|
25°
Partly Cloudy
Winds WNW
12 MPH
|
Humidity:
|
45% |
|
Feels Like:
|
14° |
|
Dew Point:
|
10° |
|
Barometer:
|
29.88" &uarr |
|
Visibility:
|
10.0 Miles |
|
UV Index:
|
0 Low |
|
Sunset:
|
5:09 PM |
|
|
|
MON
19°
|
TUE
37°
24°
|
WED
34°
25°
|
THU
34°
17°
|
FRI
32°
17°
|
|
|
 Did you know the Charles River Conservancy & the DCR are planning on building a huge skate park underneath the Rt 93 & Rt 1 connector? Please help support what will be the country's biggest skate park, and donate if you can.
|
Weather by weather.com
|
Welcome to FellsBiker.com. This is a web site for the many people that enjoy mountain biking, hiking, running, horse back riding, and more in the Middlesex Fells Reservation. The Woods are approximately 2,075 acres in size, located just a few miles North of Boston. The Woods take up space in five towns: Stoneham, Medford, Winchester, Melrose and just a little bit of Malden.
|
|
|
January 30th, 2010
The DCR is holding a public meeting on February 8th. Its very important for bikers to have a strong presence at this meeting, so that we can get a fair piece of the pie.
This new trail planning process is likely going to lead to major revisions to the current "ban bikes from practically everything" single track policy in the fells. As many bikers as possible need to attend to make sure bike-hating groups don't kill this rare chance we have to make changes in the Fells.
Here is the press release from the DCR:
Dear Middlesex Fells Friends and Stakeholders:
We want to update you on the ongoing Middlesex Fells Reservation Trail System Planning Process, and request your assistance.
Over the past few months, we have been completing our Trail Inventory for the Fells, have met with partner agency landowners in the Fells, and have invited user and stakeholder input via the internet.
In order to gain additional public input into the process, we are planning to hold a Trail Planning Workshop:
Date: Monday, February 8, 2010
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location: McGlynn School Auditorium, 3001 Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford
At this workshop we anticipate the following agenda:
- Overview of Trails Planning Process
- Brief Overview of Fells Trail Conditions and Issues
- Q&A (time limited)
- Stakeholder Workshop: Attendees will participate in small group discussions during which they will review maps of the trail system and add their input as to access points, desired routes, potential connections, trail issues and problems, and potential solutions. Their input will be reported out to the group-at-large.
- Next Steps
Attached is a press release that DCR has issued announcing this workshop, along with a .pdf document for sharing. We encourage you to reach out to your constituents and neighbors, and invite them to attend the workshop to provide input.
The draft trail plan is anticipated to be completed by April of 2010.
For additional information and updates, please see this link
DCR’s staff looks forward to the ongoing participation of our valued partners as this process moves forward.
Thank you, and have a good week!
- Conrad
Conrad Crawford
Director of Partnerships
Department of Conservation and Recreation
251 Causeway Street, Suite 600
Boston, MA 02114
617-626-4964
|
|
|
|
December 1st, 2009
The DCR has requested public input regarding the new Fells trail plan they are working on. It appears to be more than a simple biking policy, it looks like they are making a complete trail system plan. They are requesting letters or emails (or both).
So if you want changes in the Fells, now is one of the few times where a letter or email may legitimately help the cause.
Here is the link to the DCR's page:
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/publicmeetings/greenwaysfellsusersurvey.htm
There are a lot more issue in the Fells than limited bike access. If you've been on the Orange Trail this year, you've seen the useless/somewhat dangerous gullies that were dug about every hundred feet. That was official trail maintenance. That trail work has done damage to the trail that will last for many years. Now is the time to tell the DCR to take charge, and stop pandering to the - you know who.
A fair, comprehensive plan for the Fells is exactly what is needed. If you are looking for some ideas to get you started, I highly recommend you read the FellsBiker Proposal from 2006. It's a great place to start for long term planning ideas.
http://www.fellsbiker.com/proposal/download.php?f=1
Please take some time to write to the DCR. Tell them what your concerns are, and tell them what they should do about it. For the first time . . . ever, the DCR (former MDC) seems to want to hear from all legitimate Fells users. Lets not let this opportunity go to waste!
|
|
|
|
August 28th, 2009
The Friends of the Fells' anti-bike agenda apparently hasn't slowed down after getting evicted from their free office space. They recently sent out the email linked below. Mountain bikers are trying to add one short, nearly insignificant singletrack trail to the existing mountain bike loop, and the fof have gone nuts, again. Their email is filled with hate, lies, and half truths. My favorite part is where the fof says "The Friends of the Fells does not oppose mountain biking in the Fells." This could not be further from the truth. They fight against mountain bikers as hard as they can, at every turn.
