Ongoing Activities

Spring Planting Etc. - Saturday April 28
      Weeding, mulching and planting are planned for Saturday morning from 9-12.  Bring tools and wheel barrels if you have them.

Upcoming Meeting Dates and Locations
      All of the Jan.-June 2012 meetings will be in the the Town Hall Annex, First Floor Conf. Room, 7:30 PM: Jan 12, Feb. 9, Mar. 8, April 12, May 10, June 14.

Reservoir 2013 Calendar Project 
     Contributions from photographers, painters, and other artists sought for a calendar of the Arlington Reservoir.
     The Reservoir Committee of Arlington Vision 2020 is planning to make a calendar for 2013.  The purpose of the calendar is to increase awareness about the Habitat Garden and the Res, and to raise money for plants and supplies needed to maintain the Garden.  Each month will feature photographs, sketches, watercolors, or other artistic impressions of the Habitat Garden and the Arlington Reservoir from that time of year. 
     If you do artwork of nature, we invite you to submit your work for the calendar.  We particularly need Fall and Winter scenes of the Res.  Upcoming emails will have details on how and when to submit your artwork.  For more information about the calendar, please email Lisa Fredman at Lfredman1@gmail.com.  

Reservoir Fall Planting - Saturday September 10
      We planted a bunch of new plants from the New England Wildflower Society and also welcome donations as indicated below: Columbine (aquilegia canadensis), the native red and yellow only Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) both the purple and white varieties but not cultivars like "Little Kim" Black cohosh (cimicifuga racemosa) Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum) Boneset (eupatorium perfoliatum) Culver's root (veronicastrum) Marsh marigold (Clethra palustris) NY Ironweed (vernonia noveboracensis) Obedient plant (physostegia) Solomon's seal (polygonatum) Rudbeckia hirta, triloba and lacinata.  We are interested in other plants, so please call Jim Marzilli at 781-641-2334 if you have others that you think might be of interest.  See the recommended donated plant list below Plant Donations. 

Aquatic Weed Harvesting at the Reservoir - Saturday Aug 6
     Thanks to everyone who came out to the Res Saturday morning to hand harvest water chestnuts. We had 21 people turn out and collected a lot of plants along the shoreline before they went to seed. The mechanical harvesting will likely continue for another day or so to collect the dense masses from the more central areas. This will necessarily be a multi year effort, but each following year should be significantly less work.   Here's a link to some photos from the event:   http://www.flickr.com//photos/31759445@N06/sets/72157627245454125/show/

     The Arlington Reservoir has become infested with a number of invasive aquatic plants: water chestnuts, Eurasian watermilfoil, curlyleaf pondweed and coontail. The most problematic of these are the water chestnuts (Trapa natans) which in addition to covering much of the surface of the water with an impenetrable growth produce obnoxious floating seeds with vicious spikes.
   The mechanical harvesting of the water chestnuts at the Res is making good progress and will likely be nearly complete by Saturday. However the mechanical harvester can not get all the plants in shallow water near the shore. Thus we need volunteers to gather the stragglers that remain before they drop seeds for new plants.
     So this Saturday Aug 6 from 9 am to noon has been selected for hand harvesting of water chestnuts at the Res. We need people both on the water and on shore, but we especially need canoes. The plan is to collect the WC in recycling bins (since they drain well) via canoes and waders and then pile them on shore for DPW to haul away and incinerate. 
      Please let us know if you can help out - especially if you can provide a canoe or waders.  Please bring if you can:  bins for collecting the plants (recycling containers or laundry hampers), bungee cords (for securing containers to canoes), heavy rubber gloves, hat/sunblock, change of shoes & socks, canoes, waders and life preservers.  We'll meet at the east end of the Res parking lot.  You can also contact us at info@arlington2020.org .  Thanks. 

Reservoir Wildlife Habitat Garden - Mulching and Planting Day Saturday May 28
      Thanks to everyone who came out on May 28 to mulch the garden and to put in some new donated plants.  This will help keep our plants healthy and relatively weed-free.  Our activities over the summer will focus on keeping the garden in good health with an emphasis on watering.  Hopefully we will have a water line installed before the end of June which will make that much easier. 

We also plan to put in some more plants (probably in the Fall) and would like to encourage donations of appropriate native plants. See the recommended list below.

