Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy

See attached sch o-maintenance, horticulture, and rangersthe Greenway is the contemporary public park in the heart of boston, welcoming visitors to gather, play, unwind, and explore. The Greenway Conservancy is the non-profit responsible for the management and care of the Greenway. The majority of the public park's annual budget is generously provided by private sources. In 2023, the Conservancy continued its exceptional care and improvement of the Greenway: -chin park lighting improvements were finished in the fall and brought much needed additional and upgraded lightning to the chinatown neighborhood. Work continues for a redesign of parts of mary soo hoo park, including a robust community engagement process to gather feedback. -the Conservancy presented a robust season of public art featuring 6 projects that engaged restorative histories and charted new cosmologies that centered joy, interdependence, abundance, and wonder, asking boston to reconsider and reimagine its sense of self as a city. Together, these works spoke to the power of collective imagination to envision and create more just and inclusive worlds, beginning with our public spaces.-the Greenway was once again full of programming and festivals, with 400+ events that were free and open to the public. While the food truck program continues to be challenged by the slow return of downtown workers, the Greenway carousel, our beer garden, our free fitness program, and our slate of special events, movies, music and more attracted audiences that were eager to return to gathering in a beautiful, welcoming space. Horticulture the Conservancy continued to enhance the Greenway's gardens and landscapes by using ecological horticulture management and intentional design applications. As one of the first public parks in the united states to be managed organically, the Conservancy is a leader in ecological horticulture. These innovative practices protect the environment and park visitors, and they help the plants be more resilient to urban stresses including pollution, compaction, and more.now that the park is established, we are shifting our focus to understanding the complexity of our park's ecology, tailoring our maintenance efforts to its needs, reducing inputs and conserving water wherever possible. We are dedicated to the practice of ecological horticulture to create and maintain resilient landscapes that provide vital ecological services to our community.pollinators like bees, birds, butterflies, beetles, wasps, bats, and small mammals are vital to the pollination of 85% of crops worldwide. The Greenway depends on our pollinators for the flowering and fruiting of the plants growing in the park. On the Greenway, 16 pollinator hotels, a 7,200 sq.ft. Wildflower meadow, and 2 beehives provide food and shelter for pollinators. In 2023, the horticulture team developed a plan to be an advocate for native bees and a leader in the subject of urban support of these important insects. We installed 6 new native bee homes, and observed mason bees, grass carrying wasps, resin bees, and leaf cutter bees beginning to use the homes. We began implementing strategies to create a balance between the native bees and honey bees. We intentionally provided resources to support both species and monitored their interactions. We are working on interpretation to help educate the public about honey bees and native bees on the Greenway. Migratory birds that use the "atlantic flyway and native species who reside in and around boston rely on the Greenway for food and habitat. Using data collected from bird surveys that have been conducted in the park since 2013, the horticulture team selected and installed plants that are food sources for specific birds in new england. Over the past 10 years, the horticulture team has built the park's soil ecology by brewing and applying organic compost tea. The amount of compost tea brewed and applied to garden beds and lawns decreased from approximately 9,500 gallons in 2019 to 3,500 gallons projected by the end of 2023. Compost tea brewing is the cornerstone of our organics program, helping to boost the natural biology, productivity, and fertility of soils to aid plant growth and health. The Conservancy brews its own compost tea on-site and applies it to the Greenway 3-4 times a year. Each year, we apply less and less compost tea to the Greenway as the park increasingly sustains itself the hallmark of a truly successful organics program. Following a successful pilot year, we continued to use our compost tea to administer deep root injections to the Greenway's trees. By infusing microbiological organisms into the soil from which the trees draw their nutrients, we were able to build a healthy soil ecology in addition to feeding the plants themselves. The horticulture team applied 1,050 gallons of a mixture of compost tea and a mycorrhizal inoculant to 30 newly-planted trees and 90 elms. Mycorrhizal fungi play an integral role in nutrient cycling -- they effectively traverse the root zone and help transport nutrients and water between plants and soil, thus feeding the trees from the ground up. This practice helps maintain the health and vigor of the trees, and when combined with careful monitoring, fortifies them against the destructive elm bark beetle and dutch elm disease.the Conservancy participated in and publicized plantlife's no mow may, an international initiative meant to support pollinators, reduce lawn inputs, and grow healthier lawns. In 2023, 83,000 sq. Ft. of lawn (about half the total Greenway lawn area) was left to grow during the month of may. As a result, we conserved roughly 200,000 gallons of water in may because longer lawns retain more moisture.the irrigation system was upgraded during the summer months and we have already realized significant efficiencies from the new software management and moisture sensors installed. Thanks to these upgrades, we have saved an average of 100,000 gallons of water and 8 hours of staff time each week. These efforts help to mitigate the effects of climate change, urban heat island, and other environmental issues impacting the planet. Our volunteer program offers