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Fresh Pond Reservation Newsletter | Cambridge's Fresh Pond Reservation is ready for Spring! Stay in the know regarding all our events including walks, runs, educational activities, and other relevant Cambridge events. This newsletter is brought to you by the Cambridge Water Department's Rangers Amanda and Omar. |
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Cambridge City Run
Sunday, April 12
Begins at 9:00am
Please join the Friends of Cambridge Athletics at the 38th annual Cambridge City Run, a 5k honoring Paul Rider. The first 400 registrants get free t-shirts, so register now while supplies last! Donate, participate virtually, or register as a family! Fresh Pond Parking Lots will be closed down 7:30am to 10:30am… plan your visit accordingly!
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Save the Date: Fresh Pond Day
250 Fresh Pond Pkwy
Kingsley Lawn
Saturday, June 13th
11:00am-3:00pm
Saturday, June 13th from 11am to 3pm is officially set as Fresh Pond Day 2026. This is the Cambridge Water Department’s annual festival celebration of water, sustainability, and community.
Stop by for live music, tours, live animals, exhibits, snacks, touch-a-truck, and more!
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Earth Day "Mindful Mosey"
Walk with Stefanie Haug
250 Fresh Pond Pkwy
Wednesday, April 22nd
10:30am - 12:00 noon
| Join us for our Earth Day celebration as part of our monthly "Mindful Mosey" series at the beautiful Fresh Pond Reservation. Guided by Stefanie Haug, mindful nature guide, and Ranger Amanda, this event is a perfect chance to explore nature, soak in the spring vibes, and connect with other earth lovers. Together we’ll breathe deeply, slow down, and notice the world around us, with quiet walking and moments of shared reflection. Suitable for everyone with accommodations always possible. Dress for the weather and bring a portable seat, if desired. This is an ongoing walking series that meets every third Wednesday. Come once or come monthly. Learn more about Stefanie at stefaniehaug.com. |
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Ongoing Volunteer Opportunity
Thursdays, April through October
10:00am to 12:00 noon
Meets at the Volunteer Tool Trailer
(between the first parking lot and the reservoir)
April through October, give back to the place you love by becoming one of our volunteer weed warriors! This is a weekly, open opportunity to volunteer. We have the tools, we have the training, we just need the hands! Every week is a different target area and a different task depending on the natural calendar’s seasonal needs. Help us remove invasive plants, restore trails, or plant some trees. Come once, or come every week! For more information contact Ranger Omar at omejia@cambridgeMA.gov
Do you have a dedicated group of 10-25 people with at least 1.5-3 hours to give? Reach out to Ranger Amanda at agarms@cambridgeMA.gov to schedule a “Day of Service” group volunteer opportunity.
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Walter J. Sullivan Water Purification Facility Tour | |
250 Fresh Pond Pkwy
Monday, April 7th
6:00-7:30pm
Meets at the Water Treatment Plant Front Door
Come learn how the Cambridge Water Department purifies drinking water for your tap after it’s conveyed from nearby Fresh Pond into our facility. You’ll have the chance to speak with water treatment staff, see the equipment in action and check out our water quality lab!
For more information or to book a private tour, please visit our website. Please call ahead if coming with a large group. See all of the 2026 tour dates on the flyer above.
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Collins Branch Library
April 27th
10:15 to 11:30 am
Meets at the Ranger Station
250 Fresh Pond Pkwy
Join us for a short walk of Fresh Pond Reservation with Ranger Amanda Garms and Library Associate Michael Roberson.
We will observe seasonal changes in our environment, enjoy the fresh air, and get some exercise in nature. This walk is not on a paved path. We will walk on uneven terrain, down hills, and over roots.
The meeting location for this walk will be at the Fresh Pond Ranger Station at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway. Registration is required for this event.
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Nature Art Challenge
The Cambridge City Nature Art Challenge for Grade 1–8 students is now open! Wildlife Arts, the all-volunteer organization that runs the Cambridge City Nature Art Challenge (CCNAC), has announced it will welcome entries from young artists in Cambridge Public Schools and charter schools in Cambridge from now through 10:00 a.m. on May 18, 2026.
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DPW Pop-Up Recycle Events
Department of Public Works
Earth Day (Wednesday, April 22) Tobin School, 181 Vassal Lane in the bus loop, 4:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Residents are invited to drop off the following accepted items:
- Batteries
- Books
- Electronics & printer cartridges
- Fluorescent bulbs & other mercury items
- Plastic bags/film.
- Scrap metal
- Curbside recyclables & bulky rigid plastics
If you’re unsure if an item will be accepted, please use the "Get Rid of it Right" tool.
