Welcome, Mollie O’Leary!

Friends of the Fells is thrilled to welcome and introduce Mollie O’Leary, our Development and Communications Manager.

Mollie started her career as an English teacher and a Track & Field coach. Her love of language and community-building led her to Beacon Hill Books, where she focused on improving the bookstore’s web presence, online sales, and external communications.

”Friends of the Fells is delighted to welcome Mollie to our staff team,” says Chris Redfern, the Executive Director of Friends of the Fells. “Her passion for the Fells and background in communications allows us to up our game in connecting people to the Fells and better protecting our favorite forest.”

You may have already seen some of Mollie’s work in our newsletters and via our social media channels. Keep an eye out for more fun and engaging communications and increased information about our current and upcoming projects from Mollie.

“I’m so excited to be a part of the Friends of the Fells team and to support an organization that aligns with my own values around conservation, sustainability, and community,” says Mollie. “I’ve spent many afternoons hiking and running in the Fells, and it’s great to be able to give back to a place that has been the backdrop of so many great memories.”

When she’s not crafting beautiful communications about the Fells and our work, Mollie enjoys bike-commuting to the office, going for runs along the Charles (and in the Fells!), and writing poetry in local coffee shops.

Welcome to the Fells team, Mollie – we’re excited to have you join us!

 

Banner photo by Mary H. New

Program Overview

Since 1999, Babes in the Woods has provided a way for parents and caregivers to connect with nature and find a support network. The early stages of parenting can often be an isolating time, especially due to an increase in the likelihood of postpartum depression following the COVID-19 pandemic. By creating a space for people with young children to meet, share experiences, or simply be outside together, Babes in the Woods serves as a resource and respite for parents and caregivers. 

Babes in the Woods meets at a different location each week around the Fells, allowing participants to sample varying landscapes, terrain, and foliage. You can reliably find FOF staff member Diana along with long-time volunteers Dennis and Laurie co-leading the hikes each week. Dennis will often share tidbits of his (vast) knowledge of the Fells, ranging from the history of the closed silver mine to the type of fern that can best be worn as a hat to ward off insects.

The hikes are usually 2 hours long and range from 2-3 miles. Everyone is encouraged to go at their own pace. If a parent needs to stop for a water break, to breastfeed, or to rest, a volunteer will gladly stay back and help them reconnect with the group. For people with toddlers and children who are walking, we also offer a Hike n’ Seek program. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to babesinthewoods@fells.org or check out more info here!

 
Katie and Amaya!

First and foremost, could you please introduce us to you and your baby?

I’m Katie Knotts and my daughter, Amaya Rose Knotts-Davis, is 8 months old.

How did you learn about Babes in the Woods and how long have you been attending the hikes?

I heard about the Babes in the Woods hikes from other moms in one of my postpartum groups. I’ve been attending the hikes weekly since April (about 3 months).
Hike leader Dennis (right) shares his Fells knowledge with Babes in the Woods participants.

How has attending Babes in the Woods affected your postpartum journey?

The Babes in the Woods hikes have helped me and my baby connect with nature. They’ve helped me to feel strong and empowered while healing postpartum.

What is a highlight from a Babes in the Woods Hike you’ve attended?

Connecting with and learning from other parents has definitely been a highlight. I’m also really proud that Amaya and I have learned to back carry, and I’ve even managed to nurse her a few times while hiking.

 
Katie and Amaya hike the Fells Reservoir Trail with Babes in the Woods.

Do you have any advice for those on the fence about attending a Babes in the Woods hike?

I was worried I wouldn’t have enough stamina postpartum for the hikes, but the volunteers are there to help, and chatting with other parents in the beautiful Fells is very motivating. Before you know it, you’ve gone further than you expected. Give it a try! Amaya and I would love to see you on the next hike!

 
Wild Geraniums by Mary H. New.

by Niti Seereeram

While out in the Fells, you may notice pale-pink to lavender flowers of wild geranium popping out amongst the green verdure. Native to eastern North American woodlands, wild geranium is a perennial wildflower, consistently blooming each year around late spring and early summer. Wild geranium’s flowers attract a variety of native bees and insects, making it a powerful contender for pollinator gardens. The seeds are also highly attractive to wildlife such as white-tailed deer, mourning doves, and the bobwhite quail!

Keep an eye on the ground for flashes of black and yellow during this time of year – you may find a Garter snake friend slithering by your feet! During the day, garter snakes like to bask themselves in sunny areas of meadows or forests. These charismatic snakes are not harmful to humans and play an integral role in the Fells food web, feeding on amphibians, fish, small mammals, earthworms, and insects.

