HOME OF THE OSPREY: The existence of this federally protected bird was endangered by pesticides, and its population was nearly wiped out in the 1950s. But today, the osprey is a familiar bird in Saugus, particularly on this nesting platform along the Northern Strand Community Trail. It’s a sign of a cleaner environment. For more photos and local coverage of Earth Day weekend, see inside for this week’s “Saugus gardens in the spring” and “A Reader’s Perspective.” (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Charles Zapolski)