Return of “Boston Blooms With Daffodils”
Mayor Michelle Wu announced that the Boston Parks and Recreation Department will once again distribute over 15,000 daffodil bulbs for planting on public ways citywide through the “Boston Blooms with Daffodils” beautification initiative started in 2011.
Individuals, civic associations, church groups, sports leagues, scout troops, open space advocates, and parks friends are encouraged to sign up to participate. Last year, over 100 community groups planted bulbs in neighborhoods across the City.
Those interested in participating may fill out a form online at boston.gov/boston-blooms. The online application form will remain open until late September on a rolling basis. Due to limited supply, groups are not guaranteed bulbs, but the Parks Department will strive to accommodate all requests. The application deadline is September 30.
The plantings will take place in approved locations on the weekends of October 30 and November 6. The Parks Department will contact interested groups and provide bulb pick-up instructions and dates. Groups and individuals are asked to use their own tools.
The Boston Parks and Recreation Department encourages volunteers to take photos of their groups on planting days and share them via social media using the hashtag #BostonBlooms. For more information on “Boston Blooms with Daffodils,” call (617) 635-4505 or email [email protected]. To stay up to date with news, events, and improvements in Boston parks, sign up for our email list at bit.ly/Get-Parks-Emails, and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Groundwater Trust Forum Set for September 20
The Boston Groundwater Trust will be hosting an important City-Wide Forum on Tuesday, Sept. 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Boston Public Library in Copley Place, Downtown Boston, that will examine how climate change over the coming years may threaten the very foundations upon which Downtown Boston has been built.
The Honorable Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu will be giving the opening remarks at the Forum, along with other state and local elected officials. Garrett Dash Nelson, President & Head Curator Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, will be giving remarks concerning how the landfilling of Back Bay and other areas came to be. The Keynote Speaker will be Wilko Koning, Senior Project Leader, Waternet, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, who will be speaking about the experiences of Amsterdam in dealing with climate change and lowering groundwater levels.
There will also be a panel of experts on the state of groundwater levels under our own Boston City streets, and a how a changing climate including the potential for long-term drought conditions may drastically alter the Boston we all now know. The panel includes: John Sullivan, Chief Engineer, BWSC; Former City Councilor Matt O’Malley, Vicinity; Vandana Rao, Director of Water Policy, EOE&EA; Jayne F. Knott, Ph.D., Principal, JFK Environmental Services; and Kate England, Boston Director of Green Infrastructure.
According to Rob Whitney, Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Boston Groundwater Trust: “The potential impact of long-term climate change and drought conditions on the ground water levels below large portions of our City is just now being discussed. This forum will explore how climate change and rising temperatures in the future may limit the amount of water to replenish groundwater, and the adverse effect that this could have on the wooden pilings that underpin many of our Boston buildings and homes.” `
To register for this free event, visit bostongroundwater.org.