Special Projects
WILDLIFE HABITAT PLAN
IMPLEMENTATION
Our Wildlife Action Plan, completed in 2015 in
collaboration with wildlife and conservation experts,
has guided improvements to existing plantings and the
implementation of new ones with the goal of improving
wildlife habitats. As part of this effort, Mount Auburn
modified the shoreline of Halcyon Lake this year with new
aquatic plantings that increase its resiliency following major
rain events. During the fiscal year, a new series of pollinator
gardens were planted in the Cemetery’s southwestern-
most corner, at the location of Mount Auburn’s apiary, to
provide habitat for the bees that ensure the health of Mount
Auburn’s horticultural collections. Both projects were
entirely funded using contributed support raised by the
Friends of Mount Auburn.
The Cemetery is also expanding its role as a living
laboratory with programs that encourage visitors of all ages
to take an active role in protecting this important natural
resource. As part of Mount Auburn’s Citizen Science
Program, a group of sixty trained volunteers are now
collecting data for the environmental scientists and wildlife
experts studying the Cemetery’s biodiversity. Funding from
individual and institutional donors allowed the Cemetery to
develop and train this corps of volunteers for its Phenology
Study, Microclimate Study, and Naturalist Program, the
three discreet monitoring projects under the umbrella of the
Citizen Science Program.
During the 2018 Fiscal Year, the Cemetery also completed
the first year of a two-year collaboration with Lesley
University which aims to increase Mount Auburn’s use as
an educational resource for environmental studies. Funded
with support from the A.J. & M.D. Ruggiero Memorial
Trust, the collaboration resulted in a series of visits by urban
youth to participate in STEM-based programming under
the direction of Lesley University educators.
9