Maddie Morgan

Scroll to see photos of this year’s volunteers and their hard work.

You just can’t beat our volunteers.

In 2025, our volunteers donated over 2,200 hours to remove invasive plants, pick up trash, lead guided outings, collect valuable data, submit Trail Reports, conduct trail maintenance, assist with outreach events, and so much more. That’s 500 more hours than in 2024. In Massachusetts, that’s $88,200 in work in the Fells. Wow!

Check out the sections below to see how our volunteers helped support the Fells this year.

Trail volunteers work to repair a collapsed culvert.

Hit the trails

Volunteers in our Trail Adopter program, in partnership with Earthwise Aware (EwA), recorded 2,915 items to note on the trails through the donation of more than 320 hours of their time. These reports covered downed trees, missing blazes, flooded trails, dog waste, trail usage, and so much more. These Trail Adopter reports help the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and FOF maintain the trails, keeping them safe and open for use.

Trail Adopter reports cumulatively counted 1,111 bags or piles of dog poop, 1,108 pieces of trash, 203 fallen trees, 80 clogged culverts, and 45 missing or broken signs, among a few other items. That’s a wealth of valuable information that we can use to inform future work sites, campaigns, and volunteer activities.

Interested in becoming a Trail Adopter? Complete this form here and join us for an upcoming orientation.

Hikers explore the Cascade on a summer day.

Take a hike

Our Outing Leaders offered 62 educational walks and 29 guided hikes this year. More than 900 people attended these free, public outings offered by volunteers, staff, and TerraCorps members alike. Thirty-eight Babes in the Woods hikes were enjoyed by 793 attendees, and 86 participants joined five Hike ‘n’ Seeks. Learn more about these programs here.

Want to join a hike? Check out our calendar here. Want to lead a hike? Let us know by contacting our Field Programs Manager, Maddie Morgan, at maddie.morgan@fells.org.

Thank you DCR and EwA!

A huge shoutout and thank you to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Earthwise Aware (EwA) teams.

We could not host these volunteer events without the generous support, guidance, time, energy, and tools of the DCR Fells team.

We’re also grateful for the EwA team, who developed the mobile applications our volunteers use to collect data on trails, submit reports, and determine the health of the Fells. EwA consultants and volunteers also analyze the data collected to help guide our future conservation efforts and projects.

Join us in thanking the DCR Fells and Earthwise Aware teams for keeping our park safe, sustainable, conserved, and enjoyable for years to come.

Volunteers remove knotweed from along South Border Road.

Lend a hand

Friends of the Fells offered 49 open volunteer days to remove invasive plants, fix culverts, repair trails, and pick up trash. That’s 107 hours of programming offered for volunteers to help maintain and care for the Fells.

At those programs, 135 volunteers assisted with trail work, bridge repair, and culvert clearing. Thirty-two volunteers were trained to be Trail Adopters at Trail Adopter orientations, and 43 volunteers helped remove trash and litter. Over 500 volunteers helped remove invasive plants, including Common and Glossy buckthorn, Asiatic bittersweet, Garlic mustard, Japanese knotweed, Black swallowwort, Porcelain berry, Multiflora rose, and more. FOF purchased large, reusable trash bags late last year and has filled them 58 times over with trash and invasive plants this year.

We cannot thank our volunteers, this fabulous community, and the many partners enough for all your hard work, devotion, and support to care for the Fells in 2025. We are constantly in awe of the many people who love the Fells as much as we do.

Volunteer with us!

Volunteers from a corporate group removed Glossy buckthorn from the Fells.

Corporate volunteers didn’t hold back

Two years ago, we started a corporate volunteer program in which businesses support their volunteer day with a corporate engagement donation. The donation covers the cost of supplies, planning, and execution of the volunteer event while the volunteers remove invasive plants, pick up trash, and maintain trails. This year, we worked with 11 corporate partners and 142 volunteers to remove Garlic mustard, Common buckthorn, Asiatic bittersweet, Japanese knotweed, Black swallowwort, and Porcelain berry. The groups removed 19 large bags of invasives and created nine large miles of invasive plants slated for removal.

