Public Meeting on Fells Trails September 20

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will hold a public meeting in Medford on September 20 to discuss the draft trail system plan for the Middlesex Fells Reservation.

The 2,575-acre Middlesex Fells Reservation contains a diverse landscape of ponds, rocky hills and ledges, meadows, woodlands, and wetlands. The Reservation, which covers parts of Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, and Winchester, offers a wealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources to visitors from the Boston metropolitan region and beyond.

The public meeting will be Monday, Sept. 20, 2010, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., in the McGlynn School Auditorium, 3002 Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford.

“The Middlesex Fells Reservation is an extraordinary urban resource offering any number of recreational opportunities,” said DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. “But it also needs, and deserves, to be protected and managed to ensure its long-term sustainability.”

The draft Trail System Plan represents the culmination of a nine-month public process to create a set of recommendations that improve protection of sensitive natural and cultural resources and enhance the recreational experiences of various users. The plan provides guidance for short- and long-term management of trails, sets priorities for allocating limited staff and financial resources, and identifies stewardship partners and opportunities. The document will function as a stand-alone trails plan and also will be a component of a future Resource Management Plan for the entire Reservation.

At the public meeting, DCR staff members will present an overview of the plan’s contents and recommendations.

Following the meeting, the full draft plan will be available to the public on the DCR website at www.mass.gov/dcr/news/publicmeetings/greenwaysfellspast.htm.

– Information and photo from state Department of Conservation and Recreation.