Ashley McCoy’s Farewell to Friends of the Fells

The Cascade. Photo by Ashley McCoy.

by Ashley McCoy

It is unbelievable how quickly my two years as Land Stewardship Coordinator (LSC) have passed. When I started as a TerraCorps member with Friends of the Fells (FOF), I had just graduated from college, and I was not sure what I wanted to do next, I just knew that I would like to be outside. Over the past two years, I have spent more time outside than I could have ever guessed.

I feel incredibly lucky to have spent so much time in the Fells. I walk the trails no longer afraid of getting lost. I now welcome the hikes knowing that I can find my way back. The trails and the plants that call them home are more familiar to me now than when I started. From the bench overlooking Long Pond to the view from Wright’s Tower to the beautiful falls of the Cascade, I feel comfortable in this forest. I have learned to look for the beautiful spring ephemerals like bloodroot and trout lily, the fragrant scent of sweet pepperbush, and the tiny toads that make their way across the trails in the spring.
Ashley created a project that enables the public to help us monitor work on invasive plants in the Fells.

My time with FOF has been nothing short of amazing. I have worked with Trail Adopters while running orientations, led invasive plant removal volunteer days, and developed and guided educational hikes. Through these programs I have had the opportunity to develop skills including volunteer management, public speaking, environmental education, fieldwork skills, and more.

I want to thank the FOF staff and board for being so supportive. Thank you to Maddie Morgan, who has been my supervisor for the past two years, for your guidance and advice. Thank you to the TerraCorps program, staff, and members for your leadership, community, and encouragement. I also want to thank the entire Fells community for being so welcoming, and for sharing your love and passion for the Fells with me.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who have come out to remove invasive plants and take care of the trails. Your hard work and dedication has made an enormous impact, and I have enjoyed getting to work with all of you. A final thank you to the Fells DCR staff. Your help and guidance has made running volunteer events so seamless.
Ashley participates in the maple syrup program with long-time hike leader Boot Boutwell.

Goodbyes are always bittersweet. I am so thankful for the opportunities that I have had through FOF and TerraCorps. But I am so excited for the next TerraCorps member to experience the amazing Fells community!

While I am ending my time as LSC, I plan to keep hiking in the Fells. I hope to see you out on the trails!

Laurie Adamson and Dennis Crouse are originally from Cape Cod and Marion, Iowa, respectively. The pair have lived together in Melrose for 38 years. They are self-proclaimed “nature nuts” who love being outdoors and experiencing nature. This love of the outdoors has taken them hiking throughout the country and the Fells. They have been FOF members for many years and began volunteering as hike leaders over a decade ago. They often lead hikes for children and families through our Babes in the Woods and Hike ‘N’ Seek programs.

After retiring from working with elementary school students 15 years ago, Laurie was looking for ways to get involved. She discovered Babes in the Woods and decided to volunteer on the hikes. A few years later, Dennis retired from a career as a chemist and Laurie invited him to join her. They have both been pivotal members of the groups ever since.
Laurie leading a Hike ‘n’ Seek with some enthusiastic participants.

Over the years, Laurie and Dennis accumulated many memories, but their favorite one takes place by the High Reservoir. They once saw an exotic-looking bird wading near the shore with a plume on its head. They thought that maybe a bird escaped from the Stone Zoo, but it turned out to be a black-crowned night heron, which breed in this area. “Seeing it was one of our coolest experiences in the Fells,” they say about the sighting.

Laurie’s favorite part about leading hikes is the little walkers (children between the ages of two and five). “They’re curious and they get so excited about everything,” Laurie adds. Dennis’ favorite aspect of leading hikes is meeting all the attendees. “The young men and women who have babies, they are out there to talk and socialize, and they love the fact that I point things out on the way,” says Dennis.

Laurie and Dennis have some advice for anyone interested in leading hikes or volunteering. “Do it, jump in. Everyone who you will meet has a love of the Fells like you do, so look at all the different opportunities and join and try it out.”

Thank you, Dennis and Laurie, for all that you do for the Fells!

If you are interested in learning more and getting involved, please reach out to friends@fells.org, complete the Volunteer Application, or keep an eye on our calendar here for upcoming volunteer events.

While winter slowed down our plants’ growth, our invasive plant removal efforts did not falter. The warmer-than-average winter granted us the ability to work on bittersweet and multiflora rose around the Botume House and along Spot Pond. In January, February, and March, we had 31 volunteers and the DCR team to help us remove aggressive bittersweet and multiflora rose from these areas. In April and May, our invasive plant removal efforts almost quadrupled as garlic mustard began to poke through the soil. We hosted 95 volunteers to pull out garlic mustard and bittersweet. At one of our larger events, Park Serve Day, volunteers removed trash from the Fells and assisted the planting of two trees.

Check out some before and after photos below!

Buckthorn and Bittersweet Before and After

Baldwin Wallace University students completed a service trip and removed garlic mustard with us.

In our growing Trail Adopter program, we trained 39 new Trail Adopters to help us monitor the trails and keep them clear and safe for all to use. These Trail Adopters and more volunteers also joined us for a work day on June 1st, National Trails Day, to cut down Japanese knotweed and work on a fire road in Greenwood. It’s been a busy and productive start to the season!

The following groups have joined us thus far in 2024:

  • Appalachian Mountain Club
  • Baldwin Wallace University
  • Google Serve
  • Intellia Therapeutics
  • Keep Stoneham Beautiful
  • Medford Boy Scouts Troop 416
  • Medford Girl Scouts
  • Roberts Elementary School
  • Tufts Mountain Club
  • Washington University Boston Alumni Network

Interested in assisting these efforts? Join us on Saturday, July 6th!

