For the past 11 months, we’ve had the pleasure of having Niti Seereeram serve as the Land Stewardship Coordinator at the Friends of the Fells through an AmeriCorps program called TerraCorps.
You may have met Niti at one of her Walks for Wellness, or on one of her many educational programs on vernal pools, trails, or queerness found in nature. Or maybe you spent a few hours with Niti, toiling in the soil removing invasive plants and learning more about them. These programs are but a small part of the positive impact Niti has had in caring for the Fells and supporting the Friends of the Fells community.
Since September of 2024, Niti has been hard at work on a few priority projects. When Niti first arrived at the Fells, she managed our invasive plant management project in the Bellevue Pond area, including documenting invasive plants, leading multiple volunteer groups to manage the invasive plants, and keeping an eye on the area’s progress and transformation throughout the year. These activities resulted in a deeper impact on managing invasive plants and determining how effective our efforts have been in that area.
Over the winter, Niti created the Native Land Learning series, which featured three Massachusetts-based Tribal artists and educators who spoke about a variety of topics. Brad Lopes first discussed indigenous tribes and peoples of the Fells and New England, and then Larry Spotted Crow Mann discussed Nipmuc storytelling in May. Elizabeth James-Perry then brought some of her Wampum art and took attendees on a plant walk through the Fells in July.
During her term with us, Niti also developed a handbook and recruitment system for outing leaders in the Fells, which will be shared with our volunteers soon. We are constantly on the search for engaging and devoted volunteers interested in guiding hikers throughout the Fells on a variety of routes, trails, and topics, and Niti has worked to make that recruitment process easier and more accessible.
In addition to these capacity-building projects, Niti has created multiple educational materials and programs around invasive plants, developed her own programming outside these project areas, and contributed to getting the word out about our volunteering opportunities and programs in local communities.
Thank you, Niti, for all your hard work over the past year! We will miss you dearly and wish you all the best in your future endeavors!