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Meet Alex Cassie
HAVING SPENT the better part of my career as a park ranger, I have always felt a connection to natural spaces, be they beaches, forests, mountains, or bogs, and have found myself wearing many hats (Smokey hat included) over the years. But the call has always been one of public service. I find myself presented with a new opportunity to engage with the community in Brookline’s parks, sanctuaries, and wetlands as the Department of Public Works’ new Conservation & Natural Resources Manager.
We are currently underway on the 2025 Brookline Open Space & Recreation Plan, a document which will guide many of our Division initiatives and actions in the years to come. I have been blessed with an enthusiastic, experienced, and dedicated Committee to help Brookline create an ambitious roadmap for the future and am eager to work with other Committees, Departments, organizations, and individuals to meet our goals for the community.
The Sustainability & Natural Resources Division, while very new (and currently very small), will work to support Friends groups and community engagement, promote equitable access to Brookline sanctuaries, and continue the Town’s proud legacy of wetland and open space protection. We’ll work to not only preserve Brookline’s wild spaces, but also to educate folks on how to introduce more “wild” into their own neighborhoods and backyards.
Having worked with the Parks & Open Space Division for many years, I’ve seen firsthand the commitment and pride Brookline residents have in their parks and playgrounds. Through banner volunteer organizations such as the Friends of Hall’s Pond, I’ve seen the willingness of folks to roll up their sleeves and put in the time and effort to make their neighborhoods cleaner and greener. And as we look at the threat that climate change presents, I’ve seen the grit and determination of neighbors and citizens to lend their time and energy and voice to working toward solutions. And I’m oh so happy to be a part of it.
Alex Cassie
Conservation & Natural Resources Manager
Town of Brookline
From the Co-Presidents
Ann Frechette and John Shreffler
Fall Community Day.
On the Boardwalk
In the Spring of 2025, construction on the Amory Playground Renovation project will begin, including the renovation of the Hall’s Pond Sanctuary and Amory Woods boardwalks. Throughout the spring and summer of 2024, the Parks and Open Space Division arranged a series of public design review meetings, led by the project’s Design Review Committee (DRC) for the public to weigh in on various design considerations including:
- Redesign of the parking lot and Amory Playground entry pathway
- Renovation of the clay tennis courts
- Renovation of the comfort station/restrooms, including accessible upgrades
- Improvement of the surrounding landscape and pathways
- Replacement of the boardwalks and railings in Hall’s Pond Sanctuary and Amory Woods
- The Hall’s Pond Sanctuary boardwalk renovation will include the replacement of all the decking, bumper rails, and handrails within the Sanctuary. The new boardwalk decking will be made of thermally-modified wood that is factory-oiled, with a hidden fastener system. This new decking system comes with a 25-year warranty and was preferred by the DRC and residents over recycled plastic decking (commonly used in wetland settings). Fortunately, aside from a few footings, the underlying structure of the boardwalk is in good condition and will not require a full replacement.
The Amory Woods boardwalk will, however, undergo a complete renovation, as a formal assessment found the structure of this boardwalk to be in poor condition due to ongoing exposure to and submergence in water. This boardwalk will be raised out of the water, extended, and situated on helical piles similar to the materials and design of the boardwalk that traverses Hall’s Pond Sanctuary. This updated boardwalk will also feature new handrails to improve access and meet ADA guidelines.
The design team is currently working on construction drawings and specifications. The Town of Brookline anticipates the project being put out for public bid this winter, with construction ideally beginning in the spring of 2025. While an exact schedule will not be available until a contractor is selected, the Town anticipates that Amory Playground, Amory Woods, and Hall’s Pond Sanctuary will be closed to the public during the renovations. Partial areas of the park may be opened in phases as the work is completed. The Parks and Open Space Division will share an updated schedule with the community once a construction contract is in place in 2025.
For more information on the project, please contact the project manager in the Parks and Open Space Division, Jessie Waisnor, at jwaisnor@brooklinema.gov, or visit the project website at: brooklinema.gov/3715/Amory-Playground.
Jessie Waisnor | PLA | CPSI
Senior Landscape Architect
Brookline Department of Public Works | Parks and Open Space Division
and at least one turtle.
Quiet Moments
by Neil Gore
Ussually I think of birding as very active: Being up early at the crack of dawn, or even before. Planning where to go and what to look for. Researching what’s been seen recently. The weather report. The overnight bird radar level of activity. Leading trips; joining other people’s trips; changing plans, or reports of more favorable locations.
And there are big rewards for such preparation. This spring we had three successful Friends birding walks: good weather, good turnout, good variety and numbers of birds. I was able to find several birds which, although not rare, are not frequently or easily seen at Hall’s Pond: Hooded Merganser, Least Flycatcher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Wilson’s Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Chestnutsided Warbler, Veery, Black-crowned Night Heron, Green Heron, Scarlet Tanager, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. It was gratifying to see Nashville Warblers in abundance over a long stretch of time; some years I fail to see them at all.
Certainly I like exciting, dramatic, meaningful events while birding. But I also appreciate relaxing in quiet moments at Hall’s Pond. Nothing much happening, nothing to do, nowhere else to be, just enjoying the tranquility. One such moment happened for me at the Pond on April 22, at the north overlook. A Great Blue Heron was stalking prey a few feet away, and had just caught a tiny fish about the size of a worm. Barely an appetizer for the Heron. He waded up to a likely-looking perch, a small log, and stepping on, proceeded to slip right off. The log was a floater, not a stable fixture. The Heron apparently thought the problem was that he had tried to stabilize with his left leg instead of his right. Trying this variation, he again slid right off. Then, figuring he’d have success with both feet, he accordingly clambered up, and slipped off awkwardly. He gave up and moved on.
