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Home Up
March 2007
Dear Farm Friends
Welcome to the March 2007
Community Farm newsletter. We have a great farm season ahead and we will be
telling you about the exciting events and opportunities on the farm.
Highlights this issue includes:
The monthly note from our manager Greg Maslowe.
A message about the important planning meeting scheduled for March 27.
An introduction to volunteering on the farm.
An invitation to free Spring Nature Walks in Newton.
We are delighted to be your newsletter editors and look forward to keeping you
updated about whats happening down at the Newton
Community Farm.
Carol Rose and Gil Rosen
| News
from Greg Maslowe, Farm Manager
After a very busy first growing season, I wish I could say that
things were quiet around the farm. We've just been through a February
deep freeze, but things are happening at the farm nonetheless. For 2007
we are expanding our active growing area by almost 50%. This requires a
great deal of planning and the farm committee has been hard at work
getting ready. In addition to more vegetables, we'll also be planting
fruit trees and shrubs in permaculture beds surrounding the field. These
beds will be examples of the rich harvest available from multi-storied
plantings: strawberries on the ground; blueberries in the shrub layer;
and pears in the trees. We're also working on a design for the
Winchester Street entrance, which will include a welcome sign, an
information kiosk, and signage for the farm stand. Next to the
Winchester Street entrance will also be a compost area where we hope to
generate all the fertilizer we need to ensure bountiful crops and
healthy soil. Soil health is the key to agricultural sustainability, so
it is fitting to have our composting operation in such a prominent site.
Let's all cross our fingers and hope that this spring is drier than last
so that we can be off and running as soon as possible. I know that I,
for one, can't wait for fresh peas and arugula!
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| We Want
Your Input March 27: Save the Date!
Our Board has begun a strategic planning process to set the Farms
goals and strategies for the next five years. In addition to clarifying
our mission and five year vision, we are researching what our
constituencies need and what other similar groups are doing. We expect
to complete by June a plan with specific goals and strategies regarding
food production and sales, education programs, building renovations,
finances, etc, . . . you get the idea. We are planning a public meeting
and feedback session on Tuesday, March 27 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at the
main branch of the Newton Public Library.
Please save the date to be part of the Farm's planning for the future.
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| Volunteering
for 2007
 Volunteers
are the life blood of Newton Community Farm.
We depend on volunteers for everything from fundraising and accounting,
to building maintenance and help in the fields. We will be making some
changes in the way volunteers and CSA participants assist with farm
activities this season. In 2006, community members worked on the farm on
an ad hoc basis, with minimal scheduling. While we accomplished a great
deal of work this way, we would like to increase the efficiency of the
farm through increased planning and organization of community workers.
Before describing the changes, we'd like to lay out our vision for the
purpose of community participation in the farm:
To build community as we work together to make Newton
Community farm a great success.
To teach community members about the growing of local, sustainable
produce using organic methods, and to provide them with the skills
needed to successfully grow fruits and vegetables in their own yards.
To provide useful labor to insure the efficient running of the farm.
To satisfy CSA work requirements.
Further details on volunteering will be covered in an email from Sam
Fogel, our volunteer coordinator. Watch for it coming soon.
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| Signs of
Spring Nature Walks
Newton Angino Community Farm is part of
an ecologically diverse mosaic of open space, not duplicated elsewhere
in the city. A number of species, including the american woodcock,
eastern ribbon snake, blue-spotted salamander, and eastern newt occur at
few, if any other locations in Newton. From
the farm, one could hike for several miles through largely uninterrupted
open space associated with the Charles River in Newton,
Needham, and West Roxbury. Please join us on a series of nature walks as
we explore the area surrounding the farm this spring.
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Flight of the Woodcock in Nahanton Park With the decline of
agriculture, and associated wet meadows, old fields, and thickets, the
american woodcock has become less common in Massachusetts. In most
years, small numbers of woodcock breed in Nahanton park. At dusk in
early spring, these birds can be observed doing dramatic flight displays
as part of their mating ritual. If we are lucky, after a short walk to
the park, we will observe this flight display. I have also observed deer
and great-horned owls at dusk in Nahanton Park.
Date: Sunday March 25
Time: 6:45 PM
Location: Meet at the Winchester Street entrance to Newton
Community Farm
Weather Dependent! Please RSVP to Jon Regosin at 617-244-0736 or berkowitz.regosin@verizon.net
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Vernal Pool Explorations We will meet at the farm, walk along the
Charles River Path and explore several vernal pools. Vernal pools, or
small ponds lacking fish, provide important breeding habitat for a
number of amphibians, and support a unique and diverse array of
invertebrates such as fairy shrimp and predaceous diving beetles. We
will dip net in some pools and are likely to observe spotted salamander
egg masses. Note: This excursion includes a fairly lengthy walk along
the Charles River. We can arrange to meet people at Saw Mill Brook
Parkway who would like to skip the longer hike, but participate in the
vernal pool investigations. Contact Jon Regosin to arrange this.
Date: Sunday April 22
Time: 9:45 AM
Location: Meet at the Winchester Street entrance to Newton
Community Farm
Weather Dependent! Please RSVP to Jon Regosin at 617-244-0736 or berkowitz.regosin@verizon.net
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Spring Bird Walk - Nahanton Park Sponsored by the Newton
Conservators! The mix of woodlands, wetlands and meadows adjacent to the
Charles River makes Nahanton Park a wonderful place to observe the
spring bird migration.
Date: Sunday, May 13
Time: 8-10 AM
Location: Meet at the upper parking area by entering the park at the
Winchester Street entrance. Bring binoculars if you have them. Beginners
and birders of all levels welcome.
Weather Dependent! Please RSVP to Cris Criscitiello at 617-244-6397
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| Education
Committee Update
An energetic education committee has been meeting every month since
November 2006 to work on the educational mission of Newton
Community Farm. At the last meeting committee members engaged in a
Visioning exercise under the direction of Sherry Zitter (of the
Nonviolent Peaceforce) to help define the educational goals of the farm
for the next four years. During this meeting, members imagined what
educational programming at the farm would look like in 2011. In the next
step of this visioning process, the committee will work on an action
plan to define the steps necessary to implement these programming goals.
For more information, or to join the education committee, contact sam@fogel.com.
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| Graphic
Artist/Designer Needed
Newton Community Farm is looking for a
graphic artist/designer to help us develop a logo for the farm. We would
like to create a distinctive, easily identifiable logo to be used on
letterhead, t-shirts, grocery bags, flyers, etc. In addition, we are in
the process of designing the Winchester Street entrance to the farm and
need help designing and creating signage to welcome the public. If you
are interested in helping us with this exciting work please contact Greg
Maslowe at 617/916-9655 or newtoncommunityfarm@comcast.net.
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Please contact us if you have any questions about this newsletter, ideas for
future issues or if you want to be added to our mailing list. Just email Gil and
Carol at roseng9@gmail.com.
For more information about the Farm check out our web page http://www.newtoncommunityfarm
.org/.
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