The Green Team

In 2008, the Conservancy hosted its first Summer Youth Green Team in cooperation with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and the Boston Youth Fund (BYF). The program included nine students from Boston, Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain led by two local crew leaders provided by SCA. Under the direction of the crew leaders and the Conservancy, the Green Team spent six weeks doing maintenance projects in the Emerald Necklace parks and participated in one Environmental Education day every week.

Nick, Eddie and Simon cutting the trail on Nickerson Hill - More photos

The Green Team started their summer work pulling invasive plants in Olmsted Park. They spent hours removing Garlic Mustard, Asiatic Bittersweet, Japanese Knotweed, and Multiflora Rose bushes; a task that many of you know can feel never-ending.

Annie, Stephanie and Jacky pulling Garlic Mustard - More photos

Next they began work on a large trail restoration project in Olmsted Park on Nickerson Hill by widening existing trails that had eroded, closing two desire-line paths cut by park users at the top of the hill, and clearing low-hanging tree limbs and other brush in preparation for laying a gravel-like trail cover called Crusher Run. After moving nearly ten tons of Crusher Run to the top of the hill using rickety wheel barrows, the Green Team began the process of creating crested trails with water runoffs to prevent further erosion. In addition to the work they put in on the trails themselves, they also created a wildflower garden ringed in stones at the top of Nickerson Hill, making it a truly lovely hilltop in the park.

The Green Team moving crusher run and Nickerson Hill after the trail work - More photos

Outside of Olmsted Park, the team worked in the Back Bay Fens, doing maintenance and mulching shrub beds at the Gatehouse and Mother's Rest as well as posting warning signs about a Blue-Green Algae outbreak in the Muddy River. In the Riverway, they dismantled bike jumps and restored the area to a usable bike path. At Jamaica Pond and in the Back Bay Fens, the Green Team administered a Park User Survey to gather information about who uses the parks, what people look for in their parks, and how the parks could be improved, surveying nearly 150 people and counting hundreds more in the park in just one day. The team also spent some time in our new office working on a media presentation that detailed the work they had done during their six weeks in the parks. The presentation was shown to their parents as part of our end of the summer commencement ceremony at the Hunnewell Building in the Arnold Arboretum before the Green Team was honored by the Conservancy for their hard work and dedication.

The Green Team also had six environmental education days this summer, beginning with a trip to the Museum of Science in week one where the students were free to explore the museum and watched an Omni movie about erosion and the Grand Canyon. The second week, the team went kayaking on the Charles with Charles River Canoe and Kayak. The students took a crash course in kayak safety and while on the river, the guide spoke about the pollution and eventual restoration of the Charles River.

Fantasia and Stephanie Kayaking on the Charles River - More photos

In the following week, the Green Team took a tour of the Arnold Arboretum and learned about the many species of trees the Arboretum is home to before participating in photo scavenger hunt. With the promise of ice cream for the winning team, the group was divided into two teams and sent searching for specific trees, leaves, and other interesting seed pods, needles, and colors in the Arboretum; everyone shared their ice cream in the end. Week four had the students on a whale watch from the New England Aquarium where the team saw several humpback whales and some of them got a little sea sick. In preparation for their Harbor Island camping trip in week six, the students were visited by an REI expert on Leave-no-trace camping in their fifth week who spoke with them about the importance of leaving the woods the way you found them. The camping trip was ultimately cancelled due to weather, but the Green Team got the chance to spend a day at Boston Bowl in their sixth week, celebrating the end of the program and a job well done.

After learning that the Boston Youth Fund would have remaining funds for students interested in working additional hours, the Conservancy offered the Green Team the opportunity to work after the program with SCA had ended. Some of our Green Team members were able to work at the Conservancy's first Movie in the Park, Babe. Adorned with flashy blinkies and glowing necklaces, the team greeted attendees, operated the Conservancy's information table, sold popcorn after it was decided that selling hotdogs at the movie Babe just wouldn't do, and showed their media presentation before the movie. The evening was a great success and the Green Team had so much fun that some of them volunteered the following week at our showing of Field of Dreams.

The Green Team joined us once again at our 10th Anniversary Annual Meeting. The Team was not only honored by Governor Deval Patrick, but they had the opportunity to meet and take a picture with him. Attendees were regaled with stories and pictures of the Green Team's summer efforts and the Team was applauded for their hard work and successful completion of the trail restoration at Nickerson Hill.

It has long been the Conservancy's goal to include youth education in our summer programming and we were pleased to include such a wonderful group of inner-city students provided by BYF in our first year. The Conservancy has already begun preparation for next year's Summer Youth Green Team and we hope to have an equally wonderful and productive summer next year.

Join the Green Team