BOSTON — One of Boston’s most treasured green spaces is getting a boost from a new public-private partnership aimed at restoring and preserving the historic Back Bay Fens.
The initiative, known as the Boston Parks Partnership, brings together the City of Boston, Northeastern University, and the Lawrence & Lillian Solomon Foundation to improve the horticulture, accessibility, and overall visitor experience at the 156-year-old park.
Located along the Fenway near the Museum of Fine Arts, the Back Bay Fens is part of the Emerald Necklace, a seven-mile network of nine connected parks stretching from Boston Common to Franklin Park.
The park system was designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
At the heart of the new effort are Northeastern University co-op students studying environmental science, who are working alongside park staff to tackle overgrown vegetation and provide routine landscape maintenance.
“We are going to prune it back a bit to free up the pathway clearance so that people can use the whole thing,” said Jonathan Bacdayan, the Fens Park Steward, as students trimmed back an overgrown shrub blocking part of a pathway.
Bacdayan said the work complements ongoing maintenance performed by the Boston Parks Department, which oversees hundreds of acres of parkland throughout the city.
“The Boston Parks Department does do maintenance here, but they have a lot of ground to take care of, so they can’t pay attention to the fine details as much,” Bacdayan said. “That involves plant care, watering, weeding, pruning, invasive plant management, all that sort of stuff.”
The partnership comes after years of environmental challenges in the Back Bay Fens. The Muddy River, which flows through the park, had long suffered from neglect, contributing to flooding and the spread of invasive plants. A $90 million dredging and restoration project led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers addressed many of those issues.
Now, city leaders say the focus is shifting from restoration to long-term stewardship.
“Now we want to take it to the next level,” said Boston Parks and Recreation Commissioner Diana Fernandez Bibeau. “How do we maintain it? How do we manage invasive species? How do we think about further habitat, looking at pollinators? This is all about investing in the places where we all belong in the city.”
Fernandez Bibeau called Boston’s parks the “lungs and lifeblood” of the city and said preserving them is essential to maintaining quality of life for residents.
The Solomon Foundation is funding the partnership and hopes the project encourages people to spend more time in the park rather than simply passing through.
“They’re walking straight through the park, not waiting, not stopping, not meeting other people,” said Herb Nolan of the Solomon Foundation. “We want them to go to the park, stay awhile, and get to know other people.”
For the students involved, the project offers a chance to make a visible difference in one of Boston’s most recognizable landscapes.
“It’s so fun,” said Northeastern student Tucker Andrews. “It’s awesome to be able to walk around and say, ‘Hey, this looks a little bit cleaner than it did last week.’”
Fellow student Natalie Curtis said the work helps ensure the park remains accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
“I think putting in the work to make it nice and make it accessible and a space that people can enjoy is really important,” she said.
The Solomon Foundation says it has funding in place to support the program for the next three years and hopes additional nonprofits and community organizations will join the effort.
City officials tell Boston 25 News they would like to see similar public-private partnerships expanded to other Boston parks, including Jamaica Pond and Franklin Park.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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