Environmental News, Notes, and Events
By Meg Muckenhoupt
In the winter, the outside world fades to an annoyance if you’re lucky enough to have a warm house and an indoor job. Going from home to car to work to gym to groceries to home only involves the briefest intervals of exposure to the frigid air, the weak, thin light, the silent woods, the frozen ground . . . or so you think.
That frigid air is actually trying to get into your house, and it often succeeds. Now is the time to check for air leaks, before the weather warms. You may have noticed a draft at your windows or door, but cold air can also penetrate via electrical boxes, fireplace dampers, and cable and phone lines. See a complete list of suspect areas and instructions for an easy pressure test to detect leaks at energy.gov/energysaver/weatherize/air-sealing-your-home/detecting-air-leaks.
By the beginning of March, the world beyond your house has interests besides invading your home. Woodcocks, the carefully camouflaged little ground birds that look like bundles of dry leaves, begin their absurd twilight courting flights, making noises like overtaxed microwave alarms before they shoot 50 feet up into the air—only to flutter back down again to the exact same place.
Woodcock Walk
Sunday, March 10, 5:30–6:45 PM
Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 10 Juniper Road, Belmont
Hike into the meadow to view the courtship ritual of the American Woodcock. Just after sunset, the males will start a series of calls which sound like a raspy “peent” before spiraling up into the sky, twittering until they return to the same spot on the ground. Members $12, nonmembers $15. Register at massaudubon.org or call 617-489-5050.
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On March 20, the spring equinox arrives—the first day of the year when the plane of Earth’s equator passes through the center of the sun. March is a fine time to contemplate how to use the sun’s energy more efficiently to power our earthly lives.
Google’s Project Sunroof uses Google Maps images to predict how much sun your roof will get each year and how much money you would save each year by installing solar panels. Take a look at your solar scores at google.com/get/sunroof.
Sustainable Belmont Meeting
Wednesday, March 6, 7–9 PM
Check website for location.
Get updates on solar energy in Belmont and a peek into the solar future including battery storage. sustainablebelmont.net
As spring arrives, the world outside becomes more appealing than the winter-worn indoors. Take some time to go outside and look—really look—at the life emerging around you. Belmont has been settled for more than 300 years, but an astonishing variety of birds, insects, plants, and water creatures persist in backyards and in refuges like Habitat and Fresh Pond. There are many curious and surprising organisms nearby.
By observing the behavior of plants and animals, and recording your observations, you can help local and nationwide groups track climate change. Earthwise Aware and Habitat both offer classes in how to make and share useful observations, and Mount Auburn Cemetery has ongoing citizen science trainings as well: see mountauburn.org/attention-citizen-scientists/.
How You Can Help Climate & Wildlife Scientists
Monday, March 11 or Monday, March 25, 6–7:30 PM
250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge
This is a crash course about participative science, aka citizen science, or active public involvement in scientific research. This class explores what citizen science is, why it is needed, where it is needed, how you can help individually or by joining local projects at the Fresh Pond Reservoir, and some of the tools to help. Donation requested. For more information, see earthwiseaware.org or write to claire.oneill@earthwiseaware.org. (Similar class offered at Habitat on Tuesday, March 26—see details below.)
Climate Science and Policy: A Call to Action
Sunday, March 24, 12:30–2 PM
First Church in Belmont, 404 Concord Ave, Belmont
Learn about the latest climate science and current policy options for dealing with our changing climate from Peter Frumhoff, Chief Climate Scientist of the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Representative Will Brownsberger. A presentation about local issues and a discussion will follow the talk. For more information, write to climate@betheltemplecenter.org.
iNaturalist Field Training at Fresh Pond
Saturday, April 13, 10–11:30 AM
Ranger Station, Fresh Pond Reservation, 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge
One of the world’s most popular nature apps, iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you. By recording and sharing your observations, you’ll create research-quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature. Upload the iNaturalist app (app store/google play), and find out how to take great pictures and record great observations! Free, for adults ages 14 and up. Registration is required. For more information, see earthwiseaware.org or write to claire.oneill@earthwiseaware.org.
2019 City Nature Challenge at Fresh Pond
Saturday, April 27, 1–3 PM
Fresh Pond Reservation, 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge
This weekend, cities across the world will be competing to see who can make the most observations of nature, find the most species, and engage the most people. Earthwise Aware (EwA) is participating in this year’s challenge at the Fresh Pond Reservoir! Join us and observe and record what you see. Registration required. For more information, see earthwiseaware.org/2019-city-nature-challenge or write to claire.oneill@earthwiseaware.org.
Phenology Citizen Science Project
Wednesday May 15, 8–9:15 AM
Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 10 Juniper Road, Belmont
Phenology is the study of timing in nature. Join Wayne Daly for a walk to observe trees and other species that are emerging and blooming. Record measurements to compare with past and future years. Register at massaudubon.org or call 617-489-5050.
