2025 Member Spotlights

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.”

Last year, we featured five conservationists, environmentalists, and outdoor leaders for Women’s History Month. This year, we’re excited to feature additional women who are influencing environmental causes today through their writing, editing, and adventures in the outdoors.

Robin Wall Kimmerer. Photograph by Dale Kakkak

Robin Wall Kimmerer authored the bestseller Braiding Sweetgrass where she intertwines the learnings of Western science and Indigenous teachings and knowledge. Kimmerer is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and is a speaker, professor, author, and scientist with a special interest in reciprocal relationships found in nature.

Deborah Cramer followed the migration path of the red knot sandpiper, a 19,000 mile journey. Cramer wrote the book The Narrow Edge: A Tiny Bird, an Ancient Crab, and an Epic Journey, a book following her journey and exploring the life of this bird and its connection to the human world.
Sophia Danenberg.

Camille Dungy edited Black Nature, the first collection of nature poems written by Black poets. She’s also the author of Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden, which underlines the importance of diversity in all aspects of our lives, whether in the plants in our gardens or the people in our communities.

Sophia Danenberg was the first Black woman to summit Mount Everest in 2006. She’s also tackled Mount Kilimanjaro, Rainier, Denali, and Aconcagua after diving into rock climbing in the late 1990s.

Need more book recommendations? Prepare those picnic baskets and grab one of the books listed in the resources below to enjoy our approaching spring:

Photo credit: Michael A. Estrada

Want to learn more about women that who have grown the conservation and environmental spaces? Check out the list below:

Follow the work of these organizations and the folks listed above and learn more about Women’s History Month here!

Featured photo by Michael A. Estrada.

Last year, we featured five Black conservationalists, environmentalists, and outdoor leaders for Black History Month. This year, we’re excited to feature more influential Black outdoors folks in addition to authors and organizations who impact the environmental and conservation spaces.

Robinson showing reading to kids from his book. Photo credit to John C. Robinson.

Corina Newsome is a wildlife biologist with a specific focus on avian conservation. She helped organize the first Black Birders Week in 2020 and has a passion for connecting environmental justice and conservation.

John C. Robinson is a professional ornithologist focusing on making birding and other environmental-related activities more accessible for minorities. Robinson published a book called Birding is for Everyone, which explores why so few minorities are in the birding space and how that can change.

Dudley Edmondson is a professional photographer, author, and filmmaker with a special focus on nature and people in the outdoors. He wrote Black & Brown Faces in America’s Wild Places, a book that interviews African American park rangers, biologists, and more.
Photo by Tim Johnson from NPR article on Nelson.

Alexis Nikole Nelson, aka @blackforager on Instagram, is a full-time forager and environmental educator. She has a massive following online and teaches people how to forage in their own backyards and cook delicious meals with what they find.

Carl Anthony founded the organization, Urban Habitat, in 1989 to address environmental injustices in the Bay Area and build advocacy and empowerment among low-income communities. He wrote his memoir, The Earth, the City, and the Hidden Narrative of Race, in 2017 about his childhood, issues of race, and environmental injustice.

This week’s weather makes for some perfect indoor-reading time! Cozy up with a blanket and some tea and check out some of the books listed below:

  • National Wildlife Federation has a beautiful list of books written by Black authors, which you can view here.
  • Green Learning also compiled a list of 25 books that you can view here.
  • California Naturalist has a list of books of all kinds here.
Edmonson bird watches. Photo by Nancy Edmonson and shared in The Nature Conservancy article.

Want to learn more about organizations that are encouraging more Black representation in the outdoor and environmental spaces? Check out the list below:

Follow the work of these organizations and the folks listed above and learn more about Black History Month here!

by Niti Seereeram

Winter is in full swing! The Fells landscape may be draped in snow, but there is still lots to explore on the trails. Read on to learn about what’s happening in the Fells this season.

In winter conditions, it is important to take proper precautions and stay inside if you feel unsafe. Winter storms can cause hazards on the trails such as slippery ice, fallen trees, low visibility, and freezing temperatures. When planning an expedition in the Fells, please check the local weather for heavy precipitation, ice, and storm conditions. We suggest wearing lots of warm layers, durable hiking boots with traction, and micro-spikes for snow and ice-covered trails. Hiking poles are also helpful in providing extra support and grip.