Then two turtles swam up, spotted the same likely log. Log perches are very important spots for their daily dozing, so I predicted they would be trying hard to make this log work for them. The same process occurred, successively for each of the two — but at a much slower speed than for the Heron. Ultimately they found a more stable log nearby. This event probably lasted 15 or 20 minutes, but it felt timeless. It was a small window into the daily existence of wildlife.
I’m not quite sure why this struck me as such a memorable event, but it stayed with me throughout the year. I’m not even sure I want to analyze the meaning, if any. Best to just let it be.
Is it Art, Science … or Both? 2.0
by David Chalpin
SIX SPECTRAL VIEWS, each a separately acquired photograph, of Hall’s Pond: Upper left is visible light only (i.e. wavelength range from 400 to 700 nm); upper right is NDVI, used in agriculture, consisting of blue/purple and infrared wavelengths only; middle left is a green-enhanced modification of visible light; middle right is a variation on the digital version of Aerochrome slide film, rendering infrared light orange-red in hue; lower left is Ultraviolet only (wavelength range 320-400 nm); and lower right is a type of color infrared employing a 550 nm long bandpass filter, which renders infrared light a shade of blue and has a wavelength range 550-1200 nm.
Fall Community Day Plantings
On our Fall Community Day on October 6, we had more than 50 volunteers as well as a team from Brookline DPW, led by Alex Cassie, carefully placing 516 plants in the ground. Our team was able to plant:
- 200 Carex appalachia, grasses
- 70 Iris versicolor, blue flag iris
- 125 Tiarella cordifolia and Tiarella cordifolia,
running tapestry, foamflower - 50 Thalictrun pubescens and Thalictrum dioicum,
meadow rue - 25 Antennaria neglecta, pussytoes
- 25 Dicentra exima, bleeding heart
- 6 Vaccinium, blueberry
- 3 Hamamelis vernalis, witch hazel
- 9 Cephalanthus, buttonbush
- 3 Cornus florida, native dogwood
Volunteer Maintenance Team Surpasses Expectations
invasives. Photo Credit: John Shreffler
CONGRATULATIONS to our volunteer maintenance team for exceptional work in the 2024 season. Special thanks to Karin Weaver, William Jones, and Ann Frechette (our co-President) for their work on removing invasive multiflora rose, purple loosestrife and burdock from the banks of the pond. Mia Szymkowicz and Andrea Ignatoff kept the sanctuary free of trash. Jenette Restivo and her amazing high schooler Zane, as well as Jim Perrin, Sharon Hessey, and John Shreffler (our other co-President) helped with projects throughout the sanctuary. Janet Wynn, Catherine Saines, and Sharon Gray did great work keeping the formal gardens tidy and beautiful. Thanks also to Faith Michaels for her gorgeous centerpieces! We had some newcomers for a couple of our sessions — Janet Stotsky and Anthony Venturi, who were a great help in keeping our gem looking great.
boardwalk. Photo Credit: Fran Perler
As we prepare for the 2025 season, we will be installing and monitoring tarps to smother the Lesser celandine that has infiltrated Amory Woods. High school or college students looking for a year-long environmental project are invited to join us for the implementation and documentation of the project.
We always welcome new members! Our twice-monthly work sessions are scheduled on mornings that are most convenient for members of the team. Work sessions are announced a week or more in advance. Members come only as often as their schedules permit. All of the work is done as a group under permit by the Conservation Administrator. For more information, contact volunteer coordinator, Priscilla Smith. The e-mail address is pjs00002000@yahoo.com or call 617-571-4792.
What price nature?
by Bob Schram
NO ONE DOUBTS for a second that Hall’s Pond Sanctuary is a priceless resource, an amazing treasure in the midst of our community. Having this natural haven tucked within a mile of downtown Boston is a gift we should never take for granted, a legacy which demands constant attention and ongoing investment. And sometimes we do have to take a hard look at the numbers — what does it cost to maintain the Sanctuary and what will it actually cost to realize our vision for the future of Hall’s Pond?
It takes money just to preserve and maintain the status quo at Hall’s Pond. The Town of Brookline can only do so much to maintain our parks and open space so the Friends of Hall’s Pond are called upon to help make up the difference. Over the last ten years the Friends have purchased thousands of native plants and devoted tens of thousands of volunteer hours to improving and protecting the Sanctuary by gradually eliminating invasive species and then planting native grasses, ferns, trees and bushes, in our decades-long quest to return the sanctuary to its original pristine state.
Friends of Hall’s Pond has been spending roughly $10,000 a year, above and beyond the Town of Brookline’s support, in order to keep up the progress. And at this rate, we still have at least thirty years to go to complete the master horticultural restoration plan. Sadly, our fundraising has not been keeping up with this pace of spending for quite a while, and so our financial resources are gradually dwindling since we have refused to halt the steady progress towards our vision.
If everyone who enjoys Hall’s Pond were to become a member of the the Friends for just $35 per year, we would be able to keep up our current pace of improvements. If you can help us to raise more than this, we can do more to accelerate the long term planting and habitat recuperation program.
Of course we must preserve and protect Hall’s Pond for future generations. Of course we must continue improving the habitat for birds and wildlife. So we do need your contributions in order to maintain our progress. We hope you can become a member/supporter. Any contribution you make will be a blessing and a gift to our wider community. Please do this right now!
CLICK HERE to make an online contribution through PayPal.
All of your donations are fully tax deductible. Friends of Hall’s Pond is a 501(c)(3) organization.