How to be a Biodiversity Builder

 Environment, May/June 2024, Open Space, Plants, Stormwater, Water Quality  Comments Off on How to be a Biodiversity Builder
Apr 302024
 
How to be a Biodiversity Builder

by Jean Devine An open mind, eagerness to learn new things, a willingness to work with peers from different schools, and a tolerance for hot weather, a bit of rain, and getting dirty are all it takes to be a Biodiversity Builder. Youth don’t join Biodiversity Builders (BB) to fill out their resume. They join because they’re curious about nature and maybe gardening, they worry about climate change, and they want to do something positive to help the planet. Youth who become Biodiversity Builders learn how to solve environmental and societal challenges, get down and dirty removing invasive plants and [READ MORE]

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Japanese Culture Center Comes to Belmont Hill

 January 2024, Newsletter, Open Space  Comments Off on Japanese Culture Center Comes to Belmont Hill
Jan 052024
 
Japanese Culture Center Comes to Belmont Hill

By Fred Bouchard Drive up Concord Avenue from Belmont Center this winter, glance left after the big curve, and you’ll see an eye-catching sight behind the driveway opposite Sumner Lane; cherry trees and rhododendrons, a garden, and—rising behind the house—a half-built, huge-timbered barn. What, a barnraising on Belmont Hill? This property belonged to the late Anne Allen and now bears a conservation restriction encompassing 3.3 acres of forest, fields, and meadows. Allen donated this property’s conservation restriction and the Maple Allee conservation restriction across the street to Belmont in 2004. These two conservation restrictions contribute to the town’s open spaces [READ MORE]

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BH Students Create Native Plant Garden

 July/August 2023, Newsletter, Plants  Comments Off on BH Students Create Native Plant Garden
Jun 302023
 
BH Students Create Native Plant Garden

By Audrey Brenhouse On Saturday, May 13, the Belmont High School Climate Action Club, with the help of adult and student volunteers, planted our long-anticipated native garden in front of the school. Our  goal is to grow plants native to this area to promote and support native wildlife, helping to restore the land’s natural biodiversity. In the spring of 2022, we held a student-led concert where many families kindly donated to this process. After years of approvals and fundraising, we are proud and grateful to be able to display the result of your generosity.  Over the next few years, these [READ MORE]

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How to Get Your Garden Through Summer Heat

 Environment, July/August 2023, Newsletter, Plants  Comments Off on How to Get Your Garden Through Summer Heat
Jun 302023
 
How to Get Your Garden Through Summer Heat

By Sarah Wang, Kim DeAndrade, and Jean Devine  By this point in the summer, your water barrels may be dry and you may be devoting inordinate amounts of time (and money) to watering. No matter how much you water, it cannot compare to real rain. Here are some tips to help with drought: Mulch!  Besides retaining moisture, mulch will feed the soil and keep down the weeds. Avoid dyed mulch. It is unregulated and may contain shredded construction wood waste and pressure-treated wood. And, it won’t do much to feed the soil.   If you buy mulch, consider compost and [READ MORE]

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Invasive Plants Harm Belmont’s Environment

 Plants, Sept/Oct 2019  Comments Off on Invasive Plants Harm Belmont’s Environment
Sep 162019
 
Invasive Plants Harm Belmont's Environment

By Roger Colton Belmont is under invasion. By air, land, and water, the town is experiencing the influx of non-native plants which outcompete our native species, threatening our wildlife and our waterways. The sooner that town residents begin to respond, the sooner the invasion can be thwarted. One of the most noticeable and harmful invasive plants in Belmont is Japanese knotweed, which is growing along waterways including the Wellington Brook. Japanese knotweed threatens to displace the existing trees, shrubs, and other native plants that line the waterway. Unlike those other species, knotweed does not effectively prevent erosion or filter pollutants [READ MORE]

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