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Image by Eric Beacom
Welcome to the website of the Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation. Our mission is to protect and preserve the natural and historic resources of the 2500 acres of the Fells through public outreach and support.  Contact us at: friends@fells.org  781/662-2340.  It's easy to become a member. We are located at 4 Woodland Road, Stoneham, MA 02180, adjacent to the Spot Pond Visitor Center.  
Please visit the Friends of Fells new blog to share thoughts, ideas, concerns about the Fells Reservation!

Calendar and Newsletter Issues!

  Note: Calendars and Newsletters are available as easy to read Adobe® PDF files; if your computer needs the PDF Reader it is available free here

For our Spring/Summer Newsletter click here
Fall Calendar of events click here

Babes in the Woods program click here
Record year for Hawk sightings at Pinnacle Rock

by Craig Jackson

"After two poor fall migration seasons, Pinnacle Rock’s totals this past Fall (2007) returned to those of the 2002-03 seasons, slightly surpassing the record set in 2003.  In part this was clearly a result of increased coverage (for the first time slightly over 100 hours), but to a larger extent it was also the conjunction of good winds on weekends and additional observers." To read rest of report click here. [To participate on a Pinnacle Rock hawk watch email Craig at crleja@yahoo.com] 

Mystery Solved!  Fells MIT Observatory 'Discovered'

For as many years as generations of hikers have passed by the 15 foot square foundation of stones found on the south central section of the Fells Rock Circuit Trail there has been a puzzling question: ‘what purpose could that structure have possibly served in the past?’  But now, thanks to Appalachian Mountain Club local walks committee hike leader Mike Stadelmaier, the mystery has been solved.

According to information forwarded to the Friends from Mike we have learned that in 1899 the MIT Civil Engineering Department constructed a Geodetic Observatory at the site which was chosen because it was sufficiently elevated and free from vibrations and magnetic disturbances.  A report in the Technology Quarterly [Vol. XII, MIT 1899] described the fieldstone building as having a 14 inch wide north-south slit in the roof for making astronomical observations to assist students learning geodetic surveying techniques including measuring longitude and latitude and making magnetic and gravity observations.

It is not known for how long the building was in use.  In recent years the stone foundation has been increasingly vandalized, as the site has become a gathering spot for drinking activities.  As such it is generally strewn with broken bottles and evidence of fires. It has been many years since authorities have broken up such gatherings in most Fells locations.






    Observatory foundation vandalism


THE FELLS – A NATURAL TREASURE

Why have the Fells been preserved for generations of Bostonians? Read about its unique and fascinating history. This section also contains interesting facts regarding the Fells' geology and flora and fauna.        

Visit www.FoundintheFells.com to help you identify the notable flowers and plants on your next Fells visit.




 

Fall Events


For Babes in the Woods hikes & strolls click here

Long Pond Nature Trail
Saturday, Oct. 11   1:00pm to 3:00pm

Leader: Andrew Celentano
Interpretive hike though several habitats, geological, and man made features with Friends of the Fells Chairman Andrew Celentano. Meet at the Long Pond parking lot at the north end of South Border Rd., Winchester. An easy to moderate hike. Rain cancels.
It’s Your Nature:  Crafts
Tuesday, Oct. 14  3:30pm to 5:00pm

Leaders: DCR Staff
Pinecone Creations: Challenge your creativity in this Free, all ages, staff-led workshop. Materials will be provided; you are welcome to bring small found objects to add your personal touch. Meet at the DCR Botume House Visitor Center, 4 Woodland Rd., Stoneham, ½- mile south of Stone Zoo.
Rock Circuit Trail
Saturday, Oct. 18 10:00am to 2:00pm

Leader: Mike Doucette
Hike the southeast corner of the Fells over hills and ledges with views to the south and east. We’ll visit Pinnacle Rock, a great place to watch the hawk migration, and the Cascade, which lives up to its name after heavy rains. The trail is steep
and rocky in many places. Wear boots, bring snacks, plenty of water, and insect repellent. Meet at the Flynn Rink Parking Lot on Woodland Rd. at
the Elm St., Highland Ave., Woodland Rd. rotary.

