Publications of the Friends

Makers of the Mold, a full-length illustrated history of the Newton Upper Falls community which borders Hemlock Gorge, is available only on the Web. Authored by Historian, Conservationist, and Friend Ken Newcomb, who passed away in 2002. Copies of the print edition of The Makers of the Mold can be purchased online and are also available at several local restaurants, convenience stores and cafes. The full list of outlets can be found here.

A Walking Tour of Hemlock Gorge

This work is available only at this Web site.

Schedule of Meetings of the Friends

Meetings are held at the Emerson Community Center on Pettee Street in Newton Upper Falls on the first Tuesday of the month unless otherwise indicated!

For a MAP showing the location, click here.

• Annual Summer Picnic of the Friends.  Scheduled for August 2, 2011, 6:00 p.m. to dusk at Hamilton Place. We will have music again. For a MAP showing the location, click here.
• Tuesday, September 6, 2011
• Tuesday, October 4, 2011
• Saturday October x, 2011: Annual Fall Cleanup of Hemlock Gorge.  Volunteers should meet at Hamilton Place between 9:30 and 10 a.m. For a MAP showing the location, click here. Parking available at Hamilton Place, the Mills Falls parking lot, and at the Hemlock Gorge parking lot at the intersection of Ellis St. and Rte. 9. Spruce-up materials supplied and Refreshments provided for all volunteers!  Please dress appropriately for the work and weather (rain or shine).
• Tuesday, November 1, 2011
• Tuesday, December 6, 2011
• Tuesday, January 3, 2012
• 2012 Spring Cleanup Coming in April will be held on Saturday, April, X. Volunteers should meet at Hamilton Place between 9:30 and 10 a.m. For a MAP showing the location, click here. Parking available at Hamilton Place, the Mills Falls parking lot, and at the Hemlock Gorge parking lot at the intersection of Ellis St. and Rte. 9. Spruce-up materials supplied and Refreshments provided for all volunteers!  Please dress appropriately for the work and weather (rain or shine).

Other Dates and Events of Interest

• Sunday, April x, 2012 Annual RUN of the CHARLES Canoe and Kayak Race.
  • 6 or 9 Mile Recreational Races
  • 19 Mile Racing and Recreational Events
  • 24 Mile Relay for Canoe only
  • Professional Flatwater 26.2 mile Canoe Marathon
  • Visit www.crwa.org or call 800-969-RACE or 508-698-6810 or email crwarotc@aol.com for information

The Friends' Resources and Archives

1. Our most important Resource is People!

• What you can do as a Friend of Hemlock Gorge
• How to join the Friends

2. History

• Ken Newcomb's Walking Tour of Hemlock Gorge
• Ken Newcomb's Makers of the Mold, a history of Newton Upper Falls and the Industrial Age of Hemlock Gorge
• Brian Yates' A Brief History of the Friends of Hemlock Gorge
• Charles Eliot and A Brief History of Hemlock Gorge

3. Contemporary Challenges Facing the Hemlock Gorge Reservation

• The Woolly Adelgid, an insect whose advance northward threatens the forest in Hemlock Gorge and elsewhere.
• Legislation to combat the adelgid that was passed through our efforts.
• Land acquisition at the margins of the Reservation.
• The Restoration of the Echo Bridge Railings
• Other legislation that has been proposed through our efforts to promote the Restoration
• The Restoration of The Friends' Bridge
• The construction of Fish Ladders along the Gorge section of the Charles
• The walkways projected as part of the Upper Charles River Master Plan
• The problem of the downstream lands along Quinobequin Road
• The recently passed Rivers Protection Act may have a major impact on Hemlock Gorge and its neighbors

4. Local Governmental, Civic, and Conservation Organizations Online

Government

• The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
  The guardian of Hemlock Gorge
• The Newton Conservation Commission
  Has authority over the DCR in matters relating to water
• Department of Conservation and Recreation Reservations Guide
  This is a good site if you know which reservation you want to visit or if you want to see a map and choose a reservation near you.
• The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
• Massachusetts Community Forestry Council (MCFC): www.mcfc.org
• The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) brings the Boston Metro area its drinking water and is the guardian of Echo Bridge
• Federal agencies for the preservation of natural plants: http://www.nps.gov/plants/

