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Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

We visited the Wellesley RDF for some aromatherapy—seriously

January 31, 2023 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Right now, the Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility is the most fragrant place in town. In a good way. When we stopped by to deal with our weekly transfer station chores, we inhaled the freshest, most invigorating pine-y aroma as we separated glass from cans, and chipboard from newspapers (whatever those are). As we rounded the corner en route to the trash compactor, we found the scent source. A mountain of discarded Christmas trees towered over the adjacent leaf litter and grass clippings. It was at once both beautiful and sad.

Wellesley RDF
We’re always on the lookout for a bargain to share with our readers. The Wellesley RDF’s self-serve aromatherapy treatments are hot (and free) right now.

Next time you’re at the RDF breathe in the fresh smell. I’m telling you, it’s as restorative as forest bathing. It’s OK to get out of your vehicle and admire the trees. Consider thanking them for their holiday-time service and for all the happiness they brought to Wellesley families.

Just don’t try to walk through the “forest.” Wandering around the yard waste disposal area is strictly against RDF rules. Apparently tripping hazards outweigh the potential health benefits. But you may gaze upon the scene and inhale…exhale. When you’re later asked why you exude such serenity, just smile. Only you need to know about the RDF pine tree pile, the cheapest aromatherapy option out there.

Never say we don’t have a nose for news.

Wellesley RDF
We say the Wellesley RDF mountain of Christmas trees rivals the Whites of New Hampshire (in the visiting convenience category).

Wellesley RDF hours

Monday-Wednesday, 7am-noon
Thursday-Saturday, 7am-3:45pm
Sunday-closed (Sunday hours will resume in April)


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Filed Under: Dump, Entertainment, Outdoors, RDF

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Linden Square, Wellesley
 
EXPLO, Wellesley

A brilliant Wellesley sunset

December 28, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

We’re glad a Swellesley reader (MC) was outside while we had our heads down on Wednesday night and captured photos of this beautiful sunset while in Linden Square.

december sunset linden sq

december sunset linden sq

More sunset shots from Mrs. Swellesley:

 

 

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A post shared by Swellesley Report (Wellesley) (@theswellesleyreport)

 


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Filed Under: Outdoors

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley
Wellesley Lacrosse

Happy winter solstice, Wellesley

December 21, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

A group of about 30 runners and a very fast dog ran 3 loops around the Elm Bank Reservation road on Wednesday morning to celebrate winter solstice for the 12th year in a row.

This crew, which started its run at 7am, will get to maximize its daylight consumption on the shortest day of the year.

The run was followed by coffee, chatting, and delicious homemade breakfast bars. But no sledding like in some past years.

You’ve got 6 months to train for the summer solstice edition.

winter solstice run

winter solstice run
The starting/finish line

winter solstice runwinter solstice runwinter solstice runelm bank sunrise winter


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Filed Under: Outdoors, Sports

Sara Campbell, Wellesley

A glimpse into how Wellesley’s outdoor fields & courts are used; public survey remains open

November 8, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Preliminary results from Wellesley’s townwide outdoor fields and courts survey give a sense of the many ways people are using the resources, but the town is encouraging more people to fill out the questionnaire. Results will be used to help inform the town’s decisions over needed improvements, gaps, etc.

“We really want to hear from more residents,” says Bea Bezmalinovic, a Natural Resources Commissioner. “The data is most useful when we hear from a significant number users of all ages and interests.”

The data displayed here is from Question 4 of the survey, as of late October  (“Select activities that you participate in, formally or informally. Select all that apply.”). As you can gather, people have a wide variety of interests that include organized as well as informal activities. The pickleball crowd came out in big numbers, but so did those who run, walk, play basketball, and more.

field use study

Changes to the town’s courts and fields have been ongoing, including improvements to the softball fields along Washington Street, the coming elimination of baseball fields at the rebuilt Hardy Elementary School, and the striping of pickleball courts at Warren Park and other outdoor courts in town.

Results of this survey will be presented at a future public meeting. 


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Filed Under: Government, Outdoors, Sports

Wellesley Natural Resources Commission makes recommendation for vacant seat

November 4, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Natural Resources Commission, after interviewing 7 candidates at its Thursday night meeting, recommended that Michael D’Ortenzio fill a vacant slot until March, when the seat will be up for election. The Select Board will hold a joint meeting with the NRC on Monday, Nov. 7 to vote on the matter.

