Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn Environmental Leader and Innovator | Page 10

Wildlife Habitat Enhancements and the Anthony J . & Mildred D . Ruggiero Memorial Trust

Wildlife Habitat Enhancements and the Anthony J . & Mildred D . Ruggiero Memorial Trust

By David Barnett , President & CEO
The site of Mount Auburn Cemetery has served as a valuable habitat for wildlife since long before the institution ’ s founding in 1831 . In the last two decades , with the increased awareness of Mount Auburn ’ s ecological uniqueness in the greater Boston area and the growing environmental sensitivity throughout society , more and more attention has been directed toward managing the grounds as a natural resource and wildlife habitat . Plantings have been introduced for the benefit of migratory and resident birds and animals , particularly around the Cemetery ’ s bodies of water . Our goal has been to provide a wide diversity of vegetation offering nesting , protection , and food resources , in a manner that fits within our historic landscape preservation mission and that will be sustainable long into the future .
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Much of this work has been made possible by funding from the Anthony J . & Mildred D . Ruggiero Memorial Trust , which the Ruggieros established in 1994 to support wildlife habitat enhancements and educational programs . The couple ’ s philanthropic involvement at Mount Auburn began in 1993 when they provided funding for the design and installation of new plantings and a pathway around Willow Pond . As part of that project , the Ruggiero Commemorative Garden was created to recognize their generosity .
Over the last twenty years , Mount Auburn has received more than a million dollars from the Ruggiero Memorial Trust for wildlife habitat enhancement projects . Perhaps the most dramatic has been the woodland restoration in Consecration Dell , a beautiful area with steep forested slopes and a pool at its center . Work to restore the Dell to a more natural state began in 1997 with the planting of native species along the banks of the vernal pool . In addition to being an historically significant location , the Dell was ( and is ) ecologically significant in part because of its resident population of spotted salamanders ( see page 18 ), one of the few in eastern Massachusetts . Our
photo by Jim Holman