Archived News for 2006

MOONDANCE GALA A DAZZLING SUCCESS

On September 29th, over 400 guests gathered in the park for our 2nd Moondance Gala, a magical evening of dining, dancing, fun, and friendship in support of the Esplanade.

Proceeds from the evening are critical to our ongoing work and will be used to fund TEA priority projects and programs, including tree and horticultural repair and removal, amenities replacements, dock and granite landing restoration, Teddy Ebersol Red Sox Fields maintenance, community enrichment and outreach, and long-term management and maintenance planning. Over $400,000 was raised.

Thank you to all of our friends and many sponsors who attended or donated to Moondance. A special thank you to our co-chairs Jeryl Oristaglio and Dan Matthieu, thier dedication and hard work were integral to ensuring the evening's success.

This spring the newly rebuilt River Dock is officially open for business! This $700,000 restoration was a high priority for The Esplanade Association, and we worked closely with our partners at the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs’ Office of Public Private Partnerships, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation to create this beautiful dock. The restored dock features enhanced lighting and electrical capacity and can accommodate tented events.

ESPLANADE RIVER DOCK GRAND OPENING

The River Dock, which sat dilapidated, dangerous, and unused for years, will once again serve as an important gateway between the Esplanade and the Charles River. Its prominent location adjacent to the Arthur Fiedler sculpture near the Hatch Shell, and it’s proximity to downtown Boston, assures that it will be well used. In fact, this April, the Charles Riverboat Tours made the first of what we hope will be many stops at the new River Dock.

PHASE 1 TREE PRUNING TAKES PLACE ON THE ESPLANADE

In 2004, The Esplanade Association (TEA) funded the park’s first tree inventory, which was conducted by the arborists at Trees New England. This inventory produced a thorough assessment of tree distribution, condition, and maintenance needs, and in the year since, TEA has been working with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) on planning for the healthy future of the Esplanade’s trees. In 2005, TEA worked with the DCR on priority tree removals. Approximately 30 dead or diseased trees were cut down and removed from the park.

This October we began taking steps to ensure that fewer trees reach the point where they become a danger by funding maintenance-standard tree pruning. TEA contracted with the skilled arborists at Arborway Tree Care, who performed crown cleaning, branch lightening, and hazard control pruning as needed in the area of the park between Dartmouth Street and Exeter Street. Thanks to a generous partnership with local neighbors and tree admirers, this work will fan out from there until all the parks trees have been cared for.

Please take a look at the good work that was done on these trees and let us know what you think. If you would like to contribute financially to our tree pruning efforts, please contact our office at 617 227 0365.

Tree Tagging

This fall we will also begin tagging the parks trees with their inventory numbers. This will help us work with the DCR to track tree maintenance. In some cases the trees will also be tagged with their scientific names, thus alerting the public to the richness of our arboretum and providing another level of environmental education on the Esplanade. This information will also be compiled in a tree brochure, which will be designed as a walking guide for park users interested in learning more about our trees.

The trees will be tagged by volunteers in a way that is harmless to the tree. If you would like to get involved please contact our office.

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The Esplanade Association
10 Derne Street
Boston, MA 02114
617.227.0365