Ever wonder why snakes stick out their tongues? They’re smelling you… in a sense! Snakes have a special organ, called the Jacobson’s organ, located in their mouth that helps them sense their environment. When the snake sticks out its tongue, smell particles from the air are collected and sent to the brain as the tongue re-enters its mouth. This is how snakes orient themselves in their surroundings, catch prey, and sense potential predators such as people.

 

Looking for ways you can support the Fells while hiking on the trails this season? Check out our Trail Adopter program where you can help keep our trail system safe and sustainable by monitoring Middlesex Fells trails. Trail Adopters keep trails accessible by:

  • Identifying and reporting issues on trails such as fallen trees
  • Collecting data to monitor human impact in the Fells
  • Clearing blocked trails and keeping unofficial trails closed

To apply to be a Trail Adopter, please complete this application and join us on June 21st at Greenwood Park for our monthly Trail Adopter Orientation, where you will complete your first trail report with fellow volunteers.

As the days grow sunnier and warmer, we hope you take time to get outdoors and appreciate the natural beauty of the Middlesex Fells and all who call this beloved park home. Remember to send friends@fells.org photos from your Fells adventures for a chance to be featured. We hope to see you out on the trails!

Banner image by Mary H. New.

Invasive Plant Removal

Our target areas for invasive plants this year include Bellevue Pond, Spot Pond, and Greenwood Park. Volunteers have removed 42 large bags of garlic mustard from all three of these locations. The Student Conservation Association (SCA) removed vast amounts of garlic mustard from Greenwood Park’s Dana’s Meadow and Bellevue Pond in May. 
Tufts Leonard Carmichael Society removing buckthorn

Volunteers started to prep-cut the Japanese knotweed at Greenwood Park. In September, a DCR-licensed contractor will administer a foliar spray to the regrown knotweed. The spray is applied during a window called the “FFFF” or “final flower, first frost” window. This is the prime time to apply herbicide to the plant, for this is when the plant pulls its energy and resources back into the rhizomes to prepare for winter. The prep-cut is critical because it reduces the height of the plant and allows the contractors to apply herbicide at a safe height (not over their heads).

 

Buckthorn, bittersweet, multiflora rose, and porcelain berry continue to be removed at all three of these sites. These four plants tend to be targets year-round for our volunteers. 
Great Malden Outdoors hike

Hikes

Volunteer hike leaders have guided over 45 outings across the Fells so far this year. The summer is shaping up to be full of plant walks, history walks, social strolls, and more. Check out our full lineup of events here.

Trail Closures

The three unofficial trails that were closed at Greenwood Park in December remain closed! We are thrilled with the success of these trail closures and look forward to continuing this work at other locations across the Fells. Why are we closing these trails? To reduce our impact on the Fells and to restore sensitive habitats for our plant and wildlife species. Learn more about unofficial trails and our work here.

Three more unofficial trails will be closed with volunteers and students in the ninth-grade Erath Science class at Stoneham High School this June. Be sure to head to the Bear Hill Parking Lot to check out their hard work!

Thank you!

We’d like to thank the following groups who have joined us since January and have made a big impact in helping us remove invasive plants, pick up trash, and work on trails:

ALKU
American Tower
Boston Cares
Buckingham Browne & Nichols School
Elaine Construction Company
Melrose High School Cross Country
Repair the World Boston
Tufts Leonard Carmichael Society
Ultragenyx
Winchester Cub Scouts
Winchester Girl Scouts

Interested in assisting these efforts? Apply to volunteer here!

Want to volunteer with your group, company, school, or team? Learn more about our group volunteering opportunities here.

Reach out to friends@fells.org if you have any questions or if you’d like to get more involved in these efforts.

On Tuesday, May 13th, Friends of the Fells (FOF) hosted our 2025 Annual Gathering. Volunteers, donors, members, and supporters joined FOF staff and board members at the Irish American Club in Malden to recognize the hard work of our community members, discuss exciting projects and programming happening in the Fells, and mingle with fellow Fells lovers.

This year’s gathering was particularly special because we shared it with multiple Malden partner organizations!

Partner Organizations: What We Learned

We were happy to have many partners join us at this year’s event. Guests learned about the mission of these organizations and how to get involved through community outings, volunteer events, and conservation projects.

In 2024, Bike to the Sea opened a community Bike Kitchen on the the Northern Strand Bike Path where you can repair your bike, find (cheap or free) spare parts, and meet fellow bike enthusiasts.

This summer, DCR will be hosting Fells Fishin’ Fridays from 9am-11am.  Beginners and seasoned fishers alike are welcome to join for this free fun-filled family event!

This April, Friends of the Malden River joined forces with multiple volunteer organizations to take out 100 bags of trash, 13 truck and auto tires, multiple shopping carts and other miscellaneous large items from the Malden River.

On the Great Malden Outdoors website, you can find an extensive Beginner’s Guide to Birdwatching with suggested places to bird-watch (including spots in the Fells)! Check out their bird-watching series happening this June here.