Update: 11/7/22: D’Ortenzio was approved at joint NRC/Select Board meeting.

(To really get into the spirit, I actually listened to the Wellesley Media recording of the NRC Nov. 3 meeting while paddling on the Charles River and running around adjacent trails.)

NRC member Allison Burson recently moved out of town, leaving a seat vacant. The 5-member Commission’s stated mission is “to provide stewardship, education and advocacy of the Town of Wellesley park, conservation, and open space system.”

While the headline here is that the NRC made its recommendation, this is a meeting worth watching the recording of if you missed it live and have an interest in the town’s recreation and open space. We were reminded of how many great resources the town has in its residents, from those whose expertise comes from regularly using the trails and parks to those with careers in municipal law, forestry, science, and architecture. Themes that surfaced during the meeting included the challenges of competing interests, short-term vs. long-term goals, and the importance of data collection to inform decisions.

Having a window into live interviews is fascinating enough, but hearing the deliberation over candidates was enlightening, too. Some argued for experience, others for candidates that could offer boots-on-the ground support, and others for specific areas of knowledge that could help with current NRC work, such as related to the town’s tree canopy. The meeting delved into topics like the future of the North 40 and what to do about water quality, issues that the NRC has had less time to focus on this year than it might like in the face of time-consuming issues such as the high school track and field lights.

The NRC narrowly voted in favor of D’Ortenzio over Peter D’Anieri, who described himself as a forester.

D’Ortenzio has been active in Wellesley town government all the way back to his high school days, when he joined Town Meeting in 2010. He has served on the School Committee, Playing Fields Task Force, and what was then called the Sustainable Energy Committee. He now practices municipal law. During his initial comments to the NRC during the meeting (candidates had earlier replied to emailed questions), D’Ortenzio said: “[W]hen we think about Wellesley in decades to come, this is me speaking personally, I view success as upzoning already developed areas and downzoning and preserving that rare forest land that we have that’s intact still today. I think the NRC can lead on that… I think it’s both the greatest challenge and its greatest opportunity.”

It was his focus during the interviews on long-term planning balanced with current needs that won over some NRC members. Commissioner Lisa Collins said: “Long-range planning is the name of the game. A reactive approach to our town resources has not been serving us and will continue to not serve us well, and is the crux of so much of the frustration that happens among our commission, among the town, in the past, in the present, and in the future.”

D’Ortenzio said he would plan to run for a full term come the March election. Two NRC seats will be up for grabs, so it will be interesting to see if any of the other candidates who volunteered for the current vacancy decide to run then, too.


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Filed Under: Government, Outdoors

Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
Rick Cram, leader

Kids hit Wellesley trails to hunt for treasures

October 26, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Dozens of kids and their parents/guardians took to the Wellesley town forest at Longfellow Pond on Sunday to hunt for treasure boxes, collect ink stamps, and enjoy donuts and cider at the end of the 1-mile adventure. The annual Kids’ Trails Day event is organized by the Wellesley Trails Committee.

While the skies were gray, the trails were hopping, not just with the kids and adults on the treasure hunt, but by a good number of dog walkers and anglers.

Wellesley Longfellow Pond town forest kids trails day

Wellesley Longfellow Pond town forest kids trails day

Wellesley Longfellow Pond town forest kids trails dayWellesley Longfellow Pond town forest kids trails dayWellesley Longfellow Pond town forest kids trails dayWellesley Longfellow Pond town forest kids trails day

Wellesley Longfellow Pond town forest kids trails day
The Trails Committee thanked Whole Foods for donating cider and donuts

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Filed Under: Kids, Outdoors

Kids’ Trails Day in Wellesley: Sunday, Oct. 23

October 18, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Kids’ Trails Day

Sunday, Oct. 23 – (1:30-3 p.m.) – Town Forest

Join the Wellesley Trails Committee in celebrating fall and get your kids out into the woods to have fun and explore nature. Children will look for treasure boxes using letterboxing (written clues).  Refreshments served at the end of the activities.

No registration is required and no fee is charged.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Meet at the Longfellow Pond parking lot, located on the left side of Oakland Street 0.9 mile south of Route 9.  For additional parking, use Jackson Road across from the parking lot.

wellesley kids trails day longfellow pond town forest


Activities take place unless it pours rain or there are high winds.

Participants will be required to follow Town guidelines for COVID-19 for outdoors group events.  If the walk is cancelled because of the pandemic, a notice will be posted.


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Filed Under: Kids, Outdoors

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