Save the date! Our fall lake cleanup will be on October 18, 2025
We will conduct our usual lake cleanup on Saturday, October 18. We will be meeting at the boat ramp on Wood Street. The cleanup is from 9 am to 12 noon. We will provide trash bags, gloves, bug spray, etc. Refreshments will also be provided!
Save the date! Special author event on Sunday, October 26th
Join us at 2 PM on Sunday, October 26th at the Hopkinton Public Library for an author event with Brad Timm on his recently (2024) published book, Wildlife Out Your Window: Fascinating Facts About 100 Animals Commonly Seen in the Northeastern U.S. Did you know that Blue Jay feathers aren’t actually blue, or that some foxes can climb trees, or that baby Black Bears are the size of a chipmunk at birth? Brad, a wildlife ecologist and the Executive Director of the Northeast Wildlife Team, will share some of his favorite interesting facts from the book, discuss simple actions each of us can take to help wildlife around us, answer your wildlife questions, and much more! The link to the flyer is below:
Author event flyer
Coyotes are active around Whitehall State Park
There have been some reported sightings of coyotes around Whitehall. Here are some guidelines about coyotes that you should be familiar with:
https://www.mass.gov/info-
Photos from the Friends of Whitehall Annual meeting held on April 2, 2025
Here is a link to the photos, taken by John Cardillo, from our annual meeting.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9E4oF2xuQjGC4R298
New trail bridges built near Pond St.
The SCA (Student Conservation Association) built a bridge over wet areas on the DCR (Department of Recreation and Conservation) trail off of Pond St. This project was applied for by forest ranger Richard Trubiano of Hopkinton State Park DCR headquarters and was one of six chosen by SCA out of sixty applicants. The Friends of Whitehall provided the funding of $2000 for the materials for the project. The bridge will be approximately 30’ long and help make the trail much more accessible FOW worked with DCR two years ago by providing the funding for a bog bridge on the trail off of Winter St. The current project will take about five days. The five volunteers camped out at DCR headquarters on Cedar St while they worked on the project.
The Student Conservation Association is a national youth organization that is
based in Charlestown NH and does volunteer projects all over the country. It was
founded in 1957. Click on the thumbnails below for a larger image.
2025 Annual Appeal Letter from our president
Click here to read the annual appeal letter from our president.
Friends of Whitehall funds bog footbridge construction project
Two years ago Friends of Whitehall identified an almost impassable portion of the Whitehall perimeter trail along the eastern shoreline. It was a quagmire full of rocks, roots, vines, peat, and deep water for a lengthy stretch of what used to be a trail. We decided to apply by written letter to the Student Conservation Association (SCA) headquartered in Rowe, MA in hopes they would accept the project of building a bog bridge at the site. The SCA is a valuable resource for the hands-on conservation service they provide to state and national parks throughout the United States. SCA accepted our project and scheduled it for the following summer. Then the pandemic hit and we were put on hold. The project came to fruition in September 2021 when a group of 5 SCA volunteers came to Whitehall State Park ready to go to work. Sponsored by DCR and guided by Park and Forest Supervisor Rich Trubiano, the group of young people worked enthusiastically and tirelessly constructing the 60 foot long bog bridge. Friends of Whitehall paid for the materials used for the bridge and it took the volunteers a week to finish the project in less than ideal conditions. They worked in humid, rainy weather with muck up to their knees and even had to make a dash into a local barn to avoid a fast moving thunder storm. FOW, with the support of DCR, will continue to help maintain the trail system in and around the lake and volunteers are always welcome to be a part of our conservation efforts. (Click on thumbnail for a larger image)
Commercial dog walkers now must have a permit to use DCR parks
Starting in 2019 all commercial dog walkers using any DCR park for their businesses MUST have an annual permit. Please click here to see more information regarding these permits and other requirements that commercial dog walkers must abide by when using Whitehall and other DCR parks.