Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1984-09-11-HSFC-rpt.pdf 2 VAS rifr ?l , {� n1 RECEIVED '"pp//��� ,tt// //,, SELECTMEN * ,�i�PA��.C"` �Y CP 1 21984 /////</ 31 Cottage Street Lexington, MA 02173 September 11, 1984 Mrs Margery M. Battin Chairman, Lexington Board of Selectmen Town Office Building Massachusetts Avenue Lexington, MA 02173 Dear Marge In our recent meeting, I mentioned the Harrington Seedling Forest Committee and said I would be collecting some background information on the founding of this committee and its activities over the last thirteen or fourteen years The history is that Katherine Harrington, in her will, left $1,500 to the Town of Lexington to "establish a seedling town forest" Walter O'Connell, then. the Town Manager, appointed a committee, with me as Chair, to start the seedling forest Paul Mazerall, Jeri Frick, and Jim Maclnnes worked with me on the initial committee Jim has since been replaced by Iris Wheaton Over the years, about 10, 000 seedlings have been planted at various locations in Lexington by Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Campfire Girls, community associations, etc (There is even a Rev Jonas Clarke bicentennial memorial forest on the Swenson conservation land property just to the east of the Clarke Jr High School! ) Fairly recently, Jeri Frick and I took a walk through some of the plantings and were both very pleased to see the growth that has taken place over the years As I mentioned there is $600/$700 still left in the account in spite of our substantial attempts (over the years) to use it up Two factors have contributed to this present, encouraging cash position One is that Dick Perry has the money drawing interest and the second is that Paul Mazerall has done a skillfully judicious job of purchasing the seedlings Attached is a copy of background information on this activity You may want to just thumb through it to get a flavor of the participation and some of the locations of the plantings I had a large map of all of the plantings, but in my move last Mrs Margery M. Battan September 11, 1984 Page 2 summer I seemed to have misplaced it I will keep looking for it as I go through some of the boxes which are still to be unpacked up in our place in Vermont The box which accompanies this letter to you has the remaining Harrington Seedling Forest "Patches" These patches were con- tributed by the Citizens for Lexington Conservation with Joan Crothers as the catalyst for the patch These badges are similar to those earned by Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Campfire Girls for various projects After these badges became available, about midway through the plantings, each of the young people doing the plantings received a badge One of my hopes is that some of these young people at some later stage in their lives, walk back through these areas in Lexington and have the thrill of seeing their trees. I predict that an area that they will be very proud of some day is the area just north of Woburn Street and east of Grant Street where there were at one time gravel pits I would dearly love to see someone take over the chairmanship of the Harrington Seedling Forest Committee -- someone who loves trees and people. Sincerely,,� Wig William R. Page WRP/kr Attachments