In the wake of Wellesley’s first significant snowfall of the year, it’s time to grab the sleds and head over to the hill at Elm Bank Reservation, right?
Wrong.
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, which has a long-term lease on the property from the state, has shut down access to the popular sledding hill because it has begun to use the space at the bottom for seasonal gardens that have pulled in thousands of patrons.
See follow-up coverage of Elm Bank sledding situation
Those making the traditional trek to the hill on Saturday didn’t have thoughts of daffodils or sunflowers in their heads though. I was with a group of kids at heart that had just finished an annual 3-loop run around the ring road at Elm Bank to celebrate the winter solstice, and we’d planned to top off the morning activity with a couple of spectacular sledding runs down the hill as in years past. But just as we’d started to head across the field we were informed by MassHort Executive Director James Hearsum, who pulled up in his car, that the hill was no longer open to the public.
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We were warned that because of electric fencing put in place that we could get decapitated or otherwise injured if we tried zipping down the slope. Something about insurance, lawyers, etc., etc. Hey, we don’t want anyone pushing up daisies.
MassHort’s fencing off of the area this year, which makes walking or running around the ring road alongside traffic increasingly hairy, has gotten the attention of State Rep. David Linsky and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (it’s unclear whether any changes will be made).
I later watched as two adults and a young girl, sled in tow, were informed by the fun police that they were not allowed to access the hill, as sledders have done for decades. They were referred to a nearby slope. Alternatives in town, depending on where you live, might include the steeper hill at Wellesley College (a police officer there told me there was a good crowd on Saturday morning), the slope at the Warren Building in Wellesley Hills, and others.
MassHort has decided at this point not to post signs, though it could get pretty old for employees to hang out and play Scrooge. A neighborhood Dad I know pulled in to scout out the hill for his kids, and I confirmed the news that he feared.
The heavy artillery, Dover police, were called in keep would-be sledders off the hill. (While we claim Elm Bank for Wellesley, and it’s true that the address for the property and the bridge are in Wellesley, the land is in Dover).
MassHort’s hope is that the shutdown will get out by word of mouth (and I told Hearsum I’d post something about it to help save some people the trip and maybe head off a Festival of Tears).
A paved sidewalk was installed next to the Elm Bank entrance a couple of years back that made it easier for neighbors to walk over to the reservation with their sleds and not have to go into busy Rte. 16.
On its website welcome page, MassHort states that it “seeks to engage guests with the importance of plants, gardens and natural landscapes in their lives and help them to become active growers and gardeners themselves.” While MassHort has bolstered its gardens over the years, the naturalness of the landscape has come to include an awful lot of unnatural metal fencing.
A Swellesley fun fact: The very first page on our website back in 2005 was called “Where to Sled in Wellesley,” as I’d been looking for a resource online that laid out the options and couldn’t find one. A photo and description of the Elm Bank hill was right on top of the page.
Time for us to update that page, and for sledders to consult it for alternatives to Elm Bank…
MassHort has a buck-a-year, 99-year lease on Elm Bank that began in 1996, with the organization agreeing to make upgrades to the property. So there’s always hope that in 2095 kids can return to the sledding hill.
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It’s a shame they put up the giant fence right next to the road – when the road is plowed in the winter it is impossible to walk alongside it. Either get rid of the ugly fence or move it back a few feet please!
Has the public established an easement?
Sure seems like it- based on years of use when owned by the church, years of use when owned/managed by state, continued use for another 30 years under this lease.. There may be some nuances because of the private to public use, but time is on sledders’ side. Perhaps a person with knowledge of this area of law can help Linsky/DCR on protecting public rights and any nuances that exist here.
Mass Hort Society Grinch Who Would Steal Christmas!
Here’s the sledding hill of my youth and community. Just got a sled for Christmas? We went sledding … on the hill we knew as Stig’s when the Stigmatine Fathers owned it. Snow days? School vacation? Sledding!
Aside from the ugly deer fence that seems mostly intended to prevent summer flower pilfering, and stewardship that ignores the rampant invasive species, are we to believe sledding might harm dormant perennials underground and covered by snowpack…. If it’s about the electric fence wire take it down for the winter.