The Friends of the Fells exist for three reasons:
1) Stop Mountain Biking
2) Nature Hikes
3) Piss Poor trail maintenance that usually does more harm to the trails than good.
You should email the state and tell them you support mountain biking in the Fells, and tell them the "Friends" of the Fells are WRONG. The "Friends" of the Fells are dishonest hate mongers, who would kick everyone out of the Fells except paid fof members, if they had their way.
Stop them!
Contact info for the state is listed in the previous blog entry below, and in the fof email.
"Friends" of the Fells Bike Hating Email
|
|
|
|
May 10th, 2009
As I reported last month, the Friends of the Fells are being evicted out of their current office space. For years, the DCR has provided this space to the fof free of charge. In a normal situation where a friends group looks out for the interest of the park and all of it's users, this would be a nice gesture. But the fof is an extremely biased organization. They periodically send reports to the DCR suggesting that mountain biking should be completely banned from the Fells. They block mountain bikers from doing trail maintenance, and then they perform their own token trail work that often times leaves the trails worse off than they were before - but their work makes the trails worse to bike on, which seems to be their primary goal.
The Friends of the Fells have encouraged their members to write letters to the state, to make the DCR reverse it's decision and let the fof stay in their free office space. As a tax payer, I find it extremely offensive that my tax dollars are used to attempt to BAN ME from this great urban park.
I encourage everyone to write your own letter to the state, in support of the DCR's original decision to EVICT the Friends of the Fells out of their free office space. Tell them it is unfair to use taxpayer dollars to support the Friends of the Fells. Tell them the Friends of the Fells are extremely biased and shouldn't be allowed to influence DCR policy making in the Fells. The Friends of the Fells are not looking out for all of the users of the park, or the park's purpose as recreational use land. Tell them you want the Friends of the Fells OUT of their free office space.
Direct your letters (and/or phone calls) to:
Governor Deval Patrick: constituent.services@state.ma.us (617) 725 - 4005
Environment Secretary Ian Bowles: ian.bowles@state.ma.us (617) 626 - 1000
DCR Commissioner Richard Sullivan: rick.sullivan@state.ma.us (617) 626 - 1250
Representative Paul Donato: rep.pauldonato@hou.state.ma.us (617) 722 - 2960
Representative Katherine Clark: rep.katherineclark@hou.state.ma (617) 722 - 2220
Representative Jason Lewis: rep.jasonlewis@hou.state.ma.us (617) 722 - 2060
Representative Carl Sciortino: rep.carlsciortino@hou.state.ma.us (617) 722 - 2400
Representative Chris Fallon: rep.christopherfallon@hou.state.ma.us (617) 722 - 2430
Senator Richard Tisei: richard.tisei@state.ma.us (617) 722 - 1206
Senator Patricia Jehlen: patricia.jehlen@state.ma.us (617) 722 - 1578
For years, the voice of the fof is the only voice the state has heard. It's time for bikers and other trail users to step up to the plate and be heard. |
|
|
|
April 30th, 2009
The Fof are at it again. Saturday the 25th, there was supposed to be a very large trail maintenance day in the Fells. I say "supposed to be" because it was fully approved by the DCR. A large section of the Mountain Bike loop was going to be rerouted to singletrack. The day before the trail work, the Fof put up a big stink and got the huge event cancelled the day before. 'Cancelled' or just 'Postponed'? That remains to be seen. If the Fof have anything to do with it, it will be cancelled forever. That's the point of the Fof, they really don't care about improving the trails, they're only concern seems to be banning bike, maintaining existing bans, and getting more bans. Meanwhile the Fof does they're own trail maintenance that is very detrimental to the trails. It's mostly cheap, fast, token trail work so that bike groups aren't the only ones doing trail work. None of their anti-bike arguments hold any water, and hopefully this latest slap in the face is enough to finally rally mountain bikers together and fight back. The mountain biker tactics of the last . . .8+ years has been to simply grin and bear it. This has gotten mountain bikers almost nothing. We need to step up and fight for access rights we deserve. Someone needs to step up and lead this movement. |
|
|
|
April 24th, 2009
For years now, the DCR has provided the Friends of the Fells with free working space in one of the DCR buildings. This was actually pretty unfair considering one of the primary goals of the Fells is to antagonize mountain bikers, which are either the biggest, or second biggest user group in the Fells. The letter sent to the Friends of the Fells cites the economy as the reason. It could be that, or it could be that the DCR is sick of the Friends of the Fells acting like THEY are the ones in charge. Either way, it put a smile on my face.Fof Letter |
|
|
RSS : 
: ©2002 - 2010