Park News: Spring / Summer 2009
STEWARDSHIP
Our thanks to the many people who have worked to keep our Park clean during the long winter by picking up debris and trash. Thanks, too, to Laura Liscio for keeping the Park safe by thwarting a few junior arsonists from their plan to set fire to the woods by igniting reams of copier paper that they’d carried into the Park – and to Oakes Plimpton for collecting the charred paper and removing it. Our seasonal volunteer work sessions have started. Our April 26th crew pulled extensive patches of soon-to-seed flowering garlic mustard from the gulley extending from Shawnee Rd. to Churchill Ave.
SCHEDULE OF VOLUNTEER WORK DAYS
Monthly volunteer work days have been scheduled for the spring, summer and fall of 2009. Please post these remaining dates to your calendar. Work time will be from 10:00 a.m. to noon on the following Sundays:
- May 17th
- June 28th
- July 19th
- August 23rd
- September 20th
- October 18th
Most of the work will center on our on-going battle against invasive plants – but if you have ideas for other work projects, please let us know. Suggestions or questions can be sent to maryanna@foskettco.com or beckyed@rcn.com or judylynnweinberg@gmail.com.
ECOFEST
The Friends participated in the town-wide Ecofest held at Town Hall on March 28th. Thanks to the many people who stopped by, made suggestions or signed up to volunteer.
FILM
Emerson College students filmed a movie in the Park in early April. The movie is titled “The Small Stuff” and is “an upbeat character study involving everyday people in a park, distracted by technological devices, and a lost duck that helps them gain a new sense of grounding.” Every aspect of film production was involved during the four-day stint – site scouting, permitting, support & crew operations, acting (including a trained duck and duck wrangler), and filming.
HILL’S POND
Many of you have commented on the early and extensive appearance of algae in the pond. Every year the Friends contract with Aquatic Control Technologies to treat the pond for algae and invasive pond weeds. Care should be taken not to let pets drink from the pond for a number of days after the treatment.
PICTURE POSTS
Check out our local take on the science of phenology and see how nature changes in our Park by visiting our Picture Post website: http://picturepost.smugmug.com/Massachusetts/298382. Thanks to volunteer John Pickle, four Picture Posts have been installed in the Park. At each post, eight pictures are taken and the panoramic shots uploaded to the web. You can view the pictures individually or as a slideshow.
BIKE RACKS
The Town of Arlington has received grant funding to install bike racks around Town. Two racks will be located in Menotomy Rocks Park. The installation of the inverted-U-shaped racks should be completed by October at the latest.
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK
The Friends of Menotomy Rocks Park will be co-sponsoring the annual production of Shakespeare in the Park – scheduled this year for Robbins Farm Park. The play will be “Hamlet” and it will be presented on Sunday, July 19th at 5:00 p.m. and performed by a new troupe of older teens from Salem, MA called “Rebel Shakespeare.”
ANNUAL MEETING
The annual meeting of the Friends of Menotomy Rocks Park will be held on May 31st at 5:00 pm at Judy Weinberg’s residence, 39 Venner Road, Arlington.
MEMBERSHIP
Please consider joining the Friends of Menotomy Rocks Park to help us keep the Park a wonderful place for all to enjoy. See our website for dues information – or send $15 (individual dues) to: FoMRP, 350 Mass. Ave. #161, Arlington, MA 02474-6713. You can also order our new tshirts and other items at our web-store.