Boston, MA (PRWEB) April 25, 2015
WHAT: Rooted in Boston is a new event designed to strengthen Boston’s connection to Arbor Day, an international holiday to care for and celebrate trees. This event is composed of daytime service activities dealing with all aspects of tree care - from planting to pruning, cleaning to learning - and an evening celebration. It is a great opportunity to enjoy the spring warmth and give back to your community trees, while also meeting and networking with your fellow Bostonians. The evening celebration will unite all the great service activities of the day, and serve as a fun and well earned thank you with local music, food, and speakers.
WHO: Presented by The Trustees of Reservations and the former Boston Natural Areas Network (now a part of The Trustees’ Boston Region), in partnership with Greenovate Boston. Many other groups have signed on to lead service events and take part in the festivities, including: Boston Parks and Recreation Department, Franklin Park Coalition, Fenway Civic Association, Southwest Boston CDC, The Marion Institute, RainforestMaker, Fenway Garden Society, Southie Trees, the Boston Food Forest Coalition, The Conservation Circle, LovePop, Massachusetts Arborists Association, Friends of Nira Rock, Simmons College, The Nature Conservancy, Earthwatch Institute, and Berklee College of Music.
WHEN: This Saturday, April 25th. Service events run from 9AM-4PM. Celebration runs from 4PM-7PM.
WHERE: Service events are happening at 8 different locations (see http://arborday.greenovateboston.org/). Celebration will be held in the Valley Gates section of Franklin Park.
WHY: Trees are an essential component of any built environment. They soften harsh urban landscapes, provide welcome shade in summer, and buffer wind in winter. More recently we have noted their ability to filter pollutants from urban air and absorb water from storm-drowned streets, making them play an even more essential role in the urban landscape (especially for coastal cities such as Boston) as we learn to cope with rising seas and increasingly variable weather. Many urbanites don’t realize how deeply dependent we are on our trees and the work they do day in and day out to enable us to enjoy this crowded concrete habitat.
For years The Trustees’ Boston Region (including the former Boston Natural Areas Network) has been committed to expanding the strength and efficacy of Boston’s urban forest. We’ve worked to grow our urban canopy by planting trees in high-needs neighborhoods, administering grants for trees to community organizations, and advocating for better street and park tree protections at the city and state level. Simultaneously Greenovate Boston launched their Adopt-A-Tree campaign and advocated for better watering policies and public awareness of tree benefits. From all this collective experience both organizations know that strong policy is rooted in demonstrated community interest, so this spring we’ve partnered to organize a citywide Arbor Day celebration - the perfect platform for such demonstration.
HOW: To get involved, RSVP for one of the great service events listed at the following website (http://arborday.greenovateboston.org/) or contact ngrady(at)ttor(dot)org for more details. Or just show up for the evening celebration in Franklin Park, which is free and open to all.
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The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) “hold in trust” and care for properties, or “reservations,” of irreplaceable scenic, historic, and natural significance for the general public to enjoy. Founded by open space visionary Charles Eliot in 1891, The Trustees is the world’s oldest land trust and one of Massachusetts’ largest conservation and preservation nonprofits. Supported by more than 100,000 members and donors and thousands of volunteers, The Trustees own and manage 114 spectacular reservations – from working farms and historic homesteads, to landscaped and community gardens, parks, barrier beaches, mountain vistas and woodland trials -- located on more than 26,000 acres throughout the Commonwealth.
A division of The Trustees Boston Region, the former Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) is the City of Boston’s largest land trust and advocate for open space and community gardens. Our Boston region supports 174 community gardens on 40+ acres and owns and protects 59 of these gardens on 14 acres. More than 12,000 community gardeners across the City of Boston grow an estimated 700,000 pounds of fresh, healthy produce every year, some of which is donated to local food pantries.
With hundreds of outreach programs, workshops, camps, concerts and events designed to engage all ages in its mission throughout the year, The Trustees invite you to Find Your Place and get out and experience the natural beauty and culture our state has to offer. For more information, visit: http://www.thetrustees.org.