Celebrating 35 Years of Protecting, Preserving and Participating

Beauty and the Blue Hills Photo Contest

For 35 years, hundreds of members and volunteers have supported the Friends of the Blue Hills mission to protect and preserve the beauty of the Blue Hills.  Help show us why!  Enter the “Beauty and the Blue Hills” with your photos showing why we all love the Blue Hills.  Photos can include the animals, insects, plants and views that you love – as well as the people and families that enjoy the Blue Hills.  Enter up to five photos for [...]

Don’t have a lot of time but want a wonderful summit view?  Why not hike Hancock Hill!  Begin this adventure by following the North Skyline Trail at Reservation Headquarters and ascend the first hill, stopping at the first summit. In July, check the top of Hancock Hill for wild blueberries. Return on the same trail.

Parking: In the designated spaces across the street from the Reservation Headquarters (695 Hillside Street, Milton)

For other hiking Boston suggestions, visit our hiking near Boston page.

On the agenda of numerous town meetings is the proposed development that would harm the portion of the Blue Hills called Fowl Meadow.  If you live in Canton or Milton, we encourage you to attend these meetings to encourage our town representatives to protect the sensitive habitat in Fowl Meadow. Learn more about how you can protect Fowl Meadow.

Thursday, June 6th, 6:30pm Milton Board of Selectmen Milton TV studio on Brook Rd at Pierce Middle School in the back parking lot.  Red Awning *** (note this is a new location)

Thursday, June 6th, 6:30pm Milton Planning [...]

Take Action:  Please write to your state legislators to support Bills H.818, H.819 and H.820 which would protect Fowl Meadow wetlands. (See sample letter and legislator contacts below.)

Background:  A private company has proposed building 276 housing units right next to the portion of the Blue Hills, called Fowl Meadow on Brush Hill Road in Milton.  The five-story buildings are proposed on what the state calls an “Area of Critical Environmental Concern.”  We call this forested land ‘critical’ because the plants and animals of Fowl Meadow’s wetland depend on this area for food and habitat.  Plus the higher land filters [...]

An amendment sponsored by Senator Brian A. Joyce to protect the critical environment and wildlife of the Fowl Meadow habitat in Milton and Canton has been voted into the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget.

“Fowl Meadow is an irreplaceable environmental area of critical concern that deserves protection,” said Joyce. “It serves as a habitat to a diverse array of plants and animals, including some rare and endangered species, and also acts as a crucial flood barrier along the Neponset River, protecting homeowners and businesses.”

The amendment requires anyone seeking to significantly alter any priority habitat to receive a statement from [...]

Many thanks to all of you who contacted your state Senators to support the update of the Bottle Bill.  Thanks to you calls, emails and letters, this week the state Senate approved an amendment to the Senate budget that updates the Bottle Bill to include non-carbonated beverage containers.

We want to thank all the Senators — including South Shore Senators Joyce,  Hedlund and Keenan, Creem– who voted for this important legislation.

Thanks to the below update and action steps from our partner, the Environmental League of Massachusetts.

Next Steps

With approval by the Senate in hand, and with support for [...]

Many thanks to Quincy City Councilor Brian Palmucci and the Quincy City Council for passing a resolution in support of H.818 and H.819, two bills intended to preserve the portion of the Blue Hills called Fowl Meadow.

The legislation, introduced by Representative Walter Timilty, is intended to protect Fowl Meadow’s sensitive wetland habitat.  Fowl Meadow and the surrounding area are already designated by the state as an ‘Area of Critical Environmental Concern.’  Significant building activity, like a proposed 276-unit development, would threaten the rare and endangered species, disrupt drainage and water purification to the wetland and generally degrade the habitat.

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Join us for  Green Up the Blue Hills to remove garlic mustard on June 2 at Ponkapoag Pond.  Garlic mustard can take over portions of a forest and threaten native species, but it was probably brought over from Europe for food.  Try it in a salad.  Maybe weeding garlic mustard for salads will be the next big thing!

Garlic Mustard Pesto

• 3 cups Garlic Mustard leaves, washed, patted dry, and packed in a measuring cup
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
• 1 cup Walnuts
• 1 cup Olive Oil
• 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 cup grated [...]