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Memorial Beach in Natick closed due to high bacteria count

August 5, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Natick Recreation & Parks has announced the following:

Memorial Beach will remain closed today (Wednesday August 5th) due to a high bacteria count detected in this week’s water testing. To minimize the risk of illness from contaminated water, beaches are required to be tested for “indicator” bacteria. Memorial Beach is tested for Enterococci or E. coli each week and this week we had an exceedance. Memorial Beach will remain closed until a re-sample tests clear.

Not far away, Farm Pond in Sherborn was closed mid-week due to a high level of E. coli.

memorial beach dug pond

Filed Under: Outdoors



Natick Community Organic Farm flower operation is in full bloom

July 31, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The first message you get when driving up to the Natick Community Organic Farm (NCOF) is to slow down. If the sign isn’t enough to convince you, the pot holes should do the trick. They’re deep, wide, and will swallow your vehicle whole if you don’t navigate the driveway just right. So be warned. But don’t let that minor challenge scare you off from visiting the 30-acre certified-organic farm that has operated on Town-owned land since 1975.

Natick Community Organic Farm

I stopped by recently for a tour of the farm’s quarter-acre flower fields, led by Heather Livingstone, the farm’s flower manager. Although her domain may not be large in size, sales from flowers bring in a sizable income for the non-profit organization. Livingstone, along with assistant Jen Campos and a crew of volunteers, sees to it that the the farm stand is kept stocked daily with bouquets. In addition, they keep running the Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions that range from five-weeks of spring blooms for $100, to a 20-week vase subscription delivered to your home or business for 20 weeks for $600, and other options in between. The NCOF has a table at the Natick Farmers Market every Saturday, and also sells to local Whole Foods markets and specialty grocery stores. Putting together arrangements for weddings and events is a regular part of what they do, as well.

Natick Community Organic Farm

The flower gardens are planted in tidy rows and in full bloom right now with zinnias, dahlias, cosmos, statice, celosia, viburnum, dahlias, rudbeckia, snapdragons, sunflowers, asters, and more, all organic, and all bursting with color. Pollinators such as bees, wasps, and butterflies crowd the gardens throughout the April through late-October growing season, taking advantage of the abundance.

Weeds also compete for space in the rows. Livingstone says they manage to keep unwanted plants at bay by laying down organic weed mats in some spots and humble cardboard in other areas. Still, invasive species do experience a measure of success. In their quest for world domination, weeds creep in and try to crowd out their floral cousins, who prefer to stay in their lanes and focus on looking amazing. Livingstone is philosophical about the realities of gardening without the use of herbicides. “We’re an organic farm, so we use only sustainable farming practices. Sometimes, when you’re farming organically, you have to let go a little.”

Natick Community Organic Farm

 

Natick Community Organic Farm

The flower operation is a decidedly low-tech concern. Workers get the job done using trowels, hoes, and other hand tools. No big machinery is used. And although the farm is on town water, the farmers try to use sprinklers sparingly. This year, they’re experimenting with a no-till system in an effort to improve soil structure, reduce erosion, and minimize the compaction of soil in the planting area. At other farms, there have been some reports that using a no-till system makes weed control a losing game. Still, Livingstone is interested in seeing what the results will be at the NCOF.

Natick Community Organic Farm

The NCOF is open to visitors, but there are several protocols in place right now to keep workers, visitors, and summer camp participants safe from COVID-19. The picnic tables, barn, and buildings are closed, though the outdoor composting toilet is open and the barn-side sink is operational. Bring your own hand sanitizer.

In addition, the outdoor barn-side stand is open for purchases. The stand is stocked with eggs, maple syrup, woolen yarn, vegetables, and floral bouquets. The selection changes throughout the day based on what’s harvested. Note: eggs are in limited supply until the farm get more hens. Meat may be purchased online.

There’s something about a working farm in the middle of a suburban community that brings in people and keeps them coming. “I started volunteering when I was 15-years old,” says Livingstone, a Franklin High School  graduate.  “I came to work for a summer, and now I’m out of college and I work here. This place fulfills me and makes me happy.”

