Meadows Circumnavigation Walk - Moved to Rain Date of Saturday May 26 19, 10:00 - 11:30 am

See areas that are rarely visited. And learn enough to never be (really) lost there again. 

Total distance is two miles of moderate walking on dirt paths and some side streets. 

We’ll walk in dry upland areas and cross lower wetland areas on boardwalks.

David White of FoAGM will be the leader and will point out areas of interest along the way. 

Please Wear:  Appropriate outerwear and footwear.  Also insect repellant for ticks.

Location:  Meet in the parking lot of the nursing home at the end of Emerson Gardens Road.  From Maple Street, turn onto Emerson Gardens Road and follow it to the end.  Enter the facility’s driveway (slowly, please) and continue around to the right, keeping the building on your left.  Proceed to the far end of the parking lot. 

For information contact David at info@FoAGM.org. Rain date May 26.

2017 Annual Report Available

Find out about FoAGM's activities in 2017 FoAGM Annual Report 2017.pdf 

Other annual reports (going back to 2002) can be found here: Annual Reports   

Winter Walk - Saturday February 3, 10:00 - 11:30 am - This walk happened !

On our winter walk in Arlington’s Great Meadows we will share some of the special features that this quiet season can provide. We will look for animal sign and if conditions are favorable, tracks.  Learn the difference between wild and domestic animal trails.  

Children accompanied by adults are welcome, but please leave your canine companions at home (a dog walk will be offered in the spring).  Heavy precipitation and icy, treacherous trails will cancel, so please check the FoAGM website in the morning.  Of course dress warmly for the weather. 

Meet at the end of the parking lot of the Excel Nursing Home on the corner of Emerson Gardens and Bryant St. in Lexington.  Led by Sandra Ruggiero  sandra.ruggiero@comcast.net

Educational Mini-Grants

Friends of Arlington’s Great Meadows (FoAGM) is offering educational mini-grants to K-12 teachers and students in schools and non-profit organizations who want to do research, natural history study, or artistic projects in Arlington’s Great Meadows (AGM).  If you need funds for a project that would increase your students’ understanding of and appreciation for the natural world, you are encouraged to apply for one of these mini-grants.  More information here:  Mini Grants

Stewardship Activities 

Maintenance and Outreach 

In 2015 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 

FoAGM sponsored two nature walks, one in the spring led by Meg Muckenhaupt and one in the fall led by Don Miller.  In addition we had a “Walk All Around AGM” event in the late fall led by David White.

We also continued with regular maintenance including replacing broken and rotting boardwalk treads. 

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 

Donations and expenses for AGM in 2015 were about the same as 2014.  Income exceeded expenses and we continue to hold healthy cash balances.  All of our income was from the generosity of individual donors and private foundations, and was not dependent on municipal budgets, corporate funding, or fundraising events.  FoAGM also continues its successful partnership with the Arlington Land Trust (ALT) as fiscal agent.  

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.)

Friends of Arlington’s Great Meadows Steering Committee

            David White, Chair            John Bartenstein            Gordon Jones            Don Miller

            Sandra Ruggiero            Mike Tabaczynski 

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