Another Successful Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day

By Radha Iyengar

On Saturday, April 27, the Belmont Citizens Forum (BCF), in conjunction with the Judy Record Conservation Fund, held its seventh annual Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day. The volunteers braved the cold and windy weather, and the rain held off.

At the Pine Allee, the efficient volunteers planted 63 white pine saplings, some of which were transplants from Mass Audubon’s Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. The new plants replaced some of the Allee’s missing trees as well as some of the dead saplings from volunteer day plantings over the last two years. At the other end of the property, the volunteers collected five bags of trash and two boxes of recyclables, as well as digging up numerous knotweed mud-lubricated rhizomes, including a giant knotweed taproot.

   Photos courtesy of Radha Iyengar, Evanthia Malliris, and Jeanne Mooney

 

BCF is grateful to Habitat Director Roger Wrubel for sharing Mass Audubon volunteers and instructing them on how to dig up saplings. We also thank David Ropes and Eric DePalo of Tree Specialists, Inc. for supervising the planting, and the Judy Record Conservation Fund for funding their ongoing work and purchasing the trees. And a big shout-out goes to Jeff North for his help in coordinating the Pine Allee work, to Leonard Katz for supervising the removal of the knotweed shoots, to Michael Santoro, DPW Highway Division manager, and his staff, for picking up the trash, and to the Belmont Day School parents and staff for volunteering.

Radha Iyengar is the treasurer of Belmont Citizens Forum and organizer of BCF Volunteer Day.

 

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THANK YOU to our CORPORATE SPONSORS

Gold Level Sponsors
Anne Mahon Realty
Belmont Land Trust
Cityside Subaru
East Boston Savings Bank
Watertown Savings Bank

Silver Level Sponsors
Artefact Home and Garden
Cambridge Savings Bank
Century 21 Adams Lawndale
East Cambridge Savings Bank
Middlesex Savings Bank
Renaissance Realty
The Great American Rain Barrel Company

Community Cosponsors
Belmont Land Management Committee for Lone Tree Hil
Belmont Vision 21 Implementation Committee
Mass Audubon Habitat Sanctuary
Sustainable Belmont

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Lone Tree Hill: What to do if you see a problem

Your help is vital to keep Lone Tree Hill safe and enjoyable for everyone. If you see any problems—such as downed trees, broken limbs, or dangerous or excessive trash—please report it to the Land Management Committee for Lone Tree Hill by sending an email to grimble.lmc@gmail.com.

Emails are checked regularly, but not daily, so you can expect an answer in a few days. If this is a time-critical issue of safety, please dial 911. Your email should be as specific as possible about location, what you observed, when you observed it, and any suggestion you may have for resolving the issue. A member of the committee will address the problem and get back to you. For more information, visit the Lone Tree Hill page on the town website at belmont-ma.gov/land-management-committee-for-lone-tree-hill.

And while you’re walking on Lone Tree Hill, why not carry along a bag to collect and dispose of any trash you may see along the way?

Thank you for your assistance!