Franklin Park

Franklin Park Action Plan Presentation on March 10; Kite Festival Not Being Planned

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For the last two years input from hundreds of Franklin Park users has been gathered through surveys, visions sessions, and more to create a master plan to be used to make the park better for everyone who uses it. The Franklin Park Master Plan team will present a draft Action Plan on March 10, with two identical virtual presentations to accommodate people's different schedules at noon and at 6:30 pm. The city earmarked $28 million in 2019 to remake the park, with $5 million of that to create a maintenance endowment for Franklin Park. City planners worked with landscape architects, planners, ecologists, community engagement experts to create a community driven plan. Planners will share a preview of preliminary design ideas for Franklin Park and there will be opportunities for feedback.

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Animals

Coyotes at the Arnold Arboretum Collections

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Coyotes exist throughout the Greater Boston area, and right here in Jamaica Plain, especially in greenspaces like the Arnold Arboretum. In early February, local resident Grace Holley tweeted photos and video of a coyote she saw eating an animal, right before it approached her and her dog. Seemingly in response the Arnold Arboretum posted an article about living with coyotes. The following article was originally posted on the Arnold Arboretum's website and is being republished on Jamaica Plain News with permission from the arboretum. Eastern coyote sightings in Boston parks and neighborhoods often make news headlines during the winter.

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Environment

Learn About Pecan’s Intersection of Biodiversity & Human Diversity From Arboretum’s Director Series

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The Arnold Arboretum is exploring the meaning, history, and cultural entwines of the pecan in a three-part series. The Arboretum's 2021 Director's Lecture Series Pecan: The Intersection of Biodiversity and Human Diversity will run for free for three consecutive Mondays starting Feb. 22. The pecan tree is native to a region stretching from central Texas to western Alabama, and from the Gulf of Mexico to southern Illinois. Most pecans grown for commercial consumption come from New Mexico and Georgia, which are places with no native pecans, according to the Arboretum.

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Environment

Astonishing Bark! Arnold Arboretum Director: ‘Once You See This Tree, You Can’t Look Away’

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Every once in a while, a tree I often pass catches me off guard and astonishes me. Such was the case with a Korean stewartia (노각나무) near Centre Street Gate. Never have I seen such striking winter bark at the Arnold Arboretum (and I have seen a lot of striking bark). Once you see this tree, you can’t look away. The typical (and always beautiful) large puzzle pieces of bark of varying ages and patinas in beige, dark green, and grey are there.

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Opinion

Mayor Walsh: Here’s How You Can Take Part In Boston’s Community Choice Electricity Program

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Boston is a leader on climate action. We’re preparing our communities for climate impacts like coastal flooding and heat waves, and we’re cutting the emissions that cause climate change to begin with. We’ve committed to becoming carbon neutral by the year 2050, and we’ve developed a Climate Action Plan to get us there. An important part of this work is bringing more clean, renewable energy into our city. And now, we’re taking another big step in this work with the rollout of our Community Choice Electricity program.

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Environment

Eversource Customers Automatically Enrolled in City’s Community Choice Electricity Program

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Boston's  Community Choice Electricity (CCE) program, which enables the city to leverage collective buying power of Boston to secure more stable and affordable electricity rates, and more clean power, will officially launch Feb. 1, 2021. CCE is an opt-out program that offers customers electricity choices without any change in delivery or any contractual commitments. The city will begin sending notices to residents on Eversource Basic Service on Dec. 4.  Those residents will be automatically enrolled in the program unless they actively choose opt out.

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Environment

Boston Adding Textile Recycling Drop Off Boxes to Neighborhoods, Expanding Yard Waste Options

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You don't have to throw out those old clothes, sneakers, or stuffed animals because the city is adding textile recycling drop off boxes across Boston neighborhoods. Not throwing away textiles is better for the environment by not filling up trash dumps, but also it can be reused in many ways. Once sorted, 95 percent of textiles such as old bedding, hats, and jackets are reused (75 percent), upcycled, or recycled (20 percent), according to a press release. The higher grades of recycled textiles are resold to thrift stores throughout North America, and other second hand markets across the globe. The lower grades of textiles are turned into rags for industrial use or other functions like stuffing or insulation.

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Environment

Emerald Necklace Conservancy Honoring Mayor Walsh with 2020 Olmsted Award of Excellence

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The Emerald Necklace Conservancy will host its biennial fundraiser virtually and honor Mayor Marty Walsh with its 2020 Olmsted Award of Excellence. The award will be honoring the Walsh administration’s significant capital investments in the Emerald Necklace, representing historic funding for parks according to a press release. The fundraiser is being hosted tonight (October 14). “Mayor Walsh’s tenure has seen unprecedented capital commitments to Boston’s parks – $114 million has been spent by the Boston Parks Department on 170 construction projects and $60 million allocated to the 1,100 acre Emerald Necklace, the largest-ever capital funding for Boston Parks. These projects include Improvements to Jamaica Pond Pathways and Perimeter, Liff Park restoration, Olmsted Park enhancements, projects funded by the Community Preservation Act and many more.

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Environment

JP Has Highest Tree Canopy, According to City

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Jamaica Plain and surrounding neighborhoods in southwestern Boston have the highest tree canopies in the city. Generally speaking, the tree canopy is the part of the city shaded by trees. The city recently released a tree canopy assessment for 2014-2019. This year's worth of analysis is from high-quality, high resolution LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) images captured during airplane flyovers of Boston, according to a press release. Boston's Parks and Recreation Department commissioned the report to understand which areas have the most potential for increased tree cover, and analyze how the city's canopy cover has changed.

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Environment

Massachusetts Residents Asked to Report Any Unsolicited Packages of Seeds

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Apparently Massachusetts residents have been receiving unsolicited packages of seeds, possibly of invasive species, from a foreign country. And the state's Department of Agricultural Resources would like those who have received these seeds to report them. According to a press release, the exact types of seeds in the packages are unknown and, "...are not believed to be harmful to humans or pets but could pose a significant risk to agriculture or the environment." The state would like Massachusetts residents who received the unsolicited seed packages of seed to not plant them and immediately complete a form on MDAR’s website, "...to provide important information to state plant regulatory officials." The press release didn't state what country the seeds originate from, but said that people should keep the packaging and the mailing label.

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