LWN060922

JUNE 9, 2022
Reedy Meadow
celebrates 60th
anniversary of
National Landmarks
By Anne Marie Tobin
The Lynnfield Conservation
Commission is joining the 60-
year anniversary celebration of
the National Natural Landmark
Program (NNL) with its landmark
– the formerly-named
Lynnfield Marsh, now known
as Reedy Meadow.
Covering an area of 540
acres, Reedy Meadow is the
largest freshwater cattail marsh
in Massachusetts and is one of
only NNL 11 sites in the state. It
is home to a number of endangered
and rare plant and migratory
species.
It provides habitat for numerous
rare birds, reptiles and
amphibians. Each year Reedy
Meadow attracts thousands of
hikers, bird watchers, school
groups and others who enjoy
the peaceful surroundings and
its native plant and animal species.
It also acts as a natural
reservoir that supplies drinking
water for the City of Lynn.
According to the Massachusetts
Audubon Society, This site historically
contained some of the
largest breeding populations of
marsh birds in Massachusetts,
including five state-listed species.
“It is remarkable that
Lynnfield is home to one of
only 11 unique natural landmarks
in Massachusetts, and
it works hard to earn this distinction,”
notes Planning and
Conservation Director Emilie
Cademartori. “Besides it being
540 acres of natural marsh
beauty, it performs critical work
as habitat for numerous aquatic
and land and bird species.”
PMLP Hosts Energy
Awareness Forum
For the Weekly News
The Peabody Municipal
Light Plant (PMLP) will host
its Second Energy Awareness
Forum at 201 Warren St.
Extension on Tuesday, June 21
at 6 p.m.
PMLP Manager, Joseph
Anastasi, will present an overview
of PMLP’s activities in
the community, and provide
insights on the electric industry.
Ratepayers are also welcomed
Cademartori said that a migratory
bird monitoring receiver
was installed in Reedy
Meadow in 2021. That installation
allowed Reedy Meadow to
become part of an international
program to study migratory bird
routes from the Hudson Bay
in Canada to Columbia South
America.
A portion of Reedy Meadow
is located in Wakefield. The
majority of the Lynnfield portion
of the meadow is owned by
the Conservation Commission.
The U. S. Department of the
Interior designated Reedy
Meadow as a National Natural
Landmark.
It is the major water retention
area for the Saugus River
Watershed, as well as a natural
wildlife refuge. Pillings Pond
drains into the meadow.
The best access to the
meadow in Lynnfield is traveling
along the old railroad bed
at Summer Street by St. Paul’s
Church.
The National Natural
Landmarks Program recognizes
and encourages the conservation
of sites that contain
outstanding biological and geological
resources. Sites are designated
by the U.S. Secretary of
the Interior for their condition,
rarity, diversity, and value to
science and education. The site
must be one of the “best” examples
of a type of biological community
or geological feature in
its bio-physiographic province.
The NNL program is managed
by the National Park
Service and includes 602 sites
nationwide.
to ask questions.
As the new manager at
PMLP, Anastasi introduced
these quarterly forums with a
kick-off meeting in March. For
those who cannot make an evening
meeting, the September
meeting will be held in the
morning.
PMLP is the community
owned, not-for-profit utility
company serving the residents
of Peabody and South
Lynnfield.
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 781-593-7700 7
FILE PHOTO
Kirk P. Mansfield is the new director of corporate and community relations at North Shore
Music Theatre.
Historical Commission chair
joins North Shore Music Theater
By Allysha Dunnigan
Historical Commission Chair
Kirk Mansfield has joined the
team at the North Shore Music
Theatre as the director of corporate
and community relations.
With a background working
in hospitality and event planning,
Mansfield was offered the
position by the theater’s general
manager, Karen Nascembeni,
whom he knows from the
Historical Commission.
After Nascembeni’s husband,
Steve, died from COVID-19,
Mansfield wanted to have the
commission name one of the
historic centers after his family.
“She (Karen) saw all of the
work that I put into it and everything
that battled with it and
kind of said ‘wow, I need you to
come work for me,’” Mansfield
said.
Mansfield spent the last 18
years working in Boston, but
said he is very excited about
this position and loves it so far
because it is great to be closer
to home and do something
different.
“My job now is about going
out there and pulling business
in and making sure that the
business that is there is happy,”
Mansfield said. “It’s a lot of
networking, which is right up
my alley.”
Mansfield spent the past 10
years working at the Back Bay
Event Center on a variety of
events, a lot of those being film
companies working in the state.
While he said he really enjoyed
his previous position, the
pandemic closed it down for
nearly two years.
“I went into the corporate office
and there really wasn’t a lot
for me to do and I wasn’t really
being challenged in any sort of
way,” he said. “When Karen
came to me and said she wants
me to take this position because
she needs somebody like me to
go out there and network and
keep the theatre’s name out
there and pull business in, that
was a good challenge for me.”
Nascembeni said she is
thrilled to have brought
Mansfield on board at North
Shore Music Theatre (NSMT).
“His broad experience in
contracting theater and event
rentals, working with films
shooting in the Boston area,
as well as his many years as a
regional manager in the hospitality
industry makes Kirk a
valuable asset to our organization,”
Nascembeni said.
Nascembeni said Mansfield
already has an excellent reputation
with the theatre’s mutual
partners in the tourism industry
and, having worked with him
on events at a community level,
she’s seen how hard he works
and how driven he is.
“His commitment to his volunteer
work with several diverse
charities in the area is on
point with the mission of the
charitable work NSMT is involved
with,” she said. “I can
already see what a perfect fit
Kirk is going to be within our
corporate culture.”
Wakefield Lynnfield chamber
comedy night is July 7
Looking for past issues?
Find them on weeklynews.net
For the Weekly News
The Wakefield Lynnfield
Chamber of Commerce will
host its Second Annual Comedy
Club on Thursday, July 7 from
5:30-8 p.m. at Giggles Comedy
Club.
The night will feature
food, fun and laughter. Lenny
Clarke, Mitch Stinson and Paul
D’Angelo will perform. Tickets
are $40 per person and include
unlimited pizza and soda before
and during the show. A cash bar
will be available. Doors open at
5:30 with the show beginning at
6:30. This is a 21+ only event.
Tickets can be purchased
at the Arlington, Melrose,
Malden, Lexington, Stoneham,
Wilmington, Tewksbury,
Waltham and Winchester
Chambers of Commerce.