Bat Walk on Aug. 26th, sponsored by Wellesley Conservation Land Trust

August 23, 2026 by admin Leave a Comment

EVENT: Bat walk

DATE: Wednesday, August 26 (Rain date: Thursday, August 27th)

SIGN-UP: Signing up will help the group communicate with you in case of postponement

TIME: 7:15pm

LOCATION: Meet at the Morses Pond gate at the end of Turner Road. Park on the North 40 (wooded) side of the street.

SPONSOR: Wellesley Conservation Land Trust

DESCRIPTION: Come see, hear, and learn about bats in Wellesley (Wellesley Conservation Land Trust’s fifth annual)! See a real bat detector in action. Did you know bats eat a few thousand mosquitoes every night?

Please take proper mosquito precautions.

Happy birthday to Wellesley’s own Katharine Lee Bates

August 12, 2026 by Deborah Brown

Updated story from August 2020.

Happy birthday to 1874 Wellesley High School graduate and Bates Elementary School namesake Katharine Lee Bates, widely known as the author of the patriotic song America the Beautiful. In honor of the prolific writer, born on Aug. 12, who taught at Dana Hall School before landing a job as a professor of English literature at Wellesley College, I took a spin on the Shining Sea Bikeway. The 11-mile paved and level bike path stretches from Bates’ birthplace of Falmouth, to Woods Hole.

Katharine Lee Bates, Shining Sea Bikeway — The Shining Sea Bikeway is an easy-going way to get in a 22-mile round-trip bike ride on a summer’s day. The path is well-kept with plenty of places to pull off and take a break. Mile markers help you keep track of your progress.

I started out at the Depot Road trailhead in Falmouth, about a 90-minute drive from Wellesley Square. There’s a free parking area there for about 80 cars, and you can’t miss the trailhead right across the street from the lot. Although the path is well-known and popular, during my mid-week trip, the bikeway generally looked about as crowded as the above picture. As I got closer to busy Woods Hole, I saw more cyclists.

Once at Woods Hole, I was ready for a bathroom break. The Steamship Authority restrooms in ticket building were open (and sparkling clean), and the fountains were functional and supplying ice-cold water. One of my favorite parts of Woods Hole is the drawbridge, of course. Here’s a video:

Last stop: Landfall restaurant, where a table overlooking Woods Hole Harbor awaited. After a half-dozen beautiful raw oysters and a Caprese Ciabatta sandwich, I was ready for the 11-mile trip back to Falmouth.

Woods Hole, Landfall restaurant — These beauties hit the spot. The iconic Landfall restaurant has 22 tables inside and 13 outside, and accepts walk-ins or reservations. My table benefited from the water view and a lovely breeze.

Lunch over, I hit the Shining Sea Bikeway once more and pedaled under the Cape’s spacious skies, meditating on Bates’ line, “America, America, God shed his grace on thee…”

The trail must be on an incline on the way back, because getting back to Falmouth seemed to take longer than powering through to Woods Hole. It couldn’t have been me. I wasn’t tired or saddlesore, no way. Those weren’t tears of joy when I saw my car. Just a little trail dust in my eye, that’s all. Bring on the next adventure.

Happy birthday, Katharine Lee Bates.

Floating beach wheelchair makes Morses Pond in Wellesley more accessible

July 14, 2026 by admin

The Wellesley Recreation Department this week received a floating beach wheelchair that is now available to Morses Pond users on a first-come, first-served basis. Nonprofit SMILE Mass (Small Miracles in Life Exist) donated the equipment through a grant secured by Rec’s Jenn Lawlor.

The wheelchair is designed to give those season pass and day pass holders with disabilities a new option for enjoying the beach. The Mobi-chair has a mesh seat with three positions, a safety harness, and tether. Its pontoons allow the chair to float, and large rubber wheels make it easy to roll over sand and rocks.

A couple of Morses Pond lifeguards took the chair out for spin, and all lifeguards and Recreation Department staff will be trained to use the wheelchair and supervise anyone using it.

Shop LOCAL: Advertise on Swellesley

Outdoors

Take guided Mini-Grand Tour of Wellesley’s trails on Saturday, June 6

June 5, 2026 by admin

The Wellesley Trails Committee has downsized its roughly 11-mile grand tour to a more manageable 6.5 miles, and invites you to join the event on Saturday, June 6 from 10am-12:30pm.

No registration required for this free event. (Walks take place unless it pours rain or there are high winds. Dogs on leashes are welcome.)

LOCATION: Meet at the Longfellow Pond parking lot at 220 Oakland St.

The Mini-Grand Tour links a selection of favorite trails, with a few sidewalks in between. From Longfellow Pond, the group will find its way to Centennial Reservation, the Crosstown Trail at Indian Springs Park, John G. Schuler Path, Hunnewell Fyffe footbridge, Charles River Path, Ouellet Park, and Barton Road trail, before returning to the Town Forest.

While not as long as the Grand Tour, the Mini Tour is more strenuous than the Trails Committee’s typical walks. Remember to bring water and wear sturdy walking shoes.