Over 20,000 visitors that come annually to the farm agree. They find their own happiness and fulfillment whether it’s in picking up a bouquet of flowers, or fresh lettuce for dinner, or dropping off their kids for a Budding Farmers program. In a location where farming has been part of the landscape continuously for over 350 years, agriculture at the NCOF spot feels like it should be a permanent part of South Natick. The town agrees, and in 2009 the NCOF’s acreage was preserved forever as conservation land by the people of Natick.

Its future secured, the NCOF is busy teaching the next generation about stewardship, land use, community service and, of course, organic agriculture.

MORE:

Natick Community Organic Farm
117 Eliot St, Natick, MA 01760
(508) 655-2204

Admission is free.
The NCOF is open for you to explore on your own from sunup to sundown, every day, year-round.

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Filed Under: Community, Education, Environment, Food, Gardens, Outdoors, Volunteering

Beyond Natick: Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, New Hampshire

July 30, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

In a small New Hampshire town on the Massachusetts border, art-lovers flock to a long-abandoned ski area. There, they wander the  woods to view sculptures made of stone, steel, wood, and other materials in the same setting where, decades ago, thrill-seekers sped straight down black diamond trails.

Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH

At the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH, artists from all over the world have contributed pieces to what is New England’s largest outdoor sculpture and hiking park. And new art is created and installed on the 140-acre hill every year at this hidden gem, which is  free, fun, and open to the public year-round, dawn to dusk.

Over 100 thought-provoking, original works of art are nestled along walking trails all over the mountain, just waiting for visitors to view and enjoy the experience of a personal connection with nature combined with a chance to see large-scale art created on-site.

Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH

The park is the brainchild of engineer and innovator Paul Andres, who in 1996 purchased Big Bear Mountain and moved into the house at its peak. There, he was able to combine his lifelong love of nature and passion for art to devote a portion of the property to a sculpture park. Once Andres joined forces with sculptor and long-time Brookline resident John M. Weidman, there was no stopping the pair, and the Andres Institute of Art was born. What started as a few works in the front yard of Andres’ house has turned into a full-blown outdoor museum, with art placed among the many trails that criss-cross the mountain.

Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH

Start your visit by picking up one of the maps available in the parking area. An Andres Institute trails map is a curious thing — all at once necessary, inscrutable, and practically useless. Maybe the map is itself a work of art, and I’m too obtuse to understand it. I don’t know. Sometimes it map helped. But sometimes I consulted mine, looked up and around, and wondered if I had perhaps strayed to the edge of a flat world, one where beyond there were beasties  waiting to devour me. Still, you need one of those maps if you’re to have a chance of really enjoying the place. Think of it as just one tool. Having your hiking wits about you is another. Basically, you can’t get all that lost on a 613-foot-high, 140-acre mountain, right? Also, there are signs here and there, so that’s one more tool in your kit.

Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH

Relax, you’re here to hike and enjoy art. If you bring children, fantastic. They can run and shout and actually touch the art. Even normally reluctant, complaining young hikers will be kept so busy looking for the next sculpture that before they know it, they’ll be at the top of the mountain and it will be time for a snack or lunch. If you bring a dog, also great. Just keep that member of the family on a leash, and it’s all good.

Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH

During my visit, I walked the Summit Loop with the goal of enjoying my bagged lunch with a view of the Monadnock Mountains range. Pro tip: when you get to the cell phone towers, you’re at the top, it just might not be 100% obvious. Here’s where your hiking wits come in. Where are cell towers placed? At the tippy top of wherever it is they are — church spires, sky scrapers, mountains, right? OK, you’ve got this. Walk a little further, poke around a bit, and before you know it, the Monadnock range will be arrayed before you, over a dozen peaks, great and small. To the left, there’s Barrett Mountain. Straight on, there’s Mt. Monadnock. Over to the right, Pack Monadnock. What you’ve got in front of you is a whole list of future adventures.