If your company, school, or organization is interested in partnering with Friends of the Fells in 2026, please contact Maddie Morgan at maddie.morgan@fells.org.

Thank you to our 2025 partners and volunteers

In 2025, the following groups joined us to give back to the Fells or have supported us as a partner organization:

ALKU
Appalachian Mountain Club 20s and 30s
American Tower
Be.bio
Bevi
Boston Cares
Braskem
Buckingham Browne & Nichols School
Cadence
Cambridge Running Club
Church of the Ladder Day Saints North Shore Youth Group
Earthwise Aware (EwA)
Elaine Construction
Gay for Good
Great Malden Outdoors
Goodera
Google Serve
Idle Hands Craft Ales
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
Melrose High School Cross Country Team
New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA)
Northeast Trail Crew
Paddle Boston
Patagonia
Repair the World Boston
SEEM Collaborative
Sierra Club
Team Rubicon
Tufts FOCUS
Tufts Leonard Carmichael Society
Trail Animals Run Club (TARC)
Winchester Cub Scouts
Ultragenyx
UVA Boston Alumni Group

Want to volunteer with your group? Learn more about our group volunteering opportunities here.

Originally from Tampa, Mary New has lived in Winchester and has been exploring the Fells since 2004. Mary is an accountant by trade but spends her free time jogging, hiking, or taking photos. She spends time in the Fells to exercise, clear her head, and enjoy the woods. She loves jogging the trails in the early mornings and in rain and snow, when it is the most quiet. Some of her favorite memories come from her time in the Fells with her children as they took in the natural wonders of the forest.

Mary had been taking photos as a hobby for many years before she started sharing her photos with Friends of the Fells in 2020. In the early years of the COVID pandemic, Mary really dove into her photography and spent more time in the forest and observing wildlife in her backyard. She has been sharing her incredible captures with the Friends since then, and we are so fortunate!

One of Mary’s favorite photos she took in the Fells was when she was waiting by a pileated woodpecker tree cavity for a photo of the bird, and a small furry creature poked its head up from behind the boulder she was sitting on. Not commonly seen, stoats are one of the Fells’ predators, and they feast on other rodents and insects. Mary caught the incredible photo you see here!

Pileated Woodpecker Photo by Mary H. New

For folks looking to get into nature photography, Mary says, “Nature photography is becoming so popular with the advances in technology, and I feel photographers, myself included, focus on getting the most detailed, sharp picture of a rare subject. As [my partner] often reminds me, it’s important to step back and enjoy the moment and be grateful for the experience. Also, when I go out to photograph, I am very mindful and slow. I have had deer follow me on many occasions. I think when you are non-threatening and don’t make sudden movements, animals are more trusting and may just let you take their portrait!”

For folks looking to get involved as a volunteer, Mary recommends that you, “reach out to the [Friends] and other organizations and see what their needs are. If you don’t have much time, even picking up trash or any little thing helps.”

Thank you, Mary, for sharing the beauty of the Fells with us through your lenses and experiences!

Take a look at Mary’s work below and on her website or her Instagram page at @mhnew_mass.

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.

Originally from New Jersey, Hobbit currently resides in North Reading where he has lived for 30 years. Hobbit enjoys working with computers and all things tech. He was in the computer and network security space for many years and is also interested in areas such as laser-show tech, theater lighting and sound, and electric cars. In 2005, Hobbit bought his first hybrid car and has been driving a hybrid or full-electric car ever since.

Hobbit is also a long-time barefooter. “I simply don’t need or want shoes anymore because my feet have reached a state that nature wants them to be,” Hobbit says about walking barefoot. One of his favorite things about walking without shoes in the woods is what he calls the “rich symphony of textures underfoot.”

Hobbit got involved with Friends of the Fells (FOF) just under a year ago, when he started leading hikes. Before leading hikes with FOF, Hobbit had previous experience leading hikes with the Friends of Harold Parker State Forest. He has been volunteering with Friends of Harold Parker for six years now, where he helps lead hikes every Wednesday and has helped with their annual 5k trail race.

