2019 Friend of the Year Awards
Bill Boles, Friends of Wampatuck State Park, New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA)
It is difficult to find a more dedicated Friend to DCR than Bill Boles! Bill was instrumental in establishing the Friends of Wampatuck State Forest in 2006 and serves NEMBA, as he has for many years, hosting events and organizing work parties in many DCR forests and parks across the Commonwealth. Bill is best known by the Friends as an active observer at most every DCR Stewardship Council and a loyal attendee at every Friends’ Gathering for the past 12 years. Bill works quietly and in such an unassuming member that while he is good friend to DCR and all Friends groups, he has very little biographical information Online.
Bay State Trail Riders Association (BSTRA)
Over the years the Bay State Trail Riders have done a lot for both Upton State Forest and the Friends of Upton State Forest. The things they have done for Upton State Forest include funding significant improvements to Park, Loop and Middle roads using over $40,000 of their own funds and supplementing that with matching grants from DCR’s Partnership Matching Grant program; maintaining the trails by grooming them for the rides held at Upton State Forest and by participating in Upton State Forest Park Serve Days; and extending the Upton State Forest trail network by building the Rabbit Run and Mammoth Rock trails.
BSTRA also contributed to Upton’s acquisition of the Sweetwilliam Farm property and BSTRA members helped build, and continue to help maintain, the trail across the property that connects the trails in Upton State Forest with the trails in Upton’s Warren Brook Watershed Conservation Area, which benefits both Upton State Forest and the town’s conservation area. They also help Upton maintain the trails in the conservation area.
BSTRA has also supported the Friends of Upton State Forest. BSTRA was a key early supporter of the efforts to create the Friends in 2005 and it has contributed to several of our Partnership Matching Grant projects.
Upton State Forest is a better place because of BSTRA and its members, and we are pleased that we have this opportunity to acknowledge them as true friends to the forest.
Friends of Boston Harbor Islands
For 40 Years the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands (originally the Boston Harbor Islands Volunteer Corps), has been advocating for and providing volunteers and awareness for the 34 islands in our Boston Harbor.
The Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands was the first providing volunteers, among the first providing boat tours of the islands, and first providing day & overnight volunteers on the islands.
When development of some of the islands was contemplated, the FBHI fought along with others, and when the harbor was horrifically polluted, FBHI fought along with others and supported the effort to improve the water.
They commented and assisted with planning with the DCR and predecessor agencies and worked closely with partner agencies including the US NPS to advocate for staffing and funding. They organized beach cleanups and a native tree species nursery. They continue with many of these efforts - first and foremost - educating the public that this amazing resource exists and is available to enjoy.
Stacy Atchison Kilb, Seasonal Visitor Services Supervisor for the DCR Middlesex Fells and Breakheart Reservations
Stacy's longstanding vision is to "inspire conservation though engaging education." The Friends of the Fells partners with Stacy to engage with their young campers during the summer Fells Forest Camp. For example, Stacy maintains a special vermiculture set-up to demonstrate using worms to decompose organic food waste. Stacy gets the children excited about the vermiculture process, as it turns food waste into a nutrient-rich material capable of supplying necessary nutrients to help sustain plant growth. (See attached photo.)
Stacy is an experienced Outreach Coordinator and Park Interpreter accomplished in developing environmental and agricultural programs for a wide variety of audiences. With excellent presentation skills and proficiency in the development of program publicity, she can adeptly reach any audience in any age bracket. More important, she understands the significance of accurate data collection and reporting to determine the efficacy of outreach/programs, a skill which she also shares with us. The Friends of the Fells is deeply grateful to Stacy for her programming ideas, and we collaborate on program promotion for both our audiences.