Once you’re properly equipped for the winter weather, it’s time to go out and explore! Tracks in the snow provide excellent insights into the activity of our local wildlife, including white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbits, and coyotes.
Photo courtesy of mass.gov/masswildlife.

When tracking in the field, it’s useful to carry a field guide to identify tracks, a ruler to measure track size, a note-taking device, and a camera to take pictures of your observations.

Track patterns are often classified as hoppers, zig-zaggers, waddlers, and bounders. “Hoppers” include animals that move in short jumps with their back feet landing in front of their front feet, such as mice, squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks. “Bounders”, which include otters, fishers, and minks, move in larger leaps that leave two tracks alongside each other. Animals including woodchucks, beavers, and bears are “waddlers”, creating lopsided tracks as they move one side of their body at a time. Finally, “zig-zaggers” walk carefully, with their rear feet landing exactly where their front feet landed. Animals that display this track pattern include deer, foxes, coyotes, moose, and bobcats and are also called “perfect walkers.”
One of our frequent hikers, Circe, loves the Fells!

While on the search for wildlife tracks, you’re likely to encounter some that belong to a more familiar domestic species – dogs! While we love exploring the Fells with our furry friends, we must also acknowledge that all organisms make an impact on the land on which they are treading. The Middlesex Fells Reservation is a vital resource for local plants, animals, and people. While recreating in the Fells, it is important to properly dispose of dog poop and other “biopollution,” or biological pollution, that can leach harmful chemicals or parasites into the ecosystem if left in the park. To learn more about the impact of human recreation and biopollution on the environment, check out this map of dog poop bags in the Fells created by our partner organization Earthwise Aware (EwA).

There are many ways humans can sustainably recreate in the Fells. In 2024, we launched the Be Kind! Campaign with the Department of Conservation and Recreation and local town partners to provide all trail users with simple and meaningful ways to protect the Middlesex Fells:

  • Stay on official Fells roads and trails: Avoid user-made “rogue trails” that disrupt sensitive habitats, soils, and hundreds of plant and animal species in the Fells, that can be easily disrupted by straying off the trail. Need a map with the official trails? Email us at friends@fells.org!
  • Pack It In/Pack It Out: By packing out all trash and belongings, you’re allowing the environment around you to flourish and delight you on your next visit.
  • Dogs should be leashed while on the trail to prevent disruption to wildlife and enable all guests to share the trails, including people who may be fearful of an unknown dog approaching them (outside of designated off-leash areas).
Photo by Amanda Treat.

While the snow and ice can seem daunting, there are many fantastic ways to have fun in the Fells this winter! In addition to hiking, cross-country skiing is permitted on the trails. One popular winter activity in the Fells is ice climbing at the Cascade in Melrose. Just be sure to have a safety harness, rope, and climbing partner. Ice-climbing is done at the climber’s own risk.

Do you have a favorite winter activity in the Fells that you would like to share? Friends of the Fells accepts photography donations via this form.

Banner and icon image by Mary H. New.

Article Resources:

Volunteers remove Glossy buckthorn from along Spot Pond.

While winter is technically a “slower” season, our volunteers showed no signs of slowing down. Since October, 164 volunteers donated 346 hours to remove ten piles of bittersweet, buckthorn, and multiflora rose and conduct trail maintenance over by the Medford end of the Cross Fells trail. They also removed two bags of trash from Straw Point.
Volunteers close rogue trails in the Whip Hill area of the Fells.

We trained 18 new Trail Adopters to help us monitor the trails and keep them clear and safe for all to use. On December 13th, nine volunteers helped us close three rogue trails in the Whip Hill area of Greenwood Park. These pilot closures will help us learn how to best tackle future trail closure projects in the Fells. Trail Adopters will continue to monitor these closures to ensure they remain closed. Please help us by staying on marked trails only!

What are “rogue” trails and why are we closing them? Great question! 

Rogue trails (also known as unauthorized or unofficial trails) are unmarked trails that are often user-created and not sanctioned by the DCR. They can lead to visitors getting lost, and they create additional erosion issues, fragment habitat, and decrease the size of undisturbed areas where wildlife can live. 

We are closing these trails to reduce our impact on the Fells and to restore sensitive habitats for our plant and wildlife species. Learn more about rogue trails and our work here.
Volunteers remove buckthorn from along Spot Pond.

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

  • Bevi
  • Buckingham Browne & Nichols School
  • Cambridge Running Club
  • Gay for Good

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.

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!
Photo by Mary H. New

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.
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