Far better that children should put down their electronics and get outdoors sledding, enjoying physical activity, developing friendships and family bonds and memories. Far better that they be outside than on their electronics, the constant TV feed, feeding anxiety, while slurping through a 2 liter soda on the way to prediabetes.
Where does Mass Hort think the next generation of avid outdoors people will come from that will support their mission?
This seems like the PR Fiasco of the year. Roll up the fence wire for the winter, put plastic cones on the fiberglass fence posts and open that ugly gate at the bridge that blocks the beautiful view.
Is Mass Hort entitled to close the hill to sledding? Yes! They are the tenant. And Entitled. Is it wise? No. Bah-humbug.
This once prestigious organization is grasping at straws to maintain relevancy. Their mediocre gardens are far from world class and are a mere shadow of other horticultural sites throughout New England. Perhaps their time has passed and it is time fold up the tent.
.
A big update from David Linsky, our rep in the Massachusetts House,
“Further update: DCR has informed Mass Hort that under the terms of their lease they need a permit from DCR to reconstruct the fence. This will finally bring Mass Hort to the table and hopefully they will be a better neighbor and we can reach a solution. Obviously I don’t support any “self-help” that may have happened, but I can report that kids are sledding there as we speak. I have been working with the DCR Commissioner on this and he is supportive of our efforts.”
Little kids on sleds at Christmas/Hannuka for the win!!
Thanks for passing along
Thank you!
This story has an update. Since yesterday afternoon when The Swellesley Report broke this story, the fence appears to be torn down in a haphazard fashion, and the two electric fences appear to be missing altogether.
WEAK! Fencing makes no sense and is such an aggressive and unnecessary move – not sure how this all got green lighted
This has been immortalized on wikipedia in the Elm Bank Horticulture Center article.
There’s no guarantee that the fence will be moved to make it safer for pedestrians. Please contact your state representatives and ask their help in making Elm Bank accessible again.
I love flowers, but I love kids, families, and fun even more. This is plain wrong.
Electric fencing….please put up signs NOW!! OMG
“For the public good since 1829”, a tag line that lasted less time than its lease on the property. What a shame, though now I have one less entity to which I will consider donating, so I guess there is some public good to that.
Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s claim that the area is off limits due to “seasonal gardens” is weak.
This organization has a mission to “seek to help people change their lives and communities for the better through growing plants together.”
This group needs to focus on their mission and prioritize community support more than plants.
NOTE: I have submitted a review on Google (just search to see reviews or go in via Google Maps). If enough of us leave a review with the appropriate “rating” as visitors to their site this can move the needle. This organization generates money on renting out their site. They should contribute back to our community as well.
Remarkably poor form, Mass Hort.
Mass. Hort – further cementing its reputation as an elitist organization with no interest in engaging with the community. Between this and the fencing that now drives walkers out into the narrow road, Mass Hort has made Elm Bank unwelcoming in all seasons. Not another penny from our family.
Beautiful thing to do to us on.Holiday season. Corporate doo doos
I will pay 2$ can I lease it? I want to take over and bring it back to the people. Also make is safe to walk instead of squeezing baby carriages and walkers in with cars also bring back trash cans. It’s a shame what has happened to Elm Bank!
Sad- bah humbug!
Mass Hort will never get another donation or membership fee from my family. Between the fencing, blacking out the ability to see the gardens from the fields, their disruptive music noise and traffic late at night from events, and now this- they are not a community player. Maybe they could actually try engaging with the community to drive up membership rather than sending letters out requesting money after repeatedly snubbing their neighbors. Elm Bank has been a precious resource for the local community for years. It’s sad to see it go this way.
The hill at Kelly Field next to Bates School is a fabulous…and long sledding hill.
Bah Humbug
Decapitation seems a harsh punishment.
I do plan to return in the morning to see if there might be any heads rolling
How much do they pay for that whole space? I heard it was pretty low with a long lease?
I believe it’s for $1 per year. There are deals to be had out there: Metrowest Collaborative scored the 5 Auburn St. property in South Natick from the town for $100 and now plans to build an affordable housing development there.
Boooooooooooooooooooooo!