Some of Hobbit’s favorite parts of leading hikes are meeting new people and getting to show folks parts of the Fells they have never been to before. He cares deeply about preserving our forests and greenspaces, and he wants to help teach others how to enjoy and protect them. Hobbit’s favorite spots in the Fells are the high rock peaks. He loves scrambling over big rocks, so he spends a lot of time on the Rock Circuit and Skyline trails. Hobbit is also interested in the historical aspects of the Fells and tries to remember what he learns and share it with his hike participants.

For anyone interested in volunteering, Hobbit has some advice for folks interested in leading their own hikes: “Go out with your map and GPS app and take a few loops on your own.”

Thank you, Hobbit, for all that you do for the Fells!

Amanda Treat moved to Malden seven years ago. She works as a project manager for Wilson Sporting Goods and supports their Wilson Pact sustainability committee and different initiatives to help get folks together outdoors. Running, gardening, hiking, writing, and rock climbing are all activities that Amanda enjoys.

“Coming out of COVID, I really wanted to get out there and do something that gives back to the community and do things with other people,” Amanda says about her motivations to join the. Friends of the Fells’s Communications Committee. She writes blog posts and helps get information out to Fells community members.

Before joining the Communications Committee, Amanda volunteered at invasive plant removal work days. After attending these events and learning about invasive plants, she noticed large areas of black swallowwort near the Oak Grove T stop. She got in touch with the Fells DCR staff and asked about scheduling an event to remove invasive plants near the T stop. Members of groups like Friends of the Malden River and Bike to the Sea also joined in this event. “It was a cool way to expand something Friends of the Fells repeatedly organizes and spread it out into the community.”

Amanda frequents the Oakdale Park side of the Fells; Pinnacle Rock and the Cascade are two of her favorite places to visit and take in the view. She also walks in the Fells while participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count and considers herself a casual birder.

If you are interested in volunteering, Amanda has some advice for you. “Whatever you are interested in, there is an opportunity that matches that,” says Amanda. “[Volunteering] helps get people outside and get them together.”

Thank you, Amanda, for all that you do for the Fells!

Kyle developed a passion for the outdoors through Scouting in his youth and became a frequent visitor to the Fells shortly after he moved to Cambridge in 2011. He joined the Friends of the Fells as a Trail Adopter in 2017. He enjoys cleaning up trash and invasive plants, as well as learning about and sharing local history.

“I love that there are so many ways to enjoy the Fells— on the trail I meet hikers, bikers, dog walkers, birders, rock climbers, fishermen, and more.”

In addition to being a Trail Adopter, Kyle often leads hikes around the 90mm site in Lawrence Woods to discuss what was once an anti-aircraft artillery defense site that was built during the Korean War. Kyle graduated with his B.A. in Anthropology and English Literature from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2011 and currently works as an IT analyst at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Cambridge.

“I’m excited to be on the board because the Friends of the Fells has such an important role to play in protecting the Fells and making sure it continues to be a place that everybody can enjoy.”

Please join us in welcoming Kyle!

Guided trail run traverses the Fells reservoirs

On Sunday, March 5th, a group of seven dedicated trail runners got together for a scenic run through the western portion of the Middlesex Fells surrounding the reservoirs, sponsored by Friends of the Fells (FOF). These runners were not deterred by wind and snow from the previous day’s storm and were rewarded with sunny weather and gorgeous views. The run started from the Long Pond parking lot in Winchester and traversed the Reservoir Trail and the reservoir access roads over a 6 mile loop covering all three reservoirs. The trails were sloshy but the runners’ spirits stayed high. The runners had a great time and are already looking forward to getting out for another trail run soon.

Shawn Hoyt, who lives near the edge of the Fells in Medford and can frequently be seen running through the Fells on his Instagram account @shawnhoytstayactive, organized and guided the trail run. Shawn is a FOF member, volunteer, and an avid trail runner. Since turning 50 years old, he has run the full length of every marked trail in the Fells Reservation. Shawn is starting to plan for a second run, so watch the FOF website for upcoming details about the next trail run!

Interested in catching some guided hikes in the meantime?

Check out our calendar here!

Thank you to our 2025 Volunteers!