Old Man in the Mountains, NH

All that and art, too. You made it. Plop yourself down on the old bowling alley seating and enjoy the amazing view that include, of course, a perfectly placed, massive stone sculpture.

Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH

How the art gets there

Once a year, several artists from all over the world travel to the Institute to immerse themselves in its rural character and create their art as part of the Bridges and Connections International Sculpture symposium. The artists travel to the Andres Institute for a 3-week stint to craft what are often multi-ton works. The program is part short-term residency, part cultural exchange. Artists stay with locals who sponsor their stay, and work with volunteers who groom and prepare sculpture sites, and operate the heavy equipment needed to properly place the works.

Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH

According to the Andres website, “The artists are paid a small stipend for their attendance, but the real reward is that they are allowed to create whatever sculpture they like and to place it wherever they want on the mountain. The Institute provides tools and materials to help each artist realize his or her vision.”

The result is beautiful art hidden in plain sight among the natural backdrop of a New Hampshire forest.

Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH

The best part about the Andres Sculpture Park is that it’s unique and charming, with an original sculpture at every bend. The mountain itself, immovable and unchanging, serves as host to a this constantly growing work-in-progress that attracts an increasing number of artist applicants who vie for the four coveted spots per year.

We arrived for our visit to the Institute late-morning on a Saturday and enjoyed an easy, breezy socially distanced experience. The mountain was peopled but not crowded, and visitors were quick to don their masks upon approaching others. We’re told that a nice side trip is to stop off at the New Kun Garden Chinese Restaurant down the street for their Thai ice cream roll, followed by a dip at Potanipo Pond. We opted to hit one of the many farm stands in the area for organic produce and homemade baked goods.

Details:

Andres Institute of Art
98 Rte. 13
Brookline, NH 03033
603-673-8441

Open year-round, dawn to dusk.

Parking is plentiful.

There is a port-a-potty in the parking lot, but it was off limits when we was there due to COVID.

There is no water available, so be sure to bring your own.

This is a carry in/carry out park.

Downloadable maps are available online.

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Filed Under: Art, Beyond Natick, Kids, Outdoors

Kayaking Lake Cochituate in (mostly) Natick

July 22, 2020 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

I’m sure there are places to legally and easily drop your kayak into Lake Cochituate in Natick for those in the know. But since I wasn’t familiar with them, I started my adventure at the cartop boat access launch on Rte. 30 in Wayland across the road from and just east of the formal Cochituate State Park entrance.

Be warned that your wheeled vehicle better not ride too low and have decent shocks if you want to navigate the dirt path that leads to this no-fee lake access point.

The July Monday that I went allowed for easy parking around noon Though when I returned, the lot was quite full, with people fishing, hitting the lake in floatation devices, swimming, or just hanging out along the shore.

I carried my kayak a short way to the right of the parking lot where a rocky opening to the lake presented itself. I could have dragged it a little further to a smoother opening, but didn’t want to disrupt a family wading there (I did pull out there later).

lake cochituate

 

The lake (technically a 635-acre Great Pond) was brimming with activity, but I wouldn’t call it overcrowded on this Monday following July 4. Kayaks, sailboats, paddle boards, peddle boats, motor boats and swimmers dotted the water, which was slightly choppy based on a mild breeze.

One guy in an ocean kayak impressed by practicing his rolls, not something I would attempt in my flatter-hulled model.

Armed with my lunch and sunscreen, I directed my kayak toward Rte. 30 and passed through my first tunnel of the trip, waiting out a paddle boarder coming through from the other direction.

One recommendation is to bring a whistle, as signs urge those in watercraft to honk their horn or sound a whistle if you’re heading through. I had nothing. But I found everyone quite polite regarding the ins and outs of the tunnels.

 

Going through this tunnel and another under the Mass Pike took me from the North Basin to the Middle Basin, and I’d eventually wind up in the South Basin in the heart of Natick before turning around and heading back to where I started.