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Just as your own home may be looking a little dusty around the edges, the landscapes that we humans have been inhabiting often need care at the end of a long winter. This is the time to get a soil test, to see what nutrients your landscape and lawn may be lacking, and what they don’t need at all. Excess fertilizer on lawns washes off in the rain, running off and polluting our local waterways like Clay Pit Pond, Little Pond, and Beaver Brook. With a $20 soil test, you can save money on wasted fertilizer, and save our waterways from foul algae overgrowth. Go to ag.umass.edu/services/soil-plant-nutrient-testing-laboratory/ordering-information-forms.
There are plenty of opportunities to make our community healthier and happier. Belmont’s Habitat Audubon Sanctuary harbors invasive species that will greedily gobble up more territory until they are removed. The Charles River needs people to pick up all the cans and plastic bits and bobs that have built up over the year. Even our community could use a little attention, and Belmont will be hosting a “Working Better Together” session. Invite your neighbor who went to the pollinator talk to come with you.
One piece of spring upkeep you may never have to bother with again: spraying your trees for winter moths. Professor Joseph Elkinton and his laboratory staff at the University of Massachusetts have been releasing parasitic flies that prey on winter moth caterpillars. As of 2018, they have released the flies at 44 sites, including several in Greater Boston, and winter moth populations have been reduced by more than 90 percent at these sites. Read all about it at elkintonlab.wordpress.com/current-research-projects/.
Land Stewardship
Sunday, March 17, 1–3 PM
Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 10 Juniper Road, Belmont
Cut and pull unwanted plants, pile brush, plant native shrubs, and care for the land and its inhabitants. Free, but registration is required. Register at massaudubon.org or call 617-489-5050.
29th Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference: Enhancing Community through the Land
Saturday, March 23, 8 AM–4 PM
Worcester Technical High School, One Skyline Drive, Worcester
The Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition coordinates this land conservation conference with workshops on topics ranging from conservation techniques to communications to fundraising. The keynote speaker will be Gina McCarthy, former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. For more information, visit massland.org.
No PhD Needed: Saving the Planet with Citizen Science
Tuesday, March 26, 7:30–8 PM
Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 10 Juniper Road, Belmont
Climate and biodiversity science need you—and your data collections skills! We’ll discuss participative science (aka citizen science), which is public involvement in scientific research. Free, but registration is required. Register at massaudubon.org or call 617-489-5050. (Similar class offered at Fresh Pond on Monday, March 11 or March 25—see details above.)
Reducing Harmful Chemicals in the Home and Garden
Wednesday, April 3, 7–9 PM
Check website for location.
This panel discussion will focus on how to have a healthy, manageable home and garden while reducing use of toxic substances..For more information, see sustainablebelmont.net or write to sustainablebelmont@gmail.com.
More than Just the Buzz: Finding Real Solutions to Native Pollinator Decline
Wednesday, April 3, 7–8:30 PM
Cambridge Public Library, Main Library Lecture Hall, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
Robert Gegear from Worcester Polytechnic Institute will discuss why pollinators have been declining and explain the beautifully complex interactions between plant species and the insects that pollinate them. For more information see grownativemass.org or call 781-790-8921.
Preparing for the Goats
Saturday, April 13, 1–3 PM
Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 10 Juniper Road, Belmont
Set up our goat browsing areas by resetting fences, cutting paths, expanding huts, and hauling supplies. Children under 9th grade must be accompanied by an adult. Tools and gloves provided. Free, but registration is required. Register at massaudubon.org or call 617-489-5050.
Jack the goat with volunteer caretaker Janine Hart-Hueber at Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary (Sara McCabe photo)
20th Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup
Saturday, April 27, 9 AM–noon
Various locations along the river
The Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup brings together over 3,000 volunteers each year to pick up litter, remove invasive species, and assist with park maintenance. For more information see crwa.org/charles-river-cleanup, call 781-788-0007, or write to charles@crwa.org.
Working Better Together
Sunday, April 28, 3–5 PM
Beech Street Center, 266 Beech Street, Belmont
Where is Belmont going as a community? In this time of change, how can we all—individuals, town government, businesses, social and religious organizations—work better together? Participate in a workshop with town leaders, your neighbors and Dr. Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone and Better Together: Restoring the American Community. Space is limited. Preregister at eventbrite.com.
7th Annual Goat Gala
Saturday, May 4, 1–3 PM
Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 10 Juniper Road, Belmont
Meet Habitat’s friendly herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats. Bring your kids to meet the kids, does, and wethers. Join in games, entertainment, and raffles, and sample goat-related products, and take all the goat selfies you like.
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