The Charles River has a long history of Earth Day cleanups and working toward the goal of making the Charles River swimmable again – as it hasn’t been since 1951.

Public meetings this week look at a pair of commercial buildings proposed for Kendall Square, an update on Covid aid money and the city’s energy use disclosure law.

Red-winged blackbirds are omnivores, eating insects, fruit, corn and farmer’s grain, among other things. During breeding season, the territorial males perch up high, ready to mob any intruder no matter the size, dive bombing and pecking hard. It is not too surprising that the birds have acquired enemies.

Converting the needed portion of drivers from gas to electric within less than eight years is unlikely to happen unless more people are willing to think outside the box – the metal boxes called cars – and to another “e-” option with great potential to reduce emissions, congestion and traffic deaths: the e-bike.

How should we allocate space on our streets in a way that allows the most people to get around safely and conveniently, while meeting our critical climate goals? That’s the question at the heart of the city’s ongoing conversation about how best to redesign Massachusetts Avenue through the Porter Square area.

The Cambridge Plant & Garden Club has just completed a two-year project, “Cambridge Community Gardens Today,” a 72-page booklet describing and celebrating the diversity of the 14 community gardens throughout the city.

There are no longer alewives in the brook named after them, and populations have declined throughout much of the Eastern Seaboard due to overfishing in the ocean, dams, drought and habitat loss. But with good management practices, we may once again return to days they’re seen “in such multitudes as is almost incredible.”

A 2035 schedule to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions puts us on the right track to build a climate-resilient Cambridge that is healthier and more equitable for all residents.

Public meetings this week look at stemming rat infestations, free dog licensing for seniors and an accounting for snow season; Café Batifol’s arrival in Kendall and Vitality Bowls in Central; ending off-street parking requirements; free CharlieCards for students; converting the Sacred Heart rectory into affordable rentals; and more.

Some say April is the cruelest month, but for cellophane bees, it’s the most precious. They’re one of the first bees to emerge each spring, getting sustenance from, and in the process pollinating, those early blossoming spring trees. By early May, the adults have all died.