Family Hike
Sunday, Oct. 19  1:00pm to 3:00pm

Leaders: Gael and Rich Motz
Can't get away to leaf peep? The leaves are amazing right here in the Middlesex
Fells. Here's a family friendly fall tour on a Sunday afternoon. Collect leaves, climb rocks, and ford streams with Fells enthusiasts Rich & Gael Motz and their gentle dog, Belle. Take the blue-blazed Cross Fells Trail to overlooks of local ponds and see the woods preparing for winter. Questions? Email:motzstars@comcast.net.
Meet at the exercise area at the Flynn Rink Parking Lot at the corner
of Elm St. and Woodland Rd., Medford for a memorable hike. Heavy rain cancels.



Planning a visit? Click the following link to find out about the variety of activities the Middlesex Fells has to offer, from hiking to educational lectures and nature walks.
More activities and events.


GET INVOLVED!
Volunteering, trail maintenance, trail adoption; these are several of the simple and effective ways through which you can help preserve the rich heritage of the Middlesex Fells for yourself and future generations. Visit our submissions page to view photos and stories contributed by friends of the Fells. Current Volunteer Opportunities: we are looking for hike leaders, grant writers, special events assistants, and much much more.The Middlesex Fells are ours to enjoy and protect. Please look at our Get Involved page for more information!



   Virginia Wood          Photos Mike Ryan



Family hike at Bellevue Pond     

“What we wanted in the Fells was a bit of Nature in our midst that we might watch its workings...We wanted our tree covered rocks and cliffs that these might lift themselves up by friendly trunks and swing themselves down by branches...we wanted dark, crowded places, even jungles, that we might press through them and come out upon wild pictures which we had never dreamed were there.”
[Ellen Wright, 1906]
2060 ACRES, DON'T GET LOST!

Purchase a map for your next visit and support the efforts of the Friends of the Fells.
Maps may be purchased.



Comprehensive 1995 – 2007 Middlesex Fells Reservation Bird List

Observers: Dana & Inge Jewell, Friends of the Middlesex Fells and Marj Rines, Menotomy Bird Club here

Image by Eric Beacom Special Event!: Arlo Guthrie in concert November 16, Melrose Memorial Hall, to benefit Thoreau Society: information here.

Friends of Fells Annual Meeting: October 22, Winchester MA, 7pm; featuring the Director of the Eagle Eye Institute speaking on Using the Power of Nature to Transform Urban Youth; details here.

Hawk Watching on Pinnacle Rock
       Weekends in September & October     
       
Leader: Craig Jackson
Most weekends in September and in October there is a good chance you will find Craig Jackson of Eastern Mass Hawk Watch on Pinnacle Rock on the side trail from the Rock Circuit Trail.  Come with binoculars and learn about the hawks that migrate south over the Fells when the west/northwest winds are strong. The Fellsway East Parking Area at Gate 53 is a 15 minute walk from Pinnacle Rock. See the trail map in the Fellsway East bulletin board for directions to Pinnacle Rock. For scheduling email Craig at crleja@yahoo.com


Rare sighting! Bobcat photographed at edge of Middlesex Fells!

Early in the month of July Medford naturalist and photographer George McLean got one of the surprises of his life when he had the great fortune to photograph a young bobcat adjacent to the Fells Reservation.  As he recounted his story to a Boston Globe reporter quick instincts paid off.
"To the left, I saw a pair of eyes," said McLean, a semiretired 73-year-old who has been photographing wildlife for some 50 years. "I swung around, and click-click-click. It was gone, and I looked down at what I got on the camera. I said, 'God, that's a bobcat.'  MassWildlife's Laura Hajduk told the Globe that it could be that the Fells is providing adequate habitat for the animal to thrive. Bobcats are rarely seen in eastern Massachusetts, she said, and prefer rocky ledges for dens.  Read the story here.


