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On Saturday, November 6th, nearly 500 volunteers made their way to the Esplanade to take part in The Esplanade Association’s (TEA) Annual Fall Clean-Up. Doubling last year’s turnout, participants were divided into four sections to clear the entire three mile stretch of park of leaves and litter. Participants represented all ages and affiliations, from local schools, such as Boston College High School and Northeastern University, to corporations, Boys & Girls Clubs, families, and individuals.
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) provided invaluable support in making sure volunteers were handed gloves, rakes, and bags for trash and recycling items found along the way. After the volunteers finished up raking miles of rows of leaves throughout the park, DCR staff started vacuuming them up for composting. Jessica Blohm, TEA’s Park Project and Volunteer Coordinator, reflected on the day saying, “It was a complete success. Not only did we rake all three miles of the park, we had fun doing it. We hope that many of these hardworking volunteers will join us again for our Spring Clean-Up.”
TEA welcomes both individuals and large volunteer groups throughout the year. Volunteers participate in a host of park beautification and maintenance projects that include leaf raking, litter pick-up, invasive species removal, light pruning, bench and fence painting and administrative tasks. To learn more about the volunteer program, please contact Jessica Blohm at jblohm@esplanadeassociation.org or 617-227-0365 x112.
TEA would like to give a special thanks to Pemberton Farms for offering a significant discount on apples and cider for the event, as well as The Federal for providing complimentary pizza.
Founded in 2001, The Esplanade Association is a dynamic park friends group dedicated to restoring and enhancing the Charles River Esplanade, a three-mile park along the Charles River between the Museum of Science and the Boston University Bridge and managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). TEA partners with the DCR as well as with other non-profit organizations, businesses, and individuals to complete important capital projects and to establish enriching programs at the park. Each year, TEA brings more than 2,000 volunteers to the Esplanade to help maintain and care for the park. To learn more about TEA, please visit our website at www.esplanadeassociation.org or call us at 617-227-0365. The Esplanade Association office is located at 376 Boylston Street, Suite 503 Boston, MA 02116.
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The Esplanade Association’s Executive Director Sylvia Salas and Chair Margo Newman, from the left, accepted a check from the Beacon Hill Garden Club for $7,200 to plant new willow trees around Otis Grove on the Esplanade. Garden Club President Trudi Fondren and horticulture chair Marty Keating presented the check last week.
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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, in addition to its $300 million, six-year effort to restore the grandeur of the Longfellow Bridge, plans to unveil a $10 million plan tonight to replace a dilapidated pedestrian bridge that connects Charles Circle with the Esplanade.
The proposed bridge would double the width of the existing pedestrian bridge, which does not conform to the American with Disabilities Act, yet has more foot traffic than any span in the Charles River Basin.
Proponents of the concept say it will make it easier for pedestrians to reach the Esplanade from the busy traffic circle, reclaim parkland that is often littered with trash and fallen concrete, and knit together a neighborhood that has been rejuvenated in recent years with a new hotel, refurbished Red Line station, and improved roads
Photo ©2004 Penny Cherubino
The Esplanade Association
376 Boylston Street, Suite 503
Boston, MA 02116
617.227.0365