Non-governmental Organizations

• The Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA)
• The Green Decade Coalition
  This is a Newton, MA organization that works to create sustainable solutions to environmental problems facing the city and the world.
• The Newton Conservators
  A community group focused on conservation of parks and open land in Newton.
• Hemlock Gorge borders adjoins the communities of Needham, Wellesley, and Newton.
• Friends of the Boston Public Garden
• The Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation
  The Friends of the Fells is an all volunteer organization with a mission to protect and preserve the natural and historic resources of the Middlesex Fells Reservation. In addition, we assist the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) formerly the MDC, in educating the public about the natural, cultural and appropriate recreational features in the Fells.
• The Friends of Breakheart Reservation
  The Friends of Breakheart Reservation is a volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of Breakheart Reservation and Camp Nihan.
• The Friends of Lynn Woods
  The Friends of Lynn Woods have formed to ensure the perpetual existence of the Lynn Woods Reservation as outlined by the Indentured Trust of December of 1881. Our aim is to protect the Woods from development and exploitation, and maintain the Woods as a natural and unspoiled forest preserve.
• Friends of the Blue Hills
  The Friends of the Blue Hills work to restore, preserve and protect approximately 8,000 acres of the Historic Blue Hills and Neponset River Reservations. Active volunteer committees work on the preservation of historic, cultural, natural, and recreational resources. The Friends also run a series of outdoor activities and workshops year-round.
• The Friends of Walden Pond
  The Friends of Walden Pond is a key outreach activity of The Thoreau Society. The Society works with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which manages the Reservation, to develop and sponsor interpretive programs that connect Walden, the book, to Walden, the place. The Society funds work to protect the spot that continues to inspire people in this new century as it did when it became Thoreau's laboratory, sanctuary and study in the woods.
• Charles River Conservancy
  The Charles River Conservancy (CRC) is dedicated to the renovation, maintenance and enrichment of the Charles River Basin and its surroundings, particularly its parks, parkways, and bridges. Founded in 1999, the CRC is a nonprofit advocacy group that works to create better understanding of the best uses of the basin through education, public dialogue, and interpretive programs. Promotion of increased access, good planning, and management practices is designed to enhance the architecture landscape, and amenities of the basin.
• The Trustees of Reservations
  This web site is your window into the diverse work of The Trustees of Reservations, the nation's oldest private, statewide conservation and preservation organization. Since 1891, we have protected over 33,000 acres of land in Massachusetts, including 82 public reservations representing many of the state's most scenic, ecologically rich, and historically important landscapes.
• Massachusetts Audubon Society
  Massachusetts Audubon Society, the largest conservation organization in New England, works to
  preserve the natural world through conservation, education, and environmental advocacy. We protect
  more than 29,000 acres of conservation land in Massachusetts, conduct educational programs for nearly 175,000 schoolchildren each year, and advocate for sound environmental policies at the local, state, and federal levels. We maintain 41 wildlife sanctuaries that are open to the public and serve as a land base for our education, conservation and advocacy programs.
• The Arnold Arboretum has sponsored talks on the Woolly Adelgid and its plans to combat the adelgid are at http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/LC/Hemlocks/hemlacti.htm
• National Natural Landmarks Program, which we hope may have the gorge designated as a national landmark: http://www.nature.nps.gov/partner/nnlp.htm
• NorumbegaPark.com
  This website is keeping alive the memory of the Norumbega amusement park, a popular "trolley" park on the Charles River in the Auburndale section of Newton, MA. Norumbega Park opened in 1897 and closed in 1963. The famous "Totem Pole Ballroom" was located here.

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Our Archives

• Annual Report to Members for the year 2009
  All Annual Reports for 1993-present
• Minutes of Meetings, back to 1992
• Archive of adelgid news stories that have appeared on our web site
• Archive of general news stories that have appeared on our web site
• Archive of pictures from our Cleanups
• Archive of pictures from our Picnics
• Financial information: contributions and expenses
• Officers of the Friends, 2006-2007
• Text of legislation that was proposed in 1999 through our efforts to combat the adelgid.
• A Celebration for the Friends' late Historian and Author, Ken Newcomb was held on Thursday, November 19, 1998 to celebrate Internet publication of Makers of the Mold. Click here to see our photo album of that night.

The Friends were honored with a beautification award from the City of Newton in 1997! Click here for the story. Click on the small picture to see a larger image of the award.

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• You can send e-mail to the Friends at . You can contact the DCR Site Supervisor for Hemlock Gorge by writing to Erica Aubin at . Former site supervisor Kevin Hollenbeck () is now an administrator at DCR. You can write directly to Friends President Brian Yates at .
   
• There have been visitors since December 5, 1996!
   
• The Friends of Hemlock Gorge Web Site went on line on December 2, 1996, when we were all much younger.
   
• This page was last updated Wednesday, January 04, 2012. Send comments about the web site to our webmaster at . A volunteer to help with web site maintenance and modernization would be welcome.

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