The Vision 2020 Reservoir Committee has already spent a lot of money on soil, plants and erosion controls.  We also need to raise about $1100 for materials for the water line.  So we welcome financial contributions (which are tax deductable) to keep us going. Send them to the Arlington Land Trust, P.O. Box 492, Arlington, Massachusetts, 02476 and mark them for the Reservoir Garden. Website: http://www.arlingtonlandtrust.org/ 

Recommended List for Donated Plants
     We are interested in receiving donations of plant materials. We are trying to use material that is native to the state and the New England area. In particular, we are seeking a range of plants but especially:

• Columbine (aquilegia canadensis), the native red and yellow only
• Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) both the purple and white varieties but not cultivars like "Little Kim"
• Black cohosh (cimicifuga racemosa)
• Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum)
• Boneset (eupatorium perfoliatum)
• Culver's root (veronicastrum)
• Marsh marigold (Clethra palustris)
• NY Ironweed (vernonia noveboracensis)
• Obedient plant (physostegia)
• Solomon's seal (polygonatum)
• Rudbeckia hirta, triloba and lacinata

We are interested in other plants, so please call Jim Marzilli at 781-641-2334 if you have others that you think might be of interest. At the end of this paragraph is a nice little web site for other plants that may be of use but some listed plants have cultivation requirements that our site cannot meet. The list also has flaws in scientific nomenclature on what they call "purple butterfly weed" and "purple Joe-Pye weed" so tread carefully if you work from this list. Some shrubs would also be of high interest but please call me before bringing them. http://www.projectnative.org/HerbaceousPerrennials.php 

And if you want lots of technical info, I always recommend the New England Wild Flower Society www.newfs.org 

From Jim Marzilli jim@marzilli.org

Reservoir Wildlife Habitat Garden - Planting Day Saturday April 30
       Saturday was a great day for planting the Reservoir Wildlife Habitat Garden. Many thanks to all the volunteers who showed up to make it a success. Both sides next to the spillway have new topsoil and new plants.
     However we need to make sure the plants get adequate water both to get them started properly and to survive the summer. We will be organizing efforts to make sure this happens.
     Thanks to everyone.  David White for the Vision 2020 Reservoir Committee

The Arlington Reservoir Dam project was completed in 2006 which greatly improved the safety of the previous structure. In the following year a number of trees were planted to replace those that were lost. However parts of the area still look a bit barren, especially next to the new emergency spillway.

This Spring that will change with a planting of a wildlife habitat garden along both sides of the new spillway. The northeastern side will be a more woody place, while the other side will be a sunny meadow garden. Work has already begun with the assistance of Arlington’s Department of Public Works, but the planning and planting is being done by volunteers.

A volunteer planting date is set for Saturday April 30. We plan to start at 9 AM at the site of the new spillway next to Hurd field. Work will probably continue through mid afternoon, so come later if you like. Please bring shovels, trowels, rakes and gloves. We will also need a few wheelbarrows.

For further information and updates email us at ReservoirGarden@reuse.com

The habitat garden plans are moving forward and have been approved by the Conservation Commission.  The application and plans are available here as a PDF.  Site preparation and planting are planned for May and June. 
If interested in learning more or helping out please join our email list for notices about events.    Email List

Frequently Asked Questions

Boating - Non-motorized boating is permitted on all of the town's water bodies.  Canoes/Kayaks are allowed on the Res.  There's even a "put in" point just past the vehicle gate as you head toward the new spillway bridge from the Lowell St. entrance.

Parking - The parking lots off Lowell Street are available year around.  Another access point is from Hurd Field lot (behind Trader Joes) and then a short walk across the field to the Res. 

Swimming - Swimming is permitted at the Res Beach area during open hours in the Summer. 

Issues and Background

    For years the Reservoir served as a popular summer swimming hole until the water quality started to deteriorate.  In 1981 a separate swimming area was constructed along the northern side of the Reservoir with filtered water and a sandy beach.  The Reservoir is also a popular walking and bird watching spot the year round.

There are several major pending issues with the Reservoir:

·         The state Department of Environmental Management (DEM), concerned about dam safety, has recommended that the town cut down all vegetation along the Reservoir's earthen dam.  The work that is proposed has the potential to impact the beach area, as well.  The Town is working with a consultant to determine the best option for ensuring dam safety while minimizing destruction to the natural surroundings.

·         The Reservoir is heavily infested with water chestnuts that are choking out all other growth and degrading the habitat for birds and fish.  In recent years, through manually and machine harvesting efforts the number of weeds has been reduced, and it is hoped that they will be eliminated completely.

·         The results of a town wide survey indicate resident concerns about safety, recreational improvements needed and wildlife habitat maintenance.

·         Mill Brook, which is partially fed from the Reservoir, is often flooded in heavy rains. 

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