“Olmsted aimed for a kind of controlled natural chaos in which the beauty of wildness is present without threat.”
The Emerald Necklace Parks Master Plan, 2001
One of the central goals of the Restoration Project is stewardship of aquatic and riparian habitats. The MMOC shares Frederick Law Olmsted’s vision of the Muddy River as a vibrant space for human health and recreation, inextricably linked to thriving tree, plant, fish, bird, insect, and animal ecosystems.
Reestablishing the unimpeded flow of our treasured urban waterway and its parks benefits every manner of resident species, from tufted titmouse and blue herons to painted turtles and three-spine sticklebacks to dragonflies, mosses, lichen, and meadow wildflowers, to name a few.
The sheer diversity of Muddy River lifeforms has spurred many neighbors to use that most modern device—the camera—to capture the splendid array of flora and fauna they discover as they walk the parks, cross the historic bridges, and, in recent years, follow the progress of the Restoration Project. We are delighted to showcase their photographs here, as collected on social media platforms and shared with the artists’ approval.
#showmethemuddy!
Calling all friends of @OurMuddy! Post your habitat photos on Facebook and Twitter. We look forward updating this gallery with your pictures.
