Photo Gallery: A Royal (Road) Clean Up

Earth Day is tomorrow, Sunday, April 22, but why not take advantage of a sunny, warm Saturday to tackle something new?

And that is what volunteers from the and residents who live nearby the Royal Road Park Land – located between the roadway and the MBTA commuter rail tracks – did from late morning to mid-afternoon as they ventured into the long forgotten town-owned open space for a day of spring tidying.

"We have come here to clean up this open space that was used as a town dumping area for many years," said John Dieckmann, vice chairman of the community group that helps promote Belmont's small town feel.

The day saw volunteers of all ages bag general debris and litter from the land as well as drag out large pieces of metal. Others began digging out invasive plants and placing wood to the side the land. In the middle of the land is a small pond where a duck and mallard have taken up residency.

The Belmont section of a bike path running from Cambridge to Berlin, Mass. will run along the parkland, said Dieckmann.