opportunities for both individuals and corporate, non-profit, academic, and other community groups to experience hands-on learning while they assist us with park stewardship. In 2023, 726 individual volunteers contributed over 2,000 hours to provide essential assistance. On the strength of reviews from volunteers, the Conservancy has won the "top rated award" from greatnonprofits.org thirteen years running. Through our volunteer program, conservation initiatives - such as the wildflower meadow and no mow may - and interpretive park signage, the Greenway Conservancy increases the public's awareness and understanding of sustainable gardening practices. We continued to maintain dewey square's demonstration gardens. The public can observe growing vegetables and fruits in limited urban space and what types of plants work well in a rain garden. For the first time, this summer we hosted citysprouts, a non-profit organization that partners closely with public elementary schools in cambridge and boston to provide opportunities for children to learn by exploring the natural world as part of their school journey. Citysprouts is committed to greater equity in science education and children's access to nature no matter where they live. On the Greenway, about 30 pre-k aged children had a chance to experience a natural space within an urban setting and harvest cucumbers, carrots, patty pan squash, and red noodle beans from the vegetable beds in dewey square. The field trip ended with a splash in the rings fountain and a ride on the Greenway carousel.maintenance and capital projectsthe Greenway Conservancy's maintenance team cares for six water features, acres of granite paving and precast unit pavers, complex lighting systems, the carousel at tiffany grove and more, and supports infrastructure for programs and public art and collaborates with the horticulture team frequently. This team also oversees our contracted basic maintenance including lawn mowing, litter and trash removal, power washing, and snow removal. The capital projects team oversees a variety of projects for improvements ranging from new park lighting to new site furnishings and enhancements, climate resilience and overseeing the maintenance of the Greenway carousel. In 2023, maintenance and capital projects teams performed and supervised repairs and improvements throughout the Greenway, working with pandemic safety protocols as required.

See attached schedule o - public artpublic art the Greenway has become a premier destination to see contemporary works of art in downtown boston through the commissioning of free, temporary exhibitions, engaging people in meaningful experiences, interactions, and dialogue with art and each other. The Conservancy's public art program provides artists unique opportunities to exhibit bold, new work that considers the possibilities of 21st century boston. Through site-specific art commissions that are closely tied to the land that is now the Greenway, the Conservancy is committed to amplifying non-dominant stories that resonate with all of our visitors, ensuring that diverse audiences can see themselves and their experiences reflected in the art and programming. Having established the Greenway as a major venue for contemporary art, the Conservancy has an opportunity for greater social impact and deeper community engagement with its public art program. Under dr. audrey lopez, the program is intentionally working to build long-term relationships and trust with local bipoc and lgbtqa+ artists and audiences who have been underrepresented on the Greenway and other high-profile public spaces in boston, in order to help shape future projects on the Greenway and create new narratives of belonging in this public space.the 2023 season of public art on the Greenway intentionally cultivated spaces of care, belonging, and joy for diverse communities. Commissions included:-love language, 2023 a large-scale sculpture symbolizing the influence of black culture, created by a team of 20 youth from artists for humanities' 3d design studio. -breathe life together, 2023 a large-scale projection mapping installation by local, women-owned studio hhh that animated and activated rob "problak" gibbs' mural at night.-sound in the city a music festival on the Greenway celebrating 50 years of hip-hop and sound culture in boston, with concurrent historical and contemporary photography exhibition "hip-hop: seen and unseen," opening on august 19 through december 11 15.-gateway to infinity (an anti-monument) a large-scale ground mural created by queer transdisciplinary artist maria molteni with co-collaborators vin caponigro, laura campagna, and ash capachione, who did in a ritual performance on the summer solstice. Molteni's artwork ushered in a new way of thinking about monuments on the Greenway and boston's public spaces; in her boston globe review, cate mcquaid surmises that molteni's work and the Conservancy are "ahead of the curve" in developing "new programming that will foster critical conversations about city monuments. "-seeds of wisdom by roxbury-based artist ekua holmes and london parker-mcwhorter featured 5,000 sunflowers planted by volunteers in mini-landscapes along the greenway.-year of the rabbit presented in chin park, a neighborhood-wide artist-in-residence program as part of the chinatown cultural plan process, with partners pao arts center, acdc, chinatown community land trust, and metropolitan area planning council. Through the humans of chinatown interventions, the program collected over 35 audio interviews and portraits of community members. Will be adding these into a long-term cultural plan for arts in chinatown. Through the high meadows fellowship program, we were able to onboard our first ever public art & ecology fellow, a two-year paid position that will support upcoming public art projects, collaborations across departments, as well as deepen engagement with audiences via social media and in-park presence and programming.finally, the public art staff developed and launched an affiliated instagram account to share stories and behind-the-scenes content about artists, artworks, and processes, and amplify public art produced by organizations across greater boston.

