Recent News
2007 Summer Picnic Announcement
Our Annual Summer Picnic and Free Concert will take place on Tuesday, August 7, 6:30 p.m. to dusk at Hamilton Place. Bring a picnic supper, your chair or blanket. Kick back & enjoy the music! Grill will be provided. (Rain Date: August 14th) We will have Greg Burroughs, a 21 year old vocal performance major…
New DCR Commissioner
On Wednesday, May 23, 2007, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles named Richard Sullivan, currently mayor of Westfield, to be Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). He takes office June 11.
2007 Spring Cleanup
The Friends and the DCR (formerly the MDC) extend heartfelt thanks to all the many volunteers who helped despite the rainy and cool weather.
The Restoration of Echo Bridge: 2007 Documentation
The Rehabilitation of Echo Bridge in the Hemlock Gorge Reservation has been a long term concern of the Friends. A major restoration of the stone work was completed in 1992, and the Echo Platform was repaired and restored in 2004, but restoration of the Railings remains to be done. An early cost estimate was provided…
Annual Summer Picnic 2006
A special annual treat for the Friends is our Summer Picnic, a time at which we all get together on the property to enjoy the fruits of our labors. At the 2006 picnic we and the Hemlock Gorge Boys bade farewell to longtime Friends member and supporter Bobbi Demers, who has moved back to her family…
Annual Letter to Members, 2006
In 2007, we will continue to work with the Department of Conservation and Recreation and its Urban Park Bureau. We will also continue our partnership with former Site Supervisor Kevin Hollenbeck, now a member of DCR management. We anticipate that a new Site Supervisor will be named in 2007. We hope you will share our…
Echo Bridge Legislative News: 2006
April 29, 2006 Friends’ President Brian Yates has announced that $250,000 for restoration of the railings along the Promenade have been included in the House budget. Support for the appropriation appears strong in the Senate. We will keep you advised. June 15, 2006 $250,000 for the “Echo Bridge Safety Project” was included in the House…
The Rustic Footbridge is rebuilt
The rustic bridge by Artists’ Point, connecting the Newton and Needham shores, has been rebuilt. The photos show the concrete footings for the new bridge next to the deteriorated timbers of the old bridge, the bridge under construction, and the finished bridge as it was left in 2006.
2006 Spring Cleanup
On Saturday, April 29, 2006, The Friends of Hemlock Gorge were joined by a goodly number of volunteers to undertake our spring cleanup. We generally thought the property was in excellent shape, but the day revealed many concerns.
2006 Fall Cleanup
On Saturday, April 29, 2006, The Friends of Hemlock Gorge were joined by a goodly number of volunteers to undertake our spring cleanup. We generally thought the property was in excellent shape, but the day revealed many concerns.
Echo Bridge Promenade is open
The Friends are pleased to report that the Echo Bridge Promenade has re-opened. The safety “snow barriers” are made of wood slats and actually not unsightly. Congratulations to the MWRA, Friends, journalists, officials, and all concerned citizens who help achieve this. We now look forward to working on the permanent solution to the railing problem.
Echo Bridge Promenade to Re-Open During the Railing Repair Process
In response to the efforts of the Friends and local officials, the protests of many local residents, and the publicity generated by front page stories in the last two issues of The Newton Tab, the MWRA informed us on Friday, March 17, 2006 that, instead of closing Echo Bridge to pedestrians indefinitely, temporary “snow barriers”…
