Minutes
of the Winter 2010-11 Meeting
Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation
January 24, 2010
Attending:
Nancy Accola, Susan Agger, Deb Albenberg, Charles Atkinson, Suzanna
Black, Janet Burns, Robert Chew, Susan Coolidge, Lance Drane, Nancy
Haslett, Chris McKay, Betsy Meyer, Herb Pearce, Nancy Preis, Rebecca
Ramsay, Paul Robillard, Susie Robillard, John Santos, Barbara Strell,
Elizabeth Wylde (recording)
The Friends
of Fresh Pond Reservation's ninth annual winter meeting was held at
the Maynard Ecology Center in the basement of Neville Place. This year
the meeting was preceded by an especially fine potluck supper that included
numerous desserts. After the meal, the Friends group's coordinator,
Elizabeth Wylde, opened the meeting by spending a few minutes recognizing
and thanking individuals who have made contributions to the group over
the year. They include the members of the Planning Committee, people
who have led programs, people who have done stewardship work on the
reservation, and employees of the Cambridge Water Department. The 2010
Year in Review report includes a list of these people.
We then broke
into three groups, with the goal of generating new ideas for programs
and other activities during the coming year. Our theme was diversification,
asking , "What can we do to broaden our scope, include new people,
experience the reservation in new ways?" Notes from each group
are recorded below.
Respectfully
submitted,
Elizabeth Wylde
Ideas for How to Diversify
our Future Programs and Other Activities
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Group 1
Moon-including how moon affects plants, animals-Joshua Roth
History Walks
Drawing nature-Nancy Accola offers to lead
Birder back ups-Herb Pearce, Chris McKay-maybe do a program on
warblers
Birding by ear-Herb Pearce
Mating behavior of birds-Herb Pearce
Butterfly program
Invertebrate program-insect sounds, Nature Lives, Dick Walton
Lichen program-Elizabeth Kneiper
Mushrooms
Edible plant walk-like last year
Hibernation-life under snow and ice
Bee keeper
Bats
Snakes
Remediation projects/walkabouts
Upper watershed walks
Point out birds to seniors with pedicab
Watching the sunset (and insects?)
Frogs, toads, and tadpoles (Frogs and Princes)
Spiders
Nature storytelling
Group 2
Time for another art show! Who would like to organize this?
Nighttime programs: Moths, Stars
Native bees and building bee nurseries
Compare woodland habitats
Fish at Fresh Pond
Composting - Indoors and out, and How to be a good recycler (with
Randi Mail)
Geology and Rocks
Glass flowers (of New England)
Climate change - an update with Ileana Jones?
How can we adapt to climate change - At Fresh Pond and in our
homes and our gardens
Tree pathology, including treatments and substitutions for disease-prone
species
Memories of Fresh Pond with Neville Residents
More opportunities for parties!
Group 3
Diversity - reaching out to a more diverse group: By age (example
- moms and kids), bringing people to the Reservation who wouldn't
otherwise be here, residents who live here (invite to art session,
etc.)
Being more proactive and designing programs with them in mind
Survey residents here, ask what they would be interested in.
Digital cameras for residents
Reach out to Rindge Towers
Accessibility - traffic from Towers - Culturally some residents
don't care for
dogs that roam here.
Designated area signs
Signs from the T on how to get to Fresh Pond - pedestrian-friendly.
Question - What is the attitude of the Water Department to more
traffic/users?
Shared Use: the city is in the process of creating guidelines
on shared use.
New Programs
Pollinating
The men who managed the beehives
Butterfly meadows - Butterfly program
Moth program
Ponding for kids (with nets)
Wildflowers
How we identify signs of erosion, healthy ecosystems, etc.
History of the area
Walks - Sounds of Fresh Pond: night, winter ice cracking
Linking learning to service
Ways to encourage native bees to winter over - kids could build
winter niches
Moon walk
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