Local Events

September 2022 – News Brief

The Arlington Land Trust will have information booths at Town Day and Spy Pond Fun Day. Please stop by to say hello, learn about our current projects, and meet some ALT Board members.

Saturday, September 17, 9:30 am – 3 pm

Massachusetts Avenue between Pleasant Street and Jason Street
Sponsored by the Town of Arlington

Join us for the return of Arlington Town Day for its 44th year. Festivities include music, food, demonstrations, and activities with over 200 booth vendors.

A complete schedule of events compiled by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce is available here.

Spy Pond Fun Day

Saturday, September 24, 10 am to 1 pm
(Rain date Sunday, September 25, 1-4 pm) 

Sponsored by the Friends of Spy Pond Park

Enjoy live brass band music, participate in scavenger hunts and puzzles, and learn about the local flora and fauna of Spy Pond while engaging in nature activities for the young and young at heart. This year the Land Trust will not be able to transport visitors to Elizabeth Island, but those with their own canoes or kayaks are welcome to land on the island and walk the trails at any time.

April 2022 – News Brief

Land conservation is a year-round commitment, but Spring offers many opportunities to get outdoors and put one’s good intentions and plans into action. Please consider participating in one or more of these projects to benefit Arlington’s open spaces and natural resources.

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EcoWeek, April 22-May 10

Arlington EcoWeek is an extended time of learning, reflection, and action. A wide range of activities offers something for everyone: nature, climate, biking, song, public art, green infrastructure, zero waste, pollinators, native habitat restoration. Community and student groups and Town Departments offer presentations, tours, and interactive events to inspire connection to and celebration of our natural world.

For more information and a complete calendar of events, visit EcoWeek.

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ArMI Weedout Events

The Arlington-MA Invasives (ArMI), was founded in 2021 by Elaine Crowder as an outgrowth of her time spent weeding in Arlington parks during Covid. The ArMI is a volunteer umbrella organization that aims to crowdsource invasives removal. Any resident who removes invasives in their own yard is a de facto member, as is any like-minded organization

Register and find more information. Participants must sign a new waiver each year to participate. Download the waiver, print, sign, and bring it to the weedout event. Also bring water, a heavy-duty black garbage bag, and snacks. Wear garden gloves, protective clothing, repellent. Helpful tools include hand spades, hand forks, clippers and loppers for vines, shovels, and garden pitchforks. 

BOW ST./FRAZER RD.

Sat, April 23, 12:30-2:30pm (Rain date Sun, April 24, 12:00-2:00pm)
Help the ArMI clear garlic mustard, English ivy, and other invasive weeds at this “Make Way for Natives” demonstration spot near the Minuteman Bikeway in Arlington Heights. Native cherry trees, joe pye weed, evening primrose, and asters are already supporting the butterflies and moths that form the basis of our native food chain. We want to ensure they thrive and spread. Park on Frazer Rd. or in the Ed Burns Arena lot, a short walk west along the Bikeway to the intersection with Frazer Rd. 

HILL’S HILL & FIELDS 

Tues, April 26, 10am-12:00pm and Sat, May 7, 1:30-3:30pm
Meet at the basketball court next to the Ed Burns Arena on Summer Street to remove garlic mustard along the playground fence and Minuteman Bikeway, as well as in the nearby Hill’s Hill area.

ARLINGTON RESERVOIR

Sat, May 7, 10-11:30am
Meet at the Wildlife Habitat Garden near the bridge at Mill Brook to help clear the area of garlic mustard. Park in the lot next to Hurd Field on Drake Road and walk toward the Reservoir and bridge.

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Spy Pond Trails Day

Sat, May 7, 9am-1pm (Rain date Sun, May 8) 

The Spy Pond Committee of Envision Arlington, the Appalachian Mountain Club, and other civic groups are hosting their 16th annual gathering to improve the scenic path that parallels Route 2, between Lake St. and Pleasant St. Projects will include maintaining access trails to the pond, pruning plants to create vistas, bagging litter, controlling invasive plants, and nursing newly planted native species to stabilize the soil and provide wildlife habitat.

