Our Blog
Survey and Save the Forest!
By volunteering just a few hours, you will make a big difference to the Blue Hills! What is 'Survey and Save the Forest'? Survey and Save the Forest is a project to survey the most destructive invasive plants at Ponkapoag Pond so we can develop a management...
Keep our Trails Clean
Friends & REI Co-op partner to Keep Our Trails Clean This June, the Friends are partnering with REI Co-op to help keep the Blue Hills trails clean. Over the past year, a record number of people have visited the Blue Hills Reservation. The park has been an amazing...
Action Alert: Support the Trailside Museum & Blue Hill Observatory
You can help make sure the Blue Hills Trailside Museum and the Blue Hill Observatory have the funding they need to continue to serve thousands of visitors each year. Take Action Please write, call or email your state senator and urge them to include funding for the...
Matt Panucci… All about the Blue Hills
We have been featured on MassRealty.com where they interview Matt Panucci, President of Friends of the Blue Hills. MassRealty is a great resource for Massachusetts Homes for sale.
Take Action: Protect our Parks from Bad Electric Bike Policy
We’ve recently learned that DCR is on the verge of a regulation change that would allow Class 1 electric bicycles access to all DCR trails currently open to traditional mountain bikes. Please send an email to the below elected officials to make sure that DCR develops...
Wetlands and Vernal Pools of the Blue Hills
Permanent and temporary freshwater wetlands are critically important communities in Southern New England. They are home to some of the most unusual and unique plant and animal species in our area. These wetlands also provide vital ecosystem services upon which we...
At the Foot of the Hills: Water and Watersheds in a Warming World
Climate change is here, and waterways like the Neponset River and the neighborhoods around them are already seeing real impacts. In this talk, sponsored by the Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition, Ian Cooke and Kerry Snyder of the Neponset River Watershed Association...
Happy Earth Day!
Thanks to everyone who picked up trees... and planted them! We have given away all the trees and shrubs. Many thanks to REI Co-op for its support!
Virtual Workshop: Plant a Tree on Earth Day
April 22, 4:00 pm online Join REI, the Friends of the Blue Hills, Wakefield Estate and the Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition for a virtual workshop on Earth Day. You will learn how to plant a tree that’s native to your area and discuss the benefits it has on the...
Ponkapoag Pond
The Ponkapoag Trail is a scenic route with beautiful views of the pond. A great trail if you’re looking for a long, peaceful, and scenic walk. Be aware of your surroundings as hikers, bicyclers, and horses frequent the trail. The trail that loops around the entirety...
Managing Climate Impacts on Diverse Plant Collections
The Mary May Binney Wakefield Arboretum is a 25-acre property that lies within the much larger Blue Hills and Neponset River ecosystem. The arboretum’s plant collection includes a very broad range of both native and non-native species. This allows a unique opportunity...
125-Mile Club
What is the125-Mile Club?It’s the ultimate Blue Hills challenge. Hike, bike or run every trail — all 125 miles, at your own pace, on your own timeline — within the Blue Hills Reservation. (Of course you can only bike on the trails permissible for biking -- you can...
Birds and Climate Change
Although the rise of sea levels due to climate change have fairly direct impacts on coastal bird populations, changes in temperature and precipitation patterns also raise less obvious challenges for breeding birds in the Blue Hills and Massachusetts as a whole. This...
Blue Hills Member Challenge Fund
Today, your gift will care for the Blue Hills.. and inspire others to give. Donate now, and your gift, along with each dollar raised in response to this letter, will be pooled to form the Blue Hills Member Challenge Fund. During the spring campaign, we’ll ask others...
Blue Hills Photo Contest 2021
During the pandemic, more people than ever have visited… and fallen in love with the Blue Hills. Enter this year’s photo contest to show why we all love the Blue Hills! Submit a photo to the FREE Blue Hills Photo Contest! Even if you don't want to submit a photo, you...
Farming in the Blue Hills: A Local Farm’s Approach to Climate Change
How most food is grown and transported has significant impacts on the climate and global warming. Approximately 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions is directly related to food production. Learn how you can reduce your carbon footprint by eating locally and...
David Hodgdon, Founder, President, and Executive Director
Although you may not know it, your experience of the Blue Hills has been influenced by David Hodgdon, the Friends’ first president who passed away this February at the age of 78. Those numbers on the intersections of trails that help you find your way… Dave designed...
David Morse, former President and Secretary
For his entire life, David Morse loved hiking the Blue Hills and being in the outdoors. He grew up in the heart of the Blue Hills on Hillside Street in Milton and hiked the park throughout his childhood. As an adult, he lived in the same house where he grew up,...
Blue Hills Noise Pollution Increases During Pandemic
COVID-19 makes two Boston urban parks quieter, but another is noisier When the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown reduced human activity across the United States last spring, Boston University researchers expected a similar decrease in noise pollution in Boston’s parks. While...
Recording Blue Hills Weather: What do the Climate Trends Tell Us?
Recording Blue Hills Weather: What do the Climate Trends Tell Us? The Blue Hill Observatory is the longest continually operating weather observatory in the entire country. This makes it an excellent climate study resource. Don McCasland, Program Director at...
Remembering Stuart Dearborn Babb
Stuart Dearborn Babb, 55, of Milton, passed away peacefully on February 9, 2021. Stuart was an exceptionally kind man with a big heart and a deep love for bad dad jokes and playing pranks on his daughters. He loved all animals (except cats) but his heart belonged to...
Two love stories – a horse and a man with hearts of gold
My two love stories began in the Blue Hills. seven years ago, I met Cody, a handsome chestnut with a heart of gold. The two of us explored Blue Hills trails year-round most weeks until his work was done on January 30, 2019. Cody literally and figuratively carried...
Climate Change in the Blue Hills
Sponsored by the Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition How will climate change alter the Blue Hills over your lifetime… and beyond? How has the park – and the climate - already changed and what can we do to address it? Watch the videos from the 'Climate Change in the...
Where to Cross Country Ski in the Blue Hills
Find Your Way on Cross Country Skis in the Blue Hills By Sue Christensen of Jamaica Plain Friends of the Blue Hills According to FBH members Allen Lapey of Milton and Barbara Meyer’s of Medfield, the Blue Hills offers cross country skiing experiences for everyone,...