Tom Christiano takes a weed walk at with Chris LaRoche and Jocelyn Demuth at Roberts Field. During the walk, Chris and Jocelyn point out the native weeds found at the park and their homeopathic uses and tour the new Pollinator Park at Roberts Field. Filmed in September 2015.
Tag Archives: Roberts Field
Bat Houses at Roberts Field
Four bat houses were installed at Roberts Field recently by volunteers. The four houses will provide potential habitat for hundreds of bats, who are an important member of our ecosystem and play a key role in pollinating plants. Bats are also a great natural pest control, as one little brown bat can eat 60 medium-sized moths or over 1000 mosquito-sized insects in one night.
Bats like tight spaces. The design of the bat houses mimics the bats’ ideal baby nursery, the natural the narrow space between tree trunk and it’s bark. The houses are painted black to retain solar heat, and keep the interior warm for the babies. Horizontal grooves are carved inside the box. to to make it easier for the bats to climb up.
The pond side location is ideal for the bat houses as it provides water access, lots of sun, and is 15 feet off the ground.
Skate Shack Gets New Foundation
With the help of volunteers and the Chelmsford Department of Public Works (DPW), a new foundation was created for the skate shack that sits pond side at Roberts Field. The skate shack was built in 2015 as a Silver Award project by Chelmsford Girl Scout Troop #60638, and the new foundation will keep the shack upright and level for many years to come.
The design and placement of the shack was reviewed and approved by the Chelmsford Conservation Commission, and materials were provided by the DPW. The foundation design is meant to minimize the freeze-thaw effect that unlevels the ground and pushes concrete piers out of the ground.
Volunteers dug the foundation hole by hand, and moved the materials into place, including granite skirts and steps meant to anchor the shack into place. In 2015, the skate shack toppled over due to very high winds.