JOHN RUCH
Southwest Corridor Park users are being urged to stay off the lawn in an area between the Stony Brook and Green Street T Stations so new grass can take root.
“There are a number of grassy areas in horrible condition,” said Parkland Management Advisory Committee (PMAC) member Jeffrey Ferris. “It’s been great to have this park in the neighborhood for the last 20 years. It needs our help.”
Several lawn areas withered in last summer’s drought and never recovered, Ferris said. Park managers have reseeded the lawns, but unaware park users are trampling them. PMAC aims to give the grass time to grow before its inevitable battering during the annual Wake Up the Earth Festival held in the Stony Brook Station area of the park in May.
The reseeded areas include three large lawns running south from Stony Brook Station to just past Minton Street.
The Southwest Corridor Park is managed by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which is perpetually low on funds. Ferris said the lawn areas have been posted with a few small signs to keep visitors off the grass, but they are easily missed. PMAC volunteers are trying to round up ropes or fencing, but will need the public’s cooperation in staying off the lawns either way, Ferris said.
“We need to respect and care for [the park], which can mean staying off of it,” Ferris said.
Roping off park areas to allow for recovery time is a common practice in park management. It is part of the rescue plans for the Franklin Park and Olmsted Park woodlands in Jamaica Plain.
The Southwest Corridor Park sits atop or alongside five miles of the MBTA’s Orange Line from Forest Hills to Back Bay. Features of the heavily used park include walking and bicycle paths; community gardens; playgrounds; and sports fields.