Our Very own Time Machine: The Boston Area Climate Experiment

If you look out onto the west side of the Waltham Field Station, you might spot a small row of greenhouse skeletons. Fenced in and sheltering plenty of overgrowth, they may appear to be abandoned. However, if you come by on the right day, you can learn why the field station has been home to these structures for over a decade.

This site is the Boston Area Climate Experiment (BACE). Since 2007, it has been collecting invaluable data on climate change, invasive species, and New England’s environment. The project is the result of collaboration between multiple researchers and universities. Now overseen by scientists at Tufts University, Babson College, and Simmons University, specialists from Harvard, the University of Vermont, and even Colorado State University have also been involved. These experts have collected and analyzed enough data from BACE to put out 20 published scientific papers over the years.

BACE’s original project, designed and led by Jeff Dukes, a professor of forestry and natural resources at Purdue University, was intended to determine local flora’s thresholds for dealing with rising local temperatures. To do this, plots were set up to divide a New England old field ecosystem into spaces which were warmed under different levels of controlled precipitation. The resulting “microclimates” are amazing–some have been left untouched for 15-20 years, while some have been continuously renovated as scientists study and learn. All have tremendous value. Today, the staggered infrared ceramic heaters used to warm the original experiment are shut off, but the structure and its equipment remain full of potential.

Wanting to learn more about the unique conditions of the Waltham Field Station, I spoke with two of BACE’s newest managers, Colin Orians at Tufts University and Vikki Rodgers at Babson College, as they began Friday morning maintenance on the site. Their agenda for the day? To continue to repair the greenhouses’ delicate roofing, and to remove fallen materials from the plots. This is one of many tasks that contribute to the site’s rehabilitation and continued capacity for scientific studies.

My first question for Professors Orians and Rodgers: why the Waltham Field Station? I was curious to learn why an internationally-recognized climate experiment would be conducted alongside community garden plots, local farm fields, and small non-profit organizations. Professor Orians explained that the Waltham Field Station has “always been an experimental facility.” Over its 96 year life span, the station has fostered major projects in agricultural sciences. This includes the development of the most popular variety of broccoli, Waltham 29, at the station in 1950, the development of square-ear corn by UMass plant geneticist Walton Galinat, and the development of butternut squash, accidentally produced by a local farmer in the 1940s. The Field Station’s history as a site of scientific inquiry makes it the logical location for current and future projects. BACE has also historically been a welcoming space for local graduate students to conduct studies. That day, I met Tufts grad student Emily Moschowits, who studies the performance of beans under different precipitation regimes. In addition, this is a convenient location for many local environmental sciences students to converge and learn, and to top it off, the soil here is some of the best in the state. I was also thrilled to learn that within this hidden gem there is an even smaller hidden gem: the southernmost greenhouse has a weather station! “There really is no better place in the Boston Area,” summarized Orians.

Orians and Rodgers both have good memories of BACE. Professor Rodgers especially loves bringing her students out to the site, which motivates her to continue working on rehabilitating plots and greenhouse structures. At Babson College, most of her students study business. To them, she explains, “science is kind of a black box.” Having the opportunity to see climate change research in action, and be in a physical space that is constantly collecting data, gives her students a platform be more comfortable with STEM topics and ultimately integrate those topics into their education in entrepreneurship.

The end of my conversation with everyone at BACE revealed the immense potential of the space. Professor Rodgers remarked on the invasive species research that has already been done, and what could be done in the future. Past work on garlic mustard, bittersweet, and Japanese barberry may include experimentation with the effect of climate change on the success of invasive species. Crop-based experiments on green beans, kale, and other produce have and will be conducted. All of this work will be exponentially more important as climate change concerns grow more urgent. Clearly, BACE is an invaluable asset to the local community of Waltham, and to national and international scientific communities of all fields of study.

I asked how the public could get involved with BACE’s work. Professor Orians emphasized “people power.” Unwanted invasive species, such as mugwort and swallow wort, are a constant threat to the experiments’ controlled environments. Herbicides are not an acceptable solution, as they would disturb the neighboring crops at the GROW community garden and the Waltham Fields Community Farm. Therefore, volunteers are BACE’s best defense. If you are interested in volunteering to help with the maintenance of the site, you can contact Professor Vikki Rodgers at vrodgers@babson.edu. High school and college students, graduates, and community members are all welcome! Finally, contact your local and state legislators. Advocate for the long-term survival of the Waltham Field Station, so that its legacy of agricultural sciences, including BACE, can be protected.

The Boston Area Climate Experiment has been described as “a kind of time machine.” It takes us to the future, exploring how climate change will affect our local ecosystem, and how we might choose to respond. It also takes us to the past, by reminding us of local history–invoking Waltham’s traditions in agricultural science. Efforts to rehabilitate the space will ensure the “time machine” can keep running for years to come. Leaving my patient interviewees to their work, I brushed past wildflowers and navigated around equipment towards the gate. I no longer felt like I was looking at skeletons.

By Anneke Craig, Boston Area Gleaners Intern