The Middle Basin is where you find Cochituate State Park. This is where the action is, including a large boat ramp.

lake cochituate

 

The beach was teeming with kids based on the squealing and yelling I could hear from hundreds of feet away. I learned after my 2.5-hour paddle that the beach had actually been closed off because it was so crowded.

I pulled off to the western shore just past the state park to settle my kayak and eat my lunch. I could see the in-progress Cochituate Rail Trail above me, and a steep dirt path that people obviously use to gain water access.

lake cochituate

A little further up on the shore is the AMVETS Post #79, a sweet spot where veterans and families congregate, including for outdoor dining and drinks.

A smattering of people pop out of other coves along the way, some in inner tubes, floating or paddling around in the warmish water.

lake cochituate

 

The water starts to get wavier and choppier as I headed toward Rte. 9, as powerboats zipped back and forth, most at a reasonable speed.

I didn’t come across much wildlife on the lake, though I know it contains plenty of fish. The state stocks the lake with trout in spring and fall. But perhaps things are going at a little too fast a pace for turtles to relax on logs, and I didn’t see much in the way of birds either.

I don’t consider myself much of a unicorn guy, but I will say that across the lake was the finest floatation craft I’ve ever seen. I would have traded my kayak for it in a second.

lake cochituate

 

A handful of houses along the shore have docks and boats protruding into the lake, and some have tiny beaches. No trespassing signs send a message to stay away.

So I did. I then padded through two more tunnels to make it to the South Basin, where the water got even choppier, as the wind picked up.

In between the two tunnels is a quiet cove where a family had clambered down a dirt hill near the Exponent building on Rte. 9 and was swimming, fishing and floating around.

lake cochituate

Once I got into the South Basin, I stuck close to the west side of the lake due to the wind and chop.

I decided to wait for another time to explore the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center—to whatever extent that’s allowed—on the lake’s eastern side near Pegan Cove.

As documented after my recent paddle around Fisk Pond, I had no option to float under Rte. 135 and onto that body of water. Fisk Pond is dammed off.

If only I had a unicorn…

lake cochituate

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Filed Under: Outdoors

Down go the Natick Common ash trees

July 13, 2020 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

natick common ash trees

Nobody was happy about this decision, but Natick had no choice other than to cut down 10 signature ash trees along Park Street and Natick Common due to an Emerald Ash Borer infestation. The tree removal began shortly after 7:30am on Monday morning, with the Natick Department of Public Works overseeing the operation and North-Eastern Tree Service handling the cutting down of the trees.

I swung by to see the first tree being sliced and diced at the corner of Park Street and Common Street, across from the post office and Park Street Ice Cream. The tree surgeon wielding the chainsaw started with the smaller branches up and down the tree, then worked his way into the thicker branches (I had to leave before they got to the trunk). The only break I saw the guy take during the first 30-40 minutes was to refill the gas tank on his saw). His teammates gathered the debris below.

ash tree removal natick common

The DPW had roped off a good chunk of the Common ahead of time, with signs marking the Drop Zone for where the trees would be felled. Though from what I could see this was a precise job, with little chance pieces of the trees would be getting anywhere near the Drop Zone signs.

The town posted notices on the target trees recently to alert the public that the trees would need to be removed and why. One town official estimated the trees were about 20 years old, no older than 35 (a poster in a Facebook group said he was involved in planting the trees in the 1980s, and that they lasted pretty well considering their location).

The Natick Department of Public Works has had an Emerald Ash Borer suppression system in place for a while given neighboring communities have had infestations, but there’s pretty much no stopping these insects once they set their sights on ash trees.

The good news is that Natick plans to replace the trees with different species next spring.


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ash trees natick common

natick common ash trees

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Ash #natickeats trees being removed on #Natick Common due to #emeraldashborer infestation

A post shared by Natick Report (@natickreport) on Jul 13, 2020 at 5:40am PDT

Natick Common ash trees
Natick Common ash trees

Filed Under: Environment, Outdoors

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