad Arndt, Mystic River Projects Manager, at (617) 455-1127 or brad@groundworksomerville.org.

Minute Man park grounds clearing makes room for farming in Concord
By Patrick Ball/Staff Writer The Concord Journal Posted Sep 08, 2010 @ 03:14 PM Concord —

Stonewalls along the Battle Road Trail and Lexington Road in Concord once hid minutemen firing on the British Regulars, but in recent years the iconic walls themselves have been hidden beneath invasive plant species and overgrown greenery.

The Buttrick Gardens, a lush and mysterious labyrinth overlooking the North Bridge, has been similarly overtaken by large trees and renegade shrubbery.

But Minute Man National Historical Park is battling back, like the embattled farmers who rose up against the Redcoats in 1775. Only this time, there’s a federal government funding the fight.

Minute Man received $1.7 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed earlier this year and this summer funneled $560,000 of that funding into clearing Buttrick Gardens and historic agricultural fields within the park’s borders.

“It’s a major investment that the park would not have been able to do without these funds,” said Park Superintendent Nancy Nelson. “It’s really allowed the park to move forward in really significant ways that will last for a long time into the future.”

Growing partnerships

More than just restoring the land to the way it looked during revolutionary times, this work is clearing the way for expanded partnerships, such as with Battle Road Farms, with whom the park has a cooperative agreement to work the land and provide an agricultural component to the park’s educational offerings.

“We’re hoping Battle Road Farms will bridge generations by bringing together second-graders and their grandparents together over food and farming,” said David Graham, farm manager for Battle Road Farms. “This is a national park, and it’s all of our land. It’s sort of like making the national park work for us.”

Incubator farmers live on the property, growing vegetables and raising chickens. They operate a farmstand on the site and Tuesdays are CSA pickup days. Behind the barn, three little pigs and a pumpkin patch hint at what’s to come in the near future, when the Battle Road Farms fields will be populated with livestock. Forgotten apple and peach trees stand next to “witness” houses, 1770s homes that will be restored with the idea of housing for farmers or instructional kitchens for cooking programs.

“The colonial way of life that was so worth protecting is a story we’re returning to, and it’s really compelling,” said Brooke Redmond, communications and development director for the Farm Based Education Association and a board member at Battle Road Farms. “Almost every goal that we have here is sated with another, and the stim money made so many things possible.”

General contractors Classic Site Solutions Inc., of Wilbraham, have heavy machinery clearing trees and brush along Lexington Road. But across the street, youth teams from Groundwork Somerville and the Student Conservation Association have done much of the restoration work.

“It was like a jungle, basically, and we put a lot of muscle into it, a lot of hard work,” said Gunter Vital of Groundwork Somerville. “But it’s great to be able to see the vistas, and to know that there’s going to be livestock and education for the youth. It’s good work, very rewarding.”

At Buttrick Gardens, outside Minute Man NHP headquarters, the ongoing resetting, planting, pruning and invasive species removal has been aided by the dry summer and should continue into early next spring. The efforts here are focused on improving safety and restoring views of the North Bridge and river, which have been lost to overgrowth.

“I think people will see a very big difference in the garden come spring,” said Nelson, the park’s superintendent. “It had gotten so overgrown, the views of the river it was designed for were obscured, but the views now are very spectacular. And many of the paths that have been a safety hazard have been reset. It’s a much safer and a much more beautiful experience.”

Copyright 2010 The Concord Journal. Some rights reserved

http://www.dailycandy.com/boston/article/88230/Boston-Events-and-Diversions

Check it out!

Dont forget to buy tix for Local Roots online: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/124643

Sept 11, 5-10pm

Community Growing Center

22 Vinal Ave, Somerville

Christian McNeill, Dylan Chace, DJ Marco Andre, Mark Santoro, the Go-Flo Casuals

Appetizers and snacks from:

Dave’s Fresh Pasta and Redbones!

On Wednesday, Sept. 8, the Somerville Garden Club will present a lecture on plant propagation by Leo Blanchette, owner of Blanchette Gardens in Carlisle.

The lecture is part of the club’s September meeting. It will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at 167 Holland St., second floor. The space is handicapped-accessible.

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