GreenDorchester (Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition)

On Tuesday August 30, from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. at the Foley Senior Residences Dining Room, 249 River Street, Mattapan, the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will discuss, and solicit public input on, recommended alternative trail extension between Central Avenue in Milton and Blue Hill Avenue in Boston to link the Lower Neponset River Trail to the Neponset Esplanade.

Maps and plans available for viewing starting at 6:30 PM. Please help pass along this meeting notice especially to those who live in Mattapan and Milton, to help generate a sizeable community presence at this meeting that can provide feedback about this critical missing piece. If you have questions about the public meeting, please call 617-626-4974 or email DCR.

As part of the Boston Complete Streets Initiative, a group of interested residents explored the walking environment along a mile or so of Dorchester Avenue on a recent hot summer day. The Neighborhood Walk helped investigate how the city’s current Dorchester Avenue Improvement Project fits into the citywide effort to create streets that are multi-modal, green and smart and demonstrated how they support a healthy, active lifestyle. The walk was led by Mark Fenton, host of the TV series “America’s Walking” and one of the country’s leading experts on the relationship between walking, street design and public health. The group learned how we can make our streets more safe and comfortable for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists while improving sustainability and making use of new technology where appropriate. Pre-walk presentations (see related presentations here; DEHC will add Complete Streets presentations as received) stressed the importance of active living for health and fitness. Continue Reading »

The Fields Corner Collaborative is pleased to kick off My Dot Tour, a multimedia, youth-led walking tour of Fields Corner in Dorchester this August! The free tours will take place Saturday August 6 and 13 at 11 a.m. and on Sunday August 7 and 14 at 4 p.m. There is a 20 attendee-maximum at each tour – RSVP today! For media inquiries and to RSVP with your preferred tour date and time, contact mydottour@gmail.com. You may also call (617) 855-8687.

On the first two weekends in August, My Dot Tour teen guides will for the second year lead participants on hour-long walking tours of Fields Corner. The tours will present a narrative of not only the past, but also the present and future of this diverse and exciting community. Continue Reading »

Dorchester is home to nearly 20 community gardens, which are some of the oldest gardens in Boston. Join this bicycle tour to visit a mix of recently renovated gardens and some old favorites. Participants must provide their own bikes (helmets are required). A guardian must accompany children under 14. Meet at Fields Corner T Station, Charles Street Entrance at 10 a.m. Co-sponsored by DotBike and the Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition. For more information, call 617-542-7696, email info@bostonnatural.org, or click here to view the Seed, Sow and Grow brochure.

Every summer, Boston Natural Areas Network, in partnership with MA DCR, local businesses, non-profits and residents, organizes the Neponset River Greenway Festival, celebrating the Neponset River and its many offerings in Dorchester, Mattapan and Hyde Park and Milton. BNAN populates the river’s “multi-use walking and biking trail and many riverfront parks with family oriented events.”  Enjoy films, strolls, swims, tunes, moonlight paddling, and many other fun events – all for free! Continue Reading »

Interested in the Fairmount Corridor? Check out this video describing the work of the EPA, DOT, City of Boston and other agencies to reduce pollution, enable transit-dependent residents to travel faster, increase job opportunities and more. A whole range of community voices are consulted on the potential of this massive project, which, on a local planning and organizing level, has been headed by the Fairmount Collaborative: the Codman Square NDC, Dorchester Bay EDC, Mattapan CDC and Southwest Boston CDC.

Need a briefing? Continue on for a description of the project from the Department of Transportation. Continue Reading »

The Dorchester Coast Greenway project involves a coalition of stakeholders – DotBike, Boston Natural Areas Network, Boston Cyclists Union, Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition, National Grid, local neighborhood associations, Mass Highway – working as a team to connect the existing Lower Neponset River Trail aka Neponset Greenway (which now peters out at Tenean Beach) and the Harbor Trail at UMass Boston. Completing this 1.5 mile “missing link” will provide a robust, safer and regionally accessible link to the Boston HarborWalk. At the June 2011 Neponset Greenway Council meeting, it was announced that the master plan study of this project, completed with input by local community residents by the Tufts University Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning Field Projects Team, is available online, click here to learn more!

A Red Line Dorchester T stations bike parking update from Dot Bike:  A quick update on the progress of the Ashmont Pedal & Park facility.  Erik Schier of the T has indicated that the design is in the final stage and plans should be available on the MBTA web site in a few weeks.  (At right is a preliminary concept drawing from June 2010 that shows the approximate location of the facility at the southern end of the T station. )

Join Dot Bike in celebrating Bike Week May 14 – 21!  Start off Bike Week in Dorchester on Saturday May 14th by exploring some of the jewels of the Emerald Necklace by bike from 10:30 – 12:30. Meet at the Franklin Park Club House. The ride will be at a relaxed pace and involve both road and path riding. After the ride head on over to the Bike and Kite festival in Franklin Park from 1 – 4 p.m. an event Continue Reading »