Trails Day qualifies as a community service project for students. Participants should bring sturdy footwear, work clothes, a hat, sunscreen, and rain gear. Liability waivers will be available and must be signed by all participants (under 18 need approval from—and are preferably accompanied by—a parent or guardian). Equipment and snacks will be provided, but please bring your own lunch

Recommended parking: take Exit 60 off Route 2, head toward Mass. Ave. on Lake St., first left onto Colonial Drive, left onto Roanoke, left and park along Spy Pond Parkway.

Contact the Spy Pond Committee for more information.  

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Alewife Path Cleanup & CSO Tour

Sat, April 23, 9:15am (Rain date Sun April 24)
Save the Alewife Brook (StAB) is a growing grassroots environmental group with supporters in Arlington, Cambridge, Somerville, Belmont, and Medford who are working to address flooding and water quality problems in the Alewife Brook.

On April 23, StAB and Everywhere Arlington Livable Streets (EALS) are collaborating to gather trash along the Alewife Brook Greenway path in East Arlington, and they will offer tours of the CSOs (Combined Sewer Outfall) in the area. Volunteers will be recognized by their red Save the Alewife Brook t-shirts.

Meet at Thorndike Field Dog Park off Lake Street, where parking is available. Bring gloves, water, and a garbage picker if you have one. Trash bags will be provided.

Please sign up here.

March 2022 – News Brief

We are pleased to share this invitation from Brian’s family to join them in celebrating his life with an afternoon of music, memories, and togetherness.

Sunday, April 10, 1:00 pm
Arlington Town Hall
730 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476

All are welcome. To aid in planning and to sign up to receive further communications about the event, please indicate your attendance here.

Please also visit https://linktr.ee/brianrehrig for donation links, a virtual memory board, and the obituary. 
All our love,
Sheila, Matt and Anna, Jenna and Adric

June 2021 – News Briefs

The Open Space Committee (OSC) is leading the process to update Arlington’s current 2015-2022 Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP). The OSC is committed to a comprehensive and open public engagement process, and would like to hear from you.

The first public event is a Virtual Community Workshop on Thursday, June 10th from 7-8:30pm to gather feedback on current open space and recreation facilities and amenities as well as ideas about future needs and priorities. Click on the date link above to register in advance.

You can visit the OSC website to read the current plan and other information about the committee, and you can email your comments about open space and recreation planning at any time to OSRPUpdate@town.arlington.ma.us. Thanks for your participation.

May 2021 – News Briefs

The Lusty Month of May (thanks to Camelot) is here with many special activities and meetings on the calendar. Here are a few things of particular interest.

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EcoWeek, May 5-15

Arlington EcoWeek is an annual celebration raising awareness and inspiring action on behalf of our community and our planet. The Town is sponsoring a wide variety of events and activities open to all ages, including outdoor tours and online presentations, a clean-up at the Symmes Woods, and projects you can do on your own, such as citizen science data gathering. EcoWeek will spotlight local public art projects as well as initiatives led by student green teams and community groups. 

All events are free and accessible, and they will follow Covid safety guidelines; pre-registration is required via the Town’s EcoWeek website.

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Spy Pond and Elizabeth Island

The Spy Pond Committee of Envision Arlington has prepared a flyer on fertilizer use,  Keep Arlington Beautiful, to help residents protect Spy Pond and other water bodies. Rain and stormwater runoff carry fertilizers, pesticides, and other pollutants from lawns and streets into our lakes and ponds. These pollutants and nutrients lower water quality and contribute to algae blooms and other unwanted plant growth. Thank you for following these guidelines.

Due to the continuing Covid-19 restrictions, the Recreation Department will not be able to offer canoe and kayak rentals on Spy Pond this summer. However, if you have access to a small boat, please visit Elizabeth Island for a quiet respite and walk along the pathway.

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ZBA Mugar/Thorndike Place Hearing on May 13

The next ZBA hearing is scheduled on Thursday, May 13, starting at 7:30 pm, to continue discussion of the Comprehensive Permit for Thorndike Place, located on the Mugar land in East Arlington. The ZBA has requested that the Applicant consider revising its plans to restore the townhouses facing Dorothy Road as originally proposed, reduce the overall size of the project, and continue to protect the wetlands.

Check the ZBA agenda page next week for the final 5/13/21 agenda, revised plans and other new documents or correspondence.

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Arlington Land Trust continues to advocate for the permanent protection of the Mugar parcel as conservation land. The site is subject to regular and significant flooding, and is a critical stormwater buffer for the surrounding and downstream neighborhoods of East Arlington.