environment
Charles River Task Force members hopeful for future
The Charles River Task Force wrapped up a year of work Tuesday June 30 with the submission of recommendations shaped by the community for how the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) can engage with neighborhoods along the Charles River. Read more Dear Annie will close, though its owner says she’ll start something new […]
Herring and herons: signs of the Charles River’s vast improvement
From Boston’s Museum of Science to the Watertown Dam, the Charles River this spring was rife with river herring swirling in the water like scores of baby sharks. Near the dam, dozens of the aptly named herring gulls perched on rocks and plunged for the fish, while great blue herons waded out into the shallows […]
The many names of the wood louse
There are quite a few types of wood lice, but the Armadillidiidae family of wood louse is unique in that it can roll up into a ball, or conglobate (pronounced “con-glow-bate”). Many nonscientists have acknowledged this unique trait with their own descriptive names: pill bug, roly poly, basketball bug or curly bug. Read more Winding […]
Mount Auburn lays gas-powered equipment to rest
A crowd gathered at Mount Auburn Cemetery watched as James Farlowe powered on an electric weed whipper and showed off its near-silent operating capabilities, symbolizing a milestone moment for it as it became first cemetery in the United States to put its gas-powered handheld landscaping equipment to rest. Read more Lack of EV charger installations […]
Pesky rabbits and jumping spiders
A reader asks:Why do rabbits eat plants in my garden but not my neighbor’s garden? Read more Four new films explore war, gender, and crime true and comedic This is an excellent question, but unfortunately there is not an easy answer. It could simply be that you grow plants that are more attractive to rabbits. […]
Regional politics will make climate change impact worse for Cambridge, Boston
As Cambridge and nearby communities brace for extreme heat and flooding, researcher and journalist Courtney Humphries argues that the region’s patchwork political landscape is a major obstacle to climate action. Her new book, “Climate Change and the Future of Boston” (Anthem Press), looks at the city’s 400-year-old history of development, and how that shapes the […]
The once familiar bobolink now in decline
A reader asked me recently about ground-nesting birds. Here is the story of one such bird, the bobolink. Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) breed in open grasslands and prairies. When European settlers arrived in North America, they cleared forests for hayfields, pastures and farms. Bobolinks, native to the Americas, thrived in hayfields, which were plentiful even near […]
If only humans could breathe like yellow-rumped warblers
Mammals, including humans, inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, which sounds like a fairly simple process. But compared to birds, we’re very inefficient. When we breathe, we inhale oxygen-rich air into our lungs. This fresh air mixes with old oxygen-poor air already in the lungs. When we breathe out, we breathe out this old stale […]
Charles River Task Force in full feedback mode
The Charles River Task Force is in the late stages of drafting a report on how state departments engage and communicate with local residents, particularly underrepresented communities, in the area between the Longfellow and Eliot bridges. Read more Council drops ShotSpotter in close vote Gaps in communications between state departments and local communities have been […]
A new walking trail steps us through our urban wilds
Cambridge and Somerville are part of a new urban trail that roams more than 80 miles around the perimeter of Boston, which debuted Tuesday, May 12. Read more Secret Salmon Burger at Henrietta’s Table The trail is the brainchild of Miles Howard, an avid hiker and writer, who wanted to connect towns and people across […]