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	<title>Belmont Citizens Forum</title>
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		<title>In Memoriam: Ken Stalberg</title>
		<link>https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/in-memoriam-ken-stalberg/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[mm]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:50:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Newsletter]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/?p=7712</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Ken Stalberg, BCF’s loyal, longtime Mailing Maestro, recently passed away after a long illness. Ken will be missed, though we must believe that the gentle strains of his viola will continue to be heard. If  you missed it, find Elyssa Ely’s profile of Ken in our January 2026 Newsletter.]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7712</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Events March/April 2026</title>
		<link>https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/events-march-april-2026/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[mm]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:36:20 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[BCF Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[March/April 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[calendar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[events]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/?p=7708</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Grow Native Massachusetts: 2 Evenings with Experts Unlocking the Mysteries of Native Plant Selection March 11 &#124; 7:00–8:30 pm Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge  Kim Eierman, author of The Pollinator Victory Garden, sorts out the mysteries and complexities of native plant selection including: Am I buying a genetic clone, and does it matter? Are dwarf <a href='https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/events-march-april-2026/' class='excerpt-more'>[READ MORE]</a>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7708</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Juncos Are Winter’s Dark-Eyed Favorites</title>
		<link>https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/juncos-are-winters-dark-eyed-favorites/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[mm]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:27:59 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[March/April 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juncos]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/?p=7701</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Fred Bouchard Fresh snow is still banking up, the Pats showed up and got beat up in Santa Clara, Red Sox pitchers and catchers are catching up in palmy Fort Myers, and juncos—pecking millet and sunflower seed— are crowding up beneath my lilac-row feeder. Oh, uppy day! Braving an unprecedented zero-Fahrenheit stretch, juncos are <a href='https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/juncos-are-winters-dark-eyed-favorites/' class='excerpt-more'>[READ MORE]</a>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7701</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Belmont Creates Clean-Energy Corridor</title>
		<link>https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/belmont-creates-clean-energy-corridor/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[mm]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:21:32 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Climate Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[March/April 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Power]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belmont]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar power]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/?p=7696</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Sustainable infrastructure has fiscal, environmental benefits By Peter Dizikes Belmont is entering a new era of local energy production. Today, renewable energy capacity is becoming a normal component of our public buildings and even the town’s vehicle fleet because clean energy offers both fiscal savings and environmental benefits. Consider the flurry of recent building activity <a href='https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/belmont-creates-clean-energy-corridor/' class='excerpt-more'>[READ MORE]</a>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7696</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Environmental Stewards: Emily Norton, CRWA</title>
		<link>https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/environmental-stewards-emily-norton-crwa/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[mm]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Climate Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[March/April 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Newsletter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stormwater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Charles River Watershed Association]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stormwater regulations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wetlands]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/?p=7691</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA), founded in 1965, works to protect, restore, and enhance the Charles River and its surrounding communities. Through scientific monitoring, policy advocacy, and on-the-ground restoration, CRWA has helped transform the Charles from one of the nation’s most polluted rivers into a model of urban river recovery and climate resilience. The <a href='https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/environmental-stewards-emily-norton-crwa/' class='excerpt-more'>[READ MORE]</a>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7691</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Profile in Belmont: Joe Arkinstall</title>
		<link>https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/profile-in-belmont-joe-arkinstall/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[mm]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:07:32 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[March/April 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belmont]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/?p=7687</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Elissa Ely You open the door of The Wellington Tavern and are seated. Soon after, a man comes by to welcome you. His accent is richly British and he is winningly attentive. You find him familiar. Once the beloved co-owner of Stone Hearth Pizza, Joe Arkinstall is the manager here, now. Unless it’s Sunday <a href='https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/profile-in-belmont-joe-arkinstall/' class='excerpt-more'>[READ MORE]</a>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7687</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Moderator Candidates Answer BCF Questions</title>
		<link>https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/moderator-candidates-answer-bcf-questions/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[mm]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:52:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[March/April 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belmont]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Moderator]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Town Moderator]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/?p=7675</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Each year, the Belmont Citizens Forum asks candidates for town-wide office questions about issues facing Belmont. This year, Adam Dash and Mike Crowley are running for town moderator. BCF The moderator has broad authority over Town Meeting. How do you define the moderator’s core responsibilities in Belmont, and what principles would guide your exercise of <a href='https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/moderator-candidates-answer-bcf-questions/' class='excerpt-more'>[READ MORE]</a>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7675</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Letter to the Editor: March/April 2026</title>
		<link>https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/letter-to-the-editor-march-april-2026/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[mm]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:39:15 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[March/April 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasives]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/?p=7673</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[To the editor; As the founder of Arlington MA Invasives ArMI, I read your recent post about the need to coordinate invasive plant management [“Opinion: Treat Invasive Plant Removal as a System,” BCF Newsletter, January/February 2026] with interest. You mention the need to work across jurisdictions. Absolutely! Yet there are systemic roadblocks to making that <a href='https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/letter-to-the-editor-march-april-2026/' class='excerpt-more'>[READ MORE]</a>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7673</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Select Board Candidate Answers BCF Questions</title>
		<link>https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/select-board-candidate-answers-bcf-questions-3/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[mm]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:35:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Board of Selectmen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[March/April 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belmont]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Select Board]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/?p=7668</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Each year, the Belmont Citizens Forum asks candidates for town-wide office questions about issues facing Belmont. As of this publication Carol Berberian is the sole candidate running for Select Board. If another candidate emerges, see BelmontCitizensForum.org for their answers. BCF How do you propose to address Belmont’s structural fiscal challenges, and what specific budget or <a href='https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/select-board-candidate-answers-bcf-questions-3/' class='excerpt-more'>[READ MORE]</a>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7668</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Belmont Could Tax Land Differently</title>
		<link>https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/belmont-could-tax-land-differently/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[mm]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:33:18 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[March/April 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belmont]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Land Value Tax]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[property taxes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[taxes]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/?p=7663</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Max Colice Town Meeting changed Belmont’s zoning bylaws last year to allow new housing development and is considering more zoning changes to allow new commercial development, partly in an effort to increase property tax revenue. But simply changing the zoning doesn’t guarantee more development or higher property tax revenue. How else can Belmont encourage <a href='https://www.belmontcitizensforum.org/2026/02/20/belmont-could-tax-land-differently/' class='excerpt-more'>[READ MORE]</a>]]></description>
		
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">7663</post-id>	</item>
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