Category Archives: Good News!

Pollinator Plantings along the MRG

Posted on August 7, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Thanks to Roger Lohr for sharing his photo of some of the pollinator plantings on the MRG behind the Miracle Mile. Roger writes: “The recent rain has helped flower gardens along the MRG in this photo that I took today. Been riding my bike 40 times since early June and it has been nice to see the blossoms coming along.” These are some of the flowers sown this Spring by Lebanon Mayor Tim McNamara’s Dartmouth Class of 1989 pollinator project. For more info see Creating Habitat For Pollinators. You can see more of their plantings at the Lebanon Airport and recycling facility and the West Lebanon Cemetery near Mt. Lebanon School.

Glad to know you are out there Roger, enjoying the MRG and stopping to appreciate the flowers.

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Posted in Good News!, Plant Life of the MRG, Pollinator Corridor

Good Year for Apples!

Posted on August 6, 2024 by | Leave a comment

For the first year since being planted in 2019, the two apple trees at the MRG overpass pollinator garden near APD, are heavily laden with apples. They are not quite ripe , but look healthy, and will be available as an organic snack in a few weeks. Thanks to all Friends of Lebanon Recreation, Upper Valley Apple Corps, and other volunteers who helped plant these trees 5 years ago!

MRG organic apple tree planting during Climate Strike Week in September 2019.

And, given the abundance of apples this year, might you have a supply that could help feed bears at Kilham Bear Center in Lyme, NH? They rehabilitate and release injured, orphaned, and abandoned black bear cubs . . some of which have been rescued in Lebanon. He has put out a request for apples:

There is a bin at the bottom of our
driveway at 172 Grafton Turnpike Rd, Lyme, NH 03768.
Thanks, Ben Kilham

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Posted in Good News!, Mascoma River Greenway Updates, Plant Life of the MRG, Thank you!

The Trishaw – a Wonderful Resource!

Posted on July 2, 2024 by | 1 comment
Terri and Chipper Ashley

We are so lucky to have this Cycling Without Age trishaw and a host of volunteer pilots available to widen access to the MRG and NRT! Thanks to pilot Chipper Ashley for a great trip!

And behold! New swag to carry the message!

Much appreciation to all who made this program happen.

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Posted in Good News!, Modes of Transport, Thank you!

Thanks UV Rugby Club!

Posted on June 27, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Thanks to the members of the Upper Valley Rugby Club who showed up to mulch and weed in the MRG Pocket Park by the tunnel. We appreciate your good energy and the Pocket Park and the blueberries look great!

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Posted in Good News!, MRG Pocket Park, Thank you!, Work Day

Snapping Turtle Laying Eggs

Posted on June 6, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Back in early May, Dan Moriarty sent a photo of a snapping turtle he had spotted on the MRG on a rainy day. She must have been doing reconnaissance, looking for a good place to lay eggs. At the end of May, he spotted her again . . .and indeed, she had found a sandy spot to lay her eggs. Isn’t it encouraging to know that, behind all the development on the Miracle Mile, there is this other world ?! Ah, the Mascoma River and the MRG! Thanks for sharing, Dan!

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Posted in Animal Life on the MRG, Good News!, Thank you!

It’s MRG Apple Blossom Time!

Posted on May 8, 2024 by | Leave a comment

The two apple trees at the MRG Overpass Pollinator Garden (by APD) are now in bloom . . . fingers are crossed that we will have no mid-May frost, such as in 2023, that limited much of our Upper Valley apple crop!

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Posted in Good News!, Pollinator Corridor

Finally! Color in the Gardens!

Posted on April 24, 2024 by | Leave a comment
Its been cold and gray with an occasional brilliant Spring day and then back to the cold and the gray. But there is hope as the daffodils appear in the Pocket Park by the tunnel. They are not native plants and may not be the first choice for many pollinators . . . they are there to lift the spirits of humans who have made it through the winter.

And behold: Bloodroot in the MRG Overpass Garden on Mascoma Street. Bloodroot is a perennial flowering plant native to Eastern North America. It has no nectar, but its pollen is sought by mining bees and sweat bees. Deer, woodchucks, and turkeys also use blooodroot as a food source. The flowers open their petals to the sun when the temperature reaches 46 degrees Fahrenheit. This was late afternoon and chilly; the petals were already closing.

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Posted in Good News!, Plant Life of the MRG

Update on the MRG Extension Plan

Posted on April 11, 2024 by | Leave a comment

View update with Paul Coats, Lebanon’s Director of Recreation, Arts, and Parks

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Posted in Good News!, Mascoma River Greenway Updates, Next Steps, Progress!

Bright Spots on a Stretch of Rainy Days!

Posted on October 23, 2023 by | 4 comments

The MRG Tunnel may have been one of the brightest, most colorful spots to be in Lebanon this rainy weekend, as Todd Matte and Kirsha Frye-Matte worked on their tunnel mural.

(Photo thanks to Joan McGovern)

And cold and damp as it was today, John Garroute was working on his mural “Patchwork” another vibrant spot. With a nod to Lebanon’s former textile industry, he offers a patchwork of images of Lebanon: modes of transportation (by foot, train, car, plane, bike) the beauty of our natural world of trees, river, sky, and some of our architectural heritage (City Hall, Packard Covered Bridge) . . . a vibrant addition to our downtown tunnel. We are hoping these murals will be mostly complete this Saturday, in time for the Halloween FunFest scheduled for October 28, noon-2pm.

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Posted in Events, Good News!

Lebanon’s Walk Bike Ride News

Posted on May 10, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Walk Bike Ride Leb News

As more residents and visitors elect to walk and bike around the city, Lebanon is committed to making our streets safe and inviting for non-motorized users. The purpose of the Walk, Bike, Ride Leb (WBRL) Plan is to create a safe, comfortable, and connected walking and bicycling network in the City of Lebanon, including connections to public transportation. The WBRL Plan is founded on a review of existing data and plans, and the incorporation of diverse public input. It identifies the community’s highest priority multimodal improvements. Now near completion, the final draft of the WBRL plan is poised as a key tool to inform how walking and bicycling improvements are factored into City budgets and Capital Improvements Programs, which grant opportunities are pursued, and how new and existing developments can be connected to the walking and bicycling network.

To provide comments on the WBRL Plan, email rebecca.owens@lebanonnh.gov or attend one of the following public meetings where the plan will be considered for endorsement and adoption. Full meeting details will be available at LebanonNH.gov/LIVE.

  • 6:30pm May 22, 2023 – Planning Board
  • 7:00pm June 7, 2023 – City Council

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Posted in Good News!, Mascoma River Greenway Updates, Modes of Transport, Next Steps, Visioning the Future