See attached schedule o - programsprograms the programs department supported and hosted more than 400 free events on the Greenway in 2023, including markets, fitness classes, and performances. New partnerships brought the jewish arts collaborative and the first bean festival presented by the new england legal foundation to the Greenway. Favorite festivals returned, including bagly's Massachusetts youth pride event, jazz in the park presented by the north end music and performing arts center, the caribbean one world expo presented by the authentic caribbean foundation, films at the gate presented by the asian cdc, the lantern festival presented by chinatown main street, and boston local food festival presented by the sustainable business network. Coolidge on the Greenway brought free movies with a science on screen series, and street stage returned with live opera performances. After a year-long development process, we saw a major programmatic initiative come to life, the momentum Greenway dance series, presented by amazon. This free outdoor series comprised of five days of contemporary dance. The Greenway Conservancy partnered with acclaimed choreographer peter dimuro and brought together four companies, continuum dance project, jean appolon expressions, public displays of motion, and vimoksha dance company to select a portion of the 1.5-mile-long Greenway on which to base a moving tribute to boston's rich heritage. We continued to support small businesses and long-term partners. We began the food truck season with 18 partners, 16 of which identify as women or minority-owned businesses and saw a small improvement in the number of downtown office workers and customers for lunch shifts. We also hosted two successful Greenway food truck festivals. In addition to our annual spring festival, we produced a new fall event with support from the Greenway business improvement district that saw thousands of visitors and offered live entertainment and free community activities.the boston public market returned with a weekly farmers market at dewey square park, and chinatown main street continued their bi-weekly farmers market in chin park, where they provided thousands of dollars of food coupons to local residents. The Greenway artisan market continued to see great success with our operating partner somerville flea and added more sundays to their schedule in 2023. Trillium garden on the Greenway was open from april to october, providing a beautiful outdoor gathering space for beer-lovers. 2023 was another highly successful season for fitness programming on the Greenway. Thanks to the generosity of our presenting sponsor blue cross blue shield with additional support from the Greenway business improvement district, the Conservancy piloted stipends for fitness providers of $100-$130 per class. We also expanded the season and introduced fall classes. In total, we engaged 21 partners, 16 of which were women- or minority-owned businesses, and 1,081 people participated in 154 offerings. New offerings included parkour, full body workouts, african and caribbean dance fitness, and several accessible yoga class series. We look forward to continuing the success of our expanded program next year. The Greenway Conservancy continued its deep engagement with the chinatown community. Our key programmatic partners include the asian community development corporation, chinatown main street, the chinese consolidated benevolent association, pao arts center, and chinatown business association. We also welcomed new partners: asian women for health, who organized a therapeutic plant potting session and the greater boston chinese golden age center, which brought a special performance featuring seniors from the community to the park. Due to their popularity from 2022, the beautiful lanterns of the public art installation, lantern stories, and year of the tiger benches returned this summer. We also hosted an event to celebrate and present the improvements and redesign for a section of mary soo hoo park, which will provide more recreational and children's space in this busy neighborhood, after a year of community feedback sessions. Our weekly chin park play sessions engaged families from june to september, and we again sponsored weekly lion dances at the chinatown gate to drive weekend tourism. We also continued to promote our park amenities such as the Greenway carousel at the tiffany & co. foundation grove, a boston landmark. This year, we had over 79,000 riders taking a spin on the sea turtle, rabbit, lobster, cod, peregrine falcon, skunk, and other characters, all inspired by the drawings of boston school children and brought to life by a local artist. This was a decrease from years prior due to the frequent rains we experienced throughout the summer. We saw an increase of users through the ebt card to culture program and provided over 3,900 free rides.in june, the Conservancy's largest fundraising event, the Greenway gala, was held at rings fountain. The gala honored governor maura healey and drew a crowd of 436 with net revenues of more than $500,000, despite increased event costs. The next night was glow in the park, our young professionals fundraising event, which drew 372 attendees and netted our highest revenue to date of more than $50,000. The Greenway Conservancy continues to be a sought after destination, even as the city of boston rebounds from the impacts of the pandemic. Throughout the year, the programs department saw an increase in the number of event applications and new proposals. This included interest in activating during the winter months, which was very exciting to see. The team is currently working on activations to complement the hatchlings, a sauna pop-up, and small winter market. We hope that these pilot efforts will be a great testing ground to build on in 2024.

Outreach the outreach department leads external messaging efforts to draw visitors to gather, play, unwind, and explore on the Greenway and understand Conservancy initiatives. The team is in regular and consistent contact with the general public, community groups, government officials, the media, and other stakeholders through direct outreach, in-park messaging, and electronic communications, including email and owned digital media assets. In 2023, the outreach department provided important messaging support for the many park events and activities that happen year-round. Working closely with the new curator and director of public art, we communicated on the robust season of public art, including new events and opportunities to engage with artists. The outreach department successfully pitched and got coverage on stories of our remarkable achievements this year, generating more than 90 news stories from a large variety of media outlets, including the boston globe, wbz radio, wgbh, wbur, and boston magazine. The outreach department continued to provide updates and seek feedback from stakeholders including the Greenway business improvement district members, elected officials, government staff, partner organizations, and community members. In particular, we helped to onboard and message new leadership staff and we worked closely with chinatown community stakeholders on upcoming park improvements and public art.