FellsDOG Partnering with DCR for Park Serve Day

| April 13, 2011 | Around Medford | No Comments

The Middlesex Fells Dog Owner Group (FellsDOG) is co-sponsoring a park clean up at the Fells on Saturday, April 16, Park Serve Day, a statewide day of volunteering organized by the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

Park Serve Day at the Middlesex Fells is from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at Flynn Rink, 300 Elm Street, Medford.

In addition to FellsDOG, the Friends of the Middlesex Fells, New England Mountain Bike Association – Greater Boston Chapter and the Massachusetts Sierra Club are cosponsoring the clean up.

The DCR will provide tools, including pick-up sticks, trash bags and work gloves. Volunteers are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and protective clothing and to consider using sunscreen and insect repellent.

“Just as dog owners come from all walks of life, we represent a cross-section of Fells users,” said Michele Biscoe of Somerville, a founding member of FellsDOG. “We aren’t just throwing balls for our dogs at Sheepfold. We walk and hike with our dogs, we mountain bike with our dogs, we cross-country ski with our dogs. Park Serve Day is an opportunity for us to share our love for the Fells and to help make it a better place for everyone to enjoy. We encourage volunteers make other arrangements for their pets on Park Serve Day itself.”

The DCR completed the initial public comment period for a Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Middlesex Fells Reservation at the end of March. “Not everyone who participated in the RMP process agrees with us that the Fells can or should accommodate all current recreational uses,” Biscoe said. “On Park Serve Day, we will put our differences aside. The message of Park Serve Day is that public park land is precious, and that is something all tax-paying residents of the Commonwealth can support.”

Additional information about Park Serve Day is available online from the Department of Conservation and Recreation at http://parkserv.env.state.ma.us/home.aspx.

FellsDOG has a discussion group on Google Groups at http://www.fellsdog.org.

– Submitted by Michele Biscoe