Past Events

Report on the ALT Annual Meeting on January 21, 2020

Many thanks to Professor Richard Primack for a fascinating presentation on Henry David Thoreau as a climate change scientist. Thoreau set a valuable research standard by documenting his observations of plants and animals in and around Concord during the 1850s. 

Those records are now being used as a baseline for measuring a vast array of data on the current environment, including the dates when wildflowers bloom, when native trees such as oaks and maples begin showing leaves, and when various bird species migrate into the area. Some of the changes over the past century are startling: many plants have gone extinct locally; others have become much less abundant while some invasive species have increased in distribution; and many birds and insects are changing their behavior as well. Following the meeting, Dr. Primack sold and signed copies of his book, Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau’s Woods.

More than 70 members and guests attended this Annual Meeting for the year 2019, led by President Christopher Leich. ALT Treasurer Brian Rehrig presented a summary financial report for the past year, and Arlington Conservation Agent Emily Sullivan provided updates on monitoring and enforcement of the conservation restrictions at Arlington 360 (still known as the Symmes site) and on bank improvement projects at Spy Pond Park that have affected the water level in the pond. Leich also addressed the current status of the Zoning Board of Appeals hearings on the proposed 40B housing development on the Mugar land. Finally, he conducted the annual election of ALT board members. Three members were reelected unanimously: John F. Page, Bancroft Poor, and Clarissa Rowe.

Tuesday January 21, 2020   7-9 pm

Common Ground Bar & Grill

319 Broadway, Arlington

Mark your calendar to join us on for the ALT Annual Meeting at Common Ground, 319 Broadway. Our program will feature author and Boston University conservation biologist Richard Primack exploring Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau’s Concord.   

Henry David Thoreau was a climate change scientist! For the past 15 years, Professor Richard Primack and his team have been using Thoreau’s records from the 1850s and other Massachusetts data sources to document the earlier flowering and leafing out times of plants and the more variable response of migratory birds. Most noteworthy, plants in Concord are also changing in abundance due to a warming climate.  What would Thoreau tell us to do about global warming if he were alive today?

Please join us as we review some accomplishments of the old year and challenges of the new, and share some refreshments.  

Hope to see you there!

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Richard Primack is a Professor of Biology with a specialization in plant ecology, conservation biology, tropical rain forest ecology, and climate change biology. He is the author of two widely used conservation biology textbooks, was the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Biological Conservation, and served as the President of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation. His research has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, National Geographic, and other publications, and he is often interviewed on National Public Radio.