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.
Ghost Pipe. Photo by Avi Dolgin.

by Ashley McCoy

The blooms of spring are behind us and we have officially settled into summer. There is a lot going on in the Fells this time of year, from ghost pipe popping up on the trails to milk snakes laying their eggs. Read on for a glimpse of what’s happening out in the park this season.

Ghost pipe is just beginning to emerge on the edges of trails. Ghost pipe is different from most plants because it is almost entirely white. It has no chlorophyll and doesn’t perform photosynthesis. Instead, it takes nutrients from surrounding plants by tapping into the mycorrhizal network. The mycorrhizal network is the underground fungal network that trees use to share nutrients and communicate with each other. Because it doesn’t need sunlight to undergo photosynthesis, you’ll often find ghost pipe in the forest understory.
Jewelweed. Photo by Derek Ramsey.

Sweet pepperbush is another plant you’ll see while out on the trails. It will produce white flowers in July and August. Later in the season, the flowers will produce brown capsules, which stay on the plant over winter. You can still see the capsules from last year on many of the plants today. The plant got its common name because these brown capsules look like peppercorns.

Some jewelweed flowers are starting to appear, and we will continue to see more as the summer goes on. The plant has beautiful red and orange flowers and a light green, watery stem. Sap from the stem is said to relieve any itch caused by poison ivy oil, and it is often found growing close to poison ivy. Later on in the summer, jewelweed will produce a fruit capsule that bursts open when touched. Watching the capsules burst is entertaining and it helps spread the plant’s seeds. Jewelweed’s other common name is spotted touch-me-not.
Milk snake. Photo by Peter Paplanus.

Milk snakes are largely nocturnal during the summer months, but you may see them slithering on the trails from time to time. They are light brown with darker brown spots along their backs. During the months of June and July, milk snakes lay clutches of six to 24 eggs. After an incubation period of about a month and a half, the eggs hatch around August.

While out for a walk this summer make sure to slow down and enjoy and appreciate all the species, big and small, that call this area home. Don’t forget to send us photos of what you see in the Fells at friends@fells.org!

Friends of the Fells (FOF) volunteers, donors, members, and supporters joined FOF staff and board members, the Fells team at the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Earthwise Aware (EwA) volunteers, and Zoo New England biologists at the FOF Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 16th.

FOF and DCR Staff at the 2024 Annual Meeting.

Awards were presented to four dedicated Fells supporters at the meeting. The Wilson Flagg Award was presented to John Berkholtz and Bryan Windmiller, ecologists at Zoo New England for their work on the marbled salamander reintroduction project in the Fells. This award is presented to an organization whose activities increased awareness and appreciation of Fells flora and fauna.

The Fells Service Award was presented to Rory O’Connell, Fells Park Supervisor. This award is presented to DCR Staff for maintaining and improving the facilities and public areas of the Fells for safe access of the public and for generous assistance to the Friends programs. Rory is an integral part of the Fells team and has been incredibly supportive to Friends programming, volunteers, and groups.
Representative Paul Donato is presented with the Public Service Award by Board Chair, Sandy Pascal and Executive Director, Chris Redfern.

The Friends Service Award was presented to Linda Williams, a dedicated Trail Adopter and Friends volunteer. Linda also volunteers with Earthwise Aware (EwA) to collect valuable data in the Fells to inform the effectiveness of public awareness campaigns and the change in our flora and fauna. This award is presented to individuals for outstanding volunteer service in a leadership position with the Friends.

Finally, the Public Service Award was presented to Representative Paul Donato. This award is given to an elected or other public official whose activities promoted legislative and legal protection of the Reservation or its historic parkways or structures. Representative Donato has been a lifelong advocate for the protection of the Fells and Massachusetts state parks.

The evening also included opportunities for community members to provide input on initiatives that the Friends are pursing in the spaces of community, ecology, sustainable management, organizational capacity, and education. FOF is looking forward to incorporating this community feedback into our next Action Plan.

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

by Amanda Treat

Every April 22nd, we collectively observe Earth Day, a day where the world shows support for our environment and its protection. While we don’t have Earth Day family traditions or Earth Day foods, there are still a variety of other ways to celebrate.

First, we can start from a place of appreciation. If we think about the Middlesex Fells as a microcosm of natural places, we can see how much the Earth gives to us. The Fells has 2,200 acres of forest, wetlands, rocky hills, and reservoirs. These ecosystems work hard to pull tons of CO2 and pollution from our air, mitigate flooding in neighboring communities, and house a variety of diverse plant and wildlife.

When we go into the Fells, studies have proven that we benefit from a reduction in stress levels, a slowing in cognitive decline, improved cardiovascular health, and improved overall well being. We can be grateful that places like the Fells make our lives happier and healthier.
Photo by Mary H. New

A great way to celebrate Earth Day and renew our appreciation could be a walk through the Fells. Maybe we could invite family or neighbors and start a tradition. Beyond that, we can find ways to give back to the Earth through action or advocacy. Friends of the Fells regularly schedules invasive species removal days, which is a hands-on way to help protect the native ecosystem (and get a workout in the process). In fact, there are multiple events on Earth Day weekend to help the Fells.

Check them out below:

Surrounding communities have Earth Day fairs and clean up events with more opportunities for local action. We can set aside time to contact politicians, non-profit groups, or even companies like grocery stores chains about changes we want to see made.

This Earth Day is a great time to start a holiday tradition around community, action, and activism. From Friends of the Fells, we wish you a very Happy and Healthy Earth Month and Day and hope to see you at one of the upcoming events!

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