2014 Annual Report

This report recaps the accomplishments of the Friends of Arlington’s Great Meadows (FoAGM) in 2014 and an update of happenings during the year.  We wish to thank everyone who has helped in one way or another with these efforts.

Stewardship Activities

Maintenance and Outreach

 This year the ACROSS Lexington program extended into East Lexington and included parts of AGM in its path system.  There are two loop trails C & D which are well marked and extend to the Whipple Hill Conservation land and the Arlington Reservoir.  http://www.lexingtonma.gov/selectmen/committee/acrosslexington.cfm

This year the trail markers, entrance signs and bikeway kiosk were updated as part of Liam Lanigan’s Eagle Scout project and everything now looks much better.  We also continued with other regular maintenance including replacing broken and rotting boardwalk treads.

A Butterfly Walk at AGM was held this Spring led by Tom Whelan and sponsored by the Citizens for Lexington Conservation (http://www.clclex.org/). 

Mowing of upland meadows 

Four years ago, we undertook a project to restore the upland “entry meadow” at the northwest corner of AGM, which had been rapidly reverting to woodland, to its historical open condition.   

In the fall of 2010, with the assistance of a large group of volunteers, we cleared the area of trees and dense shrubbery.  In the spring of 2011, we planted a mix of native wildflowers in the southwestern corner of the meadow.   Since that time, with the help of volunteers, we have worked to control invasives and the re-growth of woody vegetation by hand trimming. 

To maintain this lovely meadow, we continued this year with the mowing program. The work was done in the early fall to avoid interference with nesting birds and to minimize the impact on wildflowers. 

Invasive plant control 

We continue our efforts to clear and maintain an approximately 100-yard stretch of AGM along the Minutemen Bikeway that had become densely overgrown with the invasive plant Japanese Knotweed.  Permanent eradication of this invasive is extremely difficult, particularly without the use of herbicides.  However, over the last ten years, with volunteer labor and purely mechanical means, we have succeeded in keeping this area mostly knotweed-free, preserving a stunning view of the Meadows from the bikeway. 

Financial

The full 2014 Financial report will be available in January. 

We thank our new and trustworthy regular donors who have contributed to the preservation of one of the largest natural open spaces in the Arlington/Lexington region. Those wishing to make a tax-deductible donation can make a check out to “ALT FoAGM Fund” and mail it to FoAGM, Box 492, Arlington, MA 02476, or use a credit card online at www.networkforgood.org (Enter "arlington land" in the search field and select state of MA.  Select Arlington Land Trust and enter “FoAGM” as a designation.)

Also check out the 2014 ALT newsletter at their website:  http://arlingtonlandtrust.org/

Friends of Arlington’s Great Meadows Steering Committee

            David White, Chair

            John Bartenstein

            Gordon Jones

            Don Miller

            Sandra Ruggiero

            Mike Tabaczynski

If you would like to help out or just want more information please contact us at:

Email:  info@FoAGM.org
Website:  www.FoAGM.org

2013 Report Available
     FoAGM has been in existence since 2002.  Here is a report of our 2013 activities. 

First Decade Report Released
     FoAGM has been in existence since 2002 and we have issued a report reviewing the first decade of our activities.  It is available here as a PDF file:  First Decade Report

Meadow Volunteers Wanted
     Do you love Arlington’s Great Meadows and do you have at least a few hours to help it thrive? FoAGM is looking for people who could volunteer 2 hours a month on the upland meadow restoration project from now until November. You can work on your own after a brief training or we could make some dates to work together. The task will include pulling staghorn sumac, cutting grey birch sprouts, and pulling or cutting honeysuckle. This should keep some of the most prolific shrubs and invasive plants at bay and give the native seeds that we have planted a chance to grow.  Contact Sandra Ruggiero 617 365-2034