CMA 2026-265 · Agenda item attachment · Sep 14 2026

CMA 2026-265 IN CITY COUNCIL September 14, 2026 To the Honorable, the City Council: I am writing to recommend the following appointments and reappointments to the Fresh Pond Master Plan Advisory Board for terms of three (3) years, effective September 14, 2026.  Sarah Klionsky (appointment)  Candace Young (reappointment)  Susan Agger (reappointment)  Deborah Masterson (reappointment)  Janice Snow (reappointment)  James Barton (emeritus appointment) Approved February 10, 2000 by the Fresh Pond Reservation Master Plan Advisory Board and adopted by the Cambridge City Council, January 8, 2001, the Fresh Pond Reservation Master Plan created the Fresh Pond Master Plan Advisory Board to look to the good of the entire Reservation, champion the preservation and enhancement of its natural landscape and varied values, and work with the City to implement the Master Plan. Membership consists of one (1) interested, informed citizen; two (2) representatives of relevant City agencies, boards, commissions and committees; and three (3) residents with professionals expertise in natural landscape design and/or environmental management. The City Manager’s Office posted a request for applications for the Fresh Pond Reservation Master Plan Advisory Committee on the city’s website and via news releases over the 30-day period. A total of seven (7) applications were received, of which two (2) applicants expressed having the requisite background needed to serve. Mark Gallagher, Water Department Managing Director, and David Kaplan, Water Department Watershed Manager, interviewed Sarah Klionsky and based on her unique background and skillset was recommended for the position. The next anticipated opening to serve on this board will come in September, 2029.

Sarah Klionsky is currently a Postdoctoral Associate in the Boston University Biology Department. She has a Ph.D. in Natural Resources, an M.S. in Botany and Environmental Resources, and a B.A. in Biology with work experience across sectors and much of her research published in scientific journals. She is an avid Fresh Pond Reservation user and excited to help improve this unique open space as a board member. Candace Young is a master gardener and a landscape designer who has served on the Fresh Pond Advisory Board for 10 years. She is on the board of Grow Native Massachusetts, an organization focused on the education of the importance of native plants, is a trustee at Mt. Auburn Cemetery serving on the Horticultural Committee and is a member of the Cambridge Plant and Garden Club. She volunteers at Fresh Pond weekly restoring the “habitat” as a part of Friends of Fresh Pond. Susan Agger is the recently retired Director of the Maynard Ecology Center at Fresh Pond Reservation and has served on the Board for the last 15+ years. She applied the science department’s core curriculum in designing and orchestrating learning events and opportunities for hundreds of Cambridge school children annually using the reservation as nature’s classroom. She has a science background and a general and historic knowledge of the Reservation, native plants, Black’s Nook Pond, Neville communities, the watershed, and surrounding areas to Fresh Pond. Deborah Masterson is a retired attorney who has served on the Board for the last 15+ years. She is a member of the Cambridge, Plant & Garden Club and co-chair of its Horticulture Committee. She sat on the Half Crown Marsh Neighborhood Conservation District commission for 10 years. Janice Snow has a master’s degree in environmental and urban policy with a focus on water systems science and soil ecosystems and worked many years as a public-school teacher. She was a member of the original Master Plan Committee that wrote the Reservation Master Plan in collaboration with city officials and input from residents. She has been an Advisory Board member since the beginning, currently serving as Board Chair. She is excited to finish outstanding priority projects and work with new members, contributing her knowledge of both ecological science and the history of the Reservation’s successful restoration and educational projects. James Barton was part of the original Master Plan Committee and has served on the Advisory Board from its inception. In recognition of his exceptional contributions to the understanding of and protecting the City’s critical water supply protection lands, James Barton will become an emeritus Fresh Pond Master Plan Advisory Board Member. I am pleased to recommend this individual, whose expertise and experience will enable them to be valuable members of the Fresh Pond Master Plan Advisory Board. I appreciate their willingness to serve and, with your approval, look forward to their appointment. Very truly yours, Yi-An Huang City Manager

City of Cambridge A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to appointments to the Fresh Pond Advisory Board.