Background
Posted on
17th June 2010
At 7,000 acres, the Blue Hills Reservation (BHR) is the largest public park within the metropolitan Boston area, and contains a wealth of recreational and conservation opportunities. Tens of thousands of people enjoy the wild beauty of the BHR every year. Because the Blue Hills is a state preserve, however, most people understandably assume that development is prohibited, that the park’s natural and recreational resources are protected. They are unaware of the pressure exerted by private developers and state agencies to develop the parkland. They also don’t understand how cuts in state funding mean the government cannot adequately maintain the trails or protect wildlife populations from the affects of invasive species.
Most people are unaware that the Reservation needs Friends.
The Friends of the Blue Hills (FBH) was formed by a group of people that recognized the vulnerability of the Reservation. People who support FBH – both our volunteers and donors – understand that their support is essential to preserving and protecting the Blue Hills Reservation by supporting our efforts to: protect the park from private development, work with the state government to develop a plan to manage the park, to protect wildlife by mapping invasive species and to encourage access to the Reservation by maintaining the trails.