Sign up to become a River Rep with the Mystic River Watershed Association and help connect your community to the Mystic River!

Mass Parks For All’s mission includes their initiative to expand state parks by developing an inventory of existing public spaces to identify areas that lack access.

Service Awards

Awards were presented to two Fells supporters at the meeting.

The Friends Service Award was presented to program leader Mike Jones. The Friends Service Award is presented to an individual for their outstanding volunteer service and leadership. Mike moves mountains (and boulders) to keep trails in the Fells safe and beautiful. We truly couldn’t do it without him!

The Fells Service Award was presented to Anthony Guthro, Field Operations Team Leader. This award is presented to DCR Staff for their work to ensure that the public areas of the Fells are safe and well-maintained and for their support of FOF’s programs. Over the years, Anthony has been an outstanding collaborator on countless projects and an invaluable part of our cross-functional programming.

Staff Updates

Executive Direct Chris Redfern announced that FOF team member Maddie Morgan has been promoted to Field Programs Manager! This will allow her to spend more time on the trails leading volunteer events, supporting trail maintenance, and working to expand the Fells’ partnerships and programming.

Friends of the Fells also welcomed Mollie O’Leary as the Development and Communications Manager. Mollie looks forward to meeting everyone in the Fells community and working with FOF staff and board members to grow the impact of the organization through fundraising, communications, and outreach efforts.

 

Projects & Programming

The evening also included a presentation and conversation about ongoing projects in the Fells, such as closing rogue trails to prevent habitat defragmentation, reducing biohazards by installing new pilot pet waste stations, and engaging children to explore the forest through the Fells Forest Camp!

Thank you to all our donors, members, supporters, and volunteers for helping protect, preserve, and promote the Middlesex Fells for all!

Say hello to our members!

May is membership month! Meet some Friends of the Fells members and learn more about their connections to the Fells and the Friends.

Dan and his pup, Coco.

Dan Bender

Dan started his company, wilderscaping, after developing a passion for invasive plant management as a Friends of the Fells trail adopter. He also volunteers with the New England Aquarium. When the Aquarium partnered with Friends of the Fells for a classic core volunteer day, his two worlds collided in a serendipitous invasive buckthorn mitigation event that brought together a great team of folks for a memorable and enriching experience.
Regina catches some views of the Fells from Bear Hill Tower, before it was closed.

Regina Gibbons

“Friends of the Fell offers both a breath of fresh air and a stable foundation in this turbulent world. The members, volunteers, and crew are hardworking and good-humored. I come away from every encounter uplifted and refreshed. FOF leadership team and staff are as solid and dependable as the ancient rock formations of The Fells. Connection to the land and to community is what has allowed our species to survive. Join us, won’t you?”

Charlie Dunn

“I have been enjoying the Fells for over a decade – hiking, running, and biking through it. My favorite times in the fells are running through them as part of a work commute as an alternative to driving. It’s a miracle that a third of my route is not only away from roads, but in such a beautiful and wild forest.

I think of the Fells as the best way for our kids to learn about and appreciate and interact with nature, in particular because we don’t have any “wilderness” where we live in Somerville. It is a wonderful, massive, shared backyard for so many people in the area, especially if we all take care of it. During the pandemic, our family hikes in the Fells became a critical weekly tradition, and we have enjoyed visiting frequently ever since.

I am looking forward to bringing my kids to ride their bikes on the fire roads more often as they get more confident off-roading. I am also excited to bike to the Fells more often instead of driving. The proximity to so many people is truly something special about it!

I have yet to visit much of the Fells, but I am savoring the exploration.”

Ken Crounse

“After hiking and enjoying the Fells for many years, I was inspired by reading ‘A Sand County Almanac’ to shift to spending some of my time in the Fells to be more stewardship-oriented. Through FOF, I got involved in the Trail Adopter program and participated in invasive plant removal workdays, where I met a lot of great people and learned more about the challenges faced to sustain this pocket of biodiversity. It’s been great to work with FOF to find new and impactful ways to get more involved, and of course, you will still find me out there enjoying a good hike!”

Lisette Roman

“I grew up in a heavily wooded small town in Connecticut, where the woods were my backyard. Now that I’m raising my family in the most densely populated city in New England (Somerville), hiking in the Fells has become a way of ensuring my kids can know, enjoy, and benefit from nature like I did in childhood. For these kids, our hikes have become stepping stones to camping and soon to canoe camping. A tip I wish each parent knew is that taking your kids into the wilderness is some of the easiest parenting you’ll do.

I’m not an avid anything when it comes to the wilderness, but I’m a great first follower. Luckily, I have a partner and friends whose interests and expertise I trust. They give me the privilege of wandering around these woods fairly mindlessly, enjoying being exposed to a bit of majesty.”
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