Alewife Reservation
Alewife Reservation and District advocacy and restoration work became a core part of Green Cambridge’s mission after absorbing the Friends of Alewife Reservation (FAR) in 2019. Through our programming, we protect and restore this wild area and the surrounding District.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Help us steward the Alewife Reservation!
The Alewife Reservation is Cambridge’s only urban wild. It is overrun with invasive plant species that harm its ecological health. We depend on volunteers to take care of this important green space and help its native flora and fauna thrive.
We offer volunteer opportunities to:
Identify and map invasive species using Earthwise Aware’s participatory science app Anecdata
Remove invasives and plant native species
Participate in community advocacy in the Alewife District
If you are a school or corporate group click here!
The Alewife District Community
Health Action Plan
The Alewife District is a unique and complex place. At the heart of the District is the Reservation, a park which stretches across the boundaries of five cities and towns (Belmont, Cambridge, Arlington, Somerville, and Medford). It is a rich socio-ecological system providing habitat for wildlife and places for diverse communities of people. Within the Reservation lies the Alewife Brook, a tributary to the Mystic River and part of the larger Mystic River Watershed.
This Alewife District Community Action Plan builds off decades of advocacy and attempts to create a strategic path forward, outlining what steps Green Cambridge and others can take to restore the ecological health of these 136 acres, make it more climate resilient, and ensure that it is an accessible resource. We hope that this document serves as a launching point for collaborative advocacy, and look forward to the continual improvements and enrichment of the Alewife District.
Announcing Restore Corps, launching in Summer 2026!
Using the Alewife Reservation as an outdoor classroom and workforce training ground, our paid ecological restoration program connects youth aged 16-18 to this 136 acre shared landscape owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Across 8 months, seasonal cohorts focus on removing invasive species, planting natives, working across municipal lines, stakeholder development, mapping and design, and implementation of aspects of projects previously identified in master plans.
Our guiding documents are the Alewife Master Plan and the Alewife District Community Health Action Plan we’ve developed over three years in partnership with the National Park Service, along with local, state, and national partners.
Youth participants will learn to:
Define ecosystem restoration, its processes, principles, and importance
Integrate Alewife Brook Reservation wetland restoration in the context of large-scale initiatives and agreements, both locally and beyond
Learn the steps and activities involved in developing a plan for ecosystem restoration based on community needs and stakeholder participation
Identify and eliminate causes of degradation for long-term sustainability
Reestablish natural processes and native biodiversity
Integrate the ecosystem into the larger landscape of the Alewife District
A Comprehensive and Integrated Curriculum Covering:
Historical Context: the Alewife District
Place-based Solutions
Ecosystems, Biodiversity & Human Impacts
Climate Resilience and the Restoration Process
Natives, Invasives and Wildlife
Site Assessment and Planning
Data Collection and Analysis
Adaptive Management
Stakeholder Development
Community Engagement and Citizen Science
Art, Design, and Storytelling
River Restore
Restoring a Landscape through Education
Learn More About River Restore
The banks of Little River are serving as an outdoor classroom for Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program participants and other volunteers.
In summer 2021, we kicked off the first of at least three year project to restore the riverbank between the Alewife Stormwater Wetland and the Little River. Partnering with Parterre Ecological to provide expertise in the field, and working in collaboration with Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Cambridge Conservation Commission, we're creating new native habitat by removing invasives and planting shrubs and trees.
Initiated in 2015 by the previous incarnation of Friends of Alewife Reservation, and funded in part through Ellen Mass, former FAR president, this 28,000 square foot site prone to flooding and dogged by pollution will be ameliorated via biodiversity plantings that builds on the native plantings of the Stormwater Wetland area.