     Photo: George McLean

Image by Eric Beacom

ALERT:  'LANGWOOD COMMONS' PROJECT  UPDATE

Fells project to get environmental review
Development's impact a concern

Boston Globe/ July 4, 2008 By Stephanie Ebbert

Under fire from parks advocates, state environmental officials reversed earlier pronouncements and said yesterday that a full environmental review will be required for a major development in the Middlesex Fells Reservation.

The decision comes six months after the Gutierrez Co., the developer, asserted that it had already reduced its plans so dramatically that the Langwood Commons project should no longer be subject to review under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act.

The reversal was a victory for parks advocates, who had charged that the developer was unfairly skirting environmental scrutiny with the help of the Patrick administration, which has committed to accelerating permits for businesses.
A leading advocate for the Fells said yesterday that he was pleased that the administration reconsidered the potential impact after hearing from thousands of concerned residents and park users.

"There is a learning curve; we have a new governor, a new secretary, a new commissioner," said Mike Ryan, executive director of the Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation.

"I think it maybe took a little bit of time for this new administration to analyze the situation and come to the right conclusion that this is a project that's going to have some real, serious impacts, just like the previous environmental secretaries and DCR commissioners had."

Neither the development company nor its attorney returned calls yesterday.
The Langwood Commons site in Stoneham is unusual in that it is completely surrounded by park land and a state-owned parkway, though it was originally developed by the Seventh Day Adventist Church before the Fells was established as conservation land. The Boston Regional Medical Center, which was abandoned nearly a decade ago, still stands there, as well as still-operating medical office buildings and an assisted-living facility.

The Gutierrez Co. and Simpson Housing plan to build 405 residential units and 225,000 square feet of office space, a project that was already scaled back to satisfy a lawsuit from neighbors.

The plans underwent years of state environmental review, and the developer participated in a roadway redesign at the request of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, which oversees the Fells and nearby parkways. But when another state entity, the Massachusetts Historical Commission, objected to the parkway changes, the Gutierrez Co. withdrew in frustration, telling the state it was abandoning the traffic changes and therefore would no longer need an environ- mental review.

The Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act requires permitting agencies to study the environmental consequences of developments. The often-lengthy process gives the public input and typically requires builders to modify plans to reduce or compensate for any harm.

But MEPA only applies to projects of a certain size or to those that need state permits. Ian A. Bowles, secretary of energy and environmental affairs who oversees DCR, had said previously that it appeared that Langwood Commons could legally withdraw from the process if there were no roadway changes. But he said that DCR would review whether it had the authority to require additional traffic analysis or parkway changes.

In its review, which took six months, DCR agreed with activists' assertion that the thousands of cars coming to the new Stoneham development would pose a public safety risk on the narrow parkways. Therefore, either the state or the developer would have to improve the roadways, triggering a mandatory environmental review.
"DCR believes that a responsibility exists to make sure the parkways are reasonably safe for its users," Jack Murray, the DCR deputy commissioner, wrote in a letter to the MEPA director.

As proposed, Langwood Commons would have no traffic lights or crosswalks to help the new residents walk to the Fells, Murray noted. And cars waiting along Woodland Road to turn into the development could cause backups and dangers on the parkway, he wrote. Either the developer or the state would have to alter parkways to guard against those public safety risks, he determined.

Bowles wrote a letter to the developer yesterday saying that Langwood Commons must make changes to accommodate the additional traffic and complete an environmental review. "I find that the project comprises not just the office space and housing that you propose to construct, but also the traffic improvements that are reasonably needed to ensure safe and convenient travel for pedestrians and motorists," Bowles wrote.

Ryan said the activists will continue to monitor the project, but are pleased it will be subject to a thorough review because of the sensitive surroundings. "This is very, very important. It all comes down to whether or not the public can continue to enjoy the reservation with backed-up traffic, noise, and pollution," Ryan said.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.



Mass Historical Commission letter opposes Gutierrez Co. changes to Fells Spot Pond parkways, here