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Outdoors

Peak season at Boulder Brook Reservation

May 28, 2026 by admin

The greens—and pinks—are beautiful at this time of year at Boulder Brook Reservation in Wellesley (parking off of Elmwood Road).

Resident Suzy Littlefield shares: “Gorgeous day to go for a walk in Boulder Brook. The DPW is mowing the paths, there is a new Wellesley High Senior Project access ramp over the bridge behind Bates, a replacement Memorial tree has been planted, and the Lady’s Slippers are blooming!”

Boulder Brook Reservation spring — Photos by Suzy Littlefield

See something? Send something: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Wonderful Weekend

Wonder Run 5k race drew both high-level competitors & easy-going runners alike

May 20, 2026 by Deborah Brown

Wellesley Wonderful Weekend kicked off with a burst of energy this past Sunday as 200 of the most spirited runners in town gathered at Wellesley High School track for the 12th annual Wonder Run 5K and Kids Fun Run. Warm temperatures and clear blue skies suggested that spring has finally shown up in Wellesley.

The morning belonged to 15-year-old Grant Wheelan, a freshman at Milton Academy, who won the 5K with an impressive official time of 17:50. Despite his dominant performance, Wheelan noted the USATF-certified course presented its own set of challenges.

“I didn’t really know the course, so some of the hills caught me by surprise,” Wheelan said after crossing the finish line. The scenic but hilly route wound through the Wellesley Country Club neighborhood, testing the fortitude of seasoned runners and casual joggers alike.

Wellesley Hills Junior Women's Club Wonder Run — Wonder Run winner Grant Wheelan rounds Clifford Rd. corner on his way to the finish line. Grant’s time for the 5k race was 17:50.

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Fun for the youngest athletes

While the 5K runners tackled the hills, the younger members of the community had a blast on the track. The youth events kicked off with a high-energy 1-lap race for children aged 6 and under. They were followed by the 7-to-10-year-old category, who completed two laps around the high school track to the cheers of families and friends.

Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC) members—they were the ones wearing the green aprons—made sure to keep the “fun” in the Fun Run, ensuring that even the youngest participants left with a sense of achievement and a big smile.

Why run? Be-CAUSE

As one of three major fundraisers organized annually by the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC), the proceeds from the event are funneled directly back into the community.

The funds generated support:

Scholarships for deserving local students.
Grants for organizations providing essential education and enrichment services.
Support for community groups that address local needs and fill service gaps.

WHJWC which has been active since 1944, has a long history of running events like the Wonder Run to foster community spirit while raising funds for worthy organizations. Learn more about the WHJWC here.

Top 10 Wonder Run finishers

Wellesley kids solve housing crisis for town’s fairies and trolls population

May 19, 2026 by Deborah Brown

It’s so much fun posting pictures from Wellesley Wonderful Weekend that we’ve decided to keep going. The annual Nancy’s Troll and Fairy House event at Wellesley Conservation Land Trust’s Pickle Point Sanctuary was the perfect opportunity for families to get outdoors and build their own Troll or Fairy House using the natural materials gathered along their walk. It was a magical event, and the children had a great time imagining their fairy land.

Wellesley Conservation Land Trust, troll and fairy houses — The kids obviously understand the allure of waterfront property. Fairies likely moved right into this well-constructed home.

Building season is never over

Since Trolls and Fairies need shelter year-round, kids don’t have to wait for this annual event—they can build houses any old time, in any season of the year, just about anywhere. Fairies are know to favor not only protected forests, but suburban backyards (no building permit required), and the beach. We’ve even seen homes for the fey tucked away in quiet corners, where just a few feet away from the city’s bustle. There’s only one simple rule for construction—use only natural materials you’re able to collect from the immediate vicinity. In other words, disturb no living thing such as flowers or live tree branches. Fairies and trolls will ignore the house if they detect any deviation from this rule.

What’s fair game? Rocks, twigs, pinecones, bark, leaves, acorn, feathers, and other odds and ends found lying about. Once you build your house, take a picture to remember it by. The house should be considered as ephemeral as the fey are unpredictable. If you come back to your creation a few months later and find the house unkempt, you can always take on a maintenance project, or just build another house nearby.

Coming soon

Wellesley Conservation Land Trust’s Spring Lecture—”The Role of Forests in Decarbonization”
DATE/TIME: May 21, 7pm-8:30pm
LOCATION: Wakelin Room, Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.

Nature

Wellesley Trails Committee leading walk on Sudbury Path, across Waban Arches on Friday, May 8

May 4, 2026 by admin

Join members of the Wellesley Trails Committee on a free guided walk this Friday, May 8 (10-11:15 am) along the Sudbury Path and Waban Arches.

No registration required (Walks take place unless it pours rain or there are high winds. Dogs on leashes are welcome. )

Enjoy this diverse 2.4-mile walk with an aqueduct, a brook that feeds the Charles River, the Charles River itself, a sanctuary, and a historical building.

See beautiful views into Needham and Natick from the top of the Waban Arches. Walk along the Charles River at multiple points and learn of the many side trails you can take in future walks by yourself or with friends.

Meet at the parking area at the trail head. GPS: 165 Winding River Road, Wellesley

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support Swellesley’s work.