The Friends of the Blue Hills worked with a statewide coalition to update the state bottle bill. Updating the bottle bill would have increased recycling and would have helped clean up the Blue Hills – and all our parks. Unfortunately, despite a statewide effort of environmental groups, the opposition spent over $8 million on advertisements that included misleading information.  After the deluge of incorrect incorrect information, the ballot initiative failed.

Nevertheless, we will continue to work with the community to keep our parks clean from litter.

Photo credit: Lisa Irwin, Weymouth

The Friends of the Blue Hills is part of a statewide coalition of environmental groups called the Environmental Collaborative.  As part of this coalition, we advocate for statewide policies that help the Blue Hills, such as increased funding for environmental agencies.  We are particularly interested in making sure the agency that manages the Blue Hills (the Department of Conservation and Recreation) has adequate funding.

Here’s an update on the 2014 budget.

Photo credit: Alison Fox, Canton

Updated November 7, 2014

The Friends of the Blue Hills is working to help protect you and your family from a growing problem that faces our community: more and more people are getting sick with Lyme disease. Through our Healthy Forests; Healthy People campaign we are helping raise awareness in children and adults about what they can do to protect themselves from Lyme disease and how our own health is linked to the health of the forests. If we keep our forests healthy, we keep ourselves healthy. Learn more about about how to prevent Lyme disease.

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November 7, 2014

A private company 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 would have severely damaged the sensitive wetland habitat in Fowl Meadow.

We are exceedingly pleased that the developer, Milton Mews, withdraw its proposal and the property is now on the open market.  Perhaps the developer withdrew because of the blue-spotted salamanders that were found on the property. Maybe it was the area’s archeological significance. Or traffic and safety concerns. Or the historic nature of area. Or the […]

In 2003 the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority began developing plans to convert the eastern half of the Blue Hills Reservoir into two 10 million gallon buried drinking water storage tanks.  The reservoir, built in the 1950’s had been inactive as a public drinking water source since 1981, but served as a protected wetlands area in the reservation along scenic Chickatawbut Road.  The 16 acre reservoir was home to at least five species of native fish, and served as a vital wetlands ecosystem in the Blue Hills Reservation.

Friends of the Blue Hills, with the help of local legislators and citizens, […]

As part of our continuing efforts to keep our members informed and our political leaders responsive, Friends of the Blue Hills held a forum for candidates running in 2010 for the position of State Senate.  About 100 Blue Hills advocates attended the forum to meet candidates, Canton Selectman Bob Burr (R) and Senator Brian A. Joyce (D) and hear how they have supported the Blue Hills and open space in our communities.