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Rabies Vaccine Clinic
Department of Public Works
147 Hampshire St
Cambridge, MA
April 4th, 9:00am-11:00am
Sponsored by the City of Cambridge. This clinic is for dogs only, but open to the public. Cost is $15 per dog. Cash or checks only will be accepted. Additionally, annual dog licenses will be available for Cambridge residents. The cost of a dog license is $20 for Spayed / Neutered Dogs and $30 for Unspayed / Unneutered Dogs.
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News From the Reservation
Get the latest updates on changes and improvements at Fresh Pond Reservation.
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The golf course opens for the season on April 3rd. This means it will be closed for all passive use until next winter. This is because of safety concerns - a stray ball can easily harm you, your kids, or your pets.
This is a public golf course accessible to all. For 9-holes Mon-Fri, Cambridge Residents pay $27 and Non-Residents pay $30 (both pay $35 on weekends).
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As the season picks up, we'd like to give everyone a gentle reminder that there are No E-Bikes or E-Scooters allowed anywhere on the reservation at any time. There is No Fishing allowed except in Little Fresh Pond (on the North side only by the pump house).
As always, off-leash dogs must display a valid Cambridge license on their collar, be within line of sight and under direct verbal command at all times. If your dog does not come quickly when called, they cannot be off leash.
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Lost and Found
The Cambridge Water Department’s lost and found is located in the ranger station under the clock tower. The Library of Lost Gloves - a rack of winter gloves missing their mates - will be retiring for the winter soon, so be sure to check it out! There are also two tubs of lost and found items underneath the counter.
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Water Fountain Update
A new water fountain for the ranger station has been ordered, after a long journey to find one that would fit in the wall space. The outdoor water fountains will be on once the temperatures are consistently over 50°F - usually mid-April.
| | | Bird Flu incidents are on the rise. If you observe 5 or more deceased or sick birds in one location, please report it to Mass Wildlife. Do not touch dead birds. An adult bald eagle recently passed due to unknown causes in the Mystic Lakes area, which may have been one that frequented Fresh Pond. Please note that the black boxes in the community gardens have snap traps only, and no rat poison is used anywhere on the reservation. | | | Mute Swans are breeding at Little Fresh Pond. While pretty, these are invasive species brought over in the 1870's as decor for rich folks' estates. These swans are very aggressive and can attack geese, dogs, and people. They graze heavily on vegetation and outcompete native waterfowl. With no known predators locally to keep populations in check, the Rangers at Fresh Pond must addle their eggs annually. Addling includes oiling the eggs to block oxygen to the embryo and then returning them to the nest so the swans do not continue to lay eggs. | | |
April's Pink Moon
April's full moon will occur on the 1st, but it won't be pink - no joke! This marks the first full moon of spring, and it is actually used to set the date for Easter every year. The moon gets its name from a native early spring wildflower, creeping phlox, whose pink flowers bloom around the time of this full moon.
Other names for April's full moon are The Breaking Ice Moon (Algonquin) and The Sucker Moon (Anishinaabe) marking the time to harvest sucker fish.
| | | Freshie is that you? What are those huge floating ropes in the smaller ponds? These large rope-like rhizomes are actually lily pad roots that have broken free from the bottom due to freezing and thawing soil. | | | Birds are migrating and nesting. Waterfowl are very happy the ice has finally melted. Their migration period in Massachusetts peaks from mid-March through April, as ducks, geese, and swans return to Fresh Pond. The raptors have also started to return! | | | Pussy willows are blooming all around the pond, signaling the last throes of winter and the beginning of spring. The early flower buds resemble cat paws and are so named. Once bloomed, the flowers are called catkins (also named for a cat's bushy tail). Many wind-pollinated trees produce catkins before leaves. Also note that not all hairy buds are pussy willows! | | | American Woodcocks, also known as Timberdoodles, Bogsucker, or Labrador Twisters, are doing their famous 'sky dance' mating ritual right now through May, and have been heard at Little Fresh Pond. The males will fly 200-300ft in a wide spiral pattern, beating their specialized wing feathers to produce whistling noises. | | | Fish kills are common this time of year as the weather changes. In summer, high temperatures reduce water's ability to hold oxygen. In winter, thick ice and snow block sunlight, stopping oxygen production and leading to winter fish kills. | | |
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How to Help Birds?
This is a very active time of year for birds. You can help by putting out eggshells for calcium, or safe nesting material like twigs and feathers. Do NOT put out dryer lint, synthetic yarn, string, or human hair - it doesn't dry properly and will give birds hypothermia. Do NOT feed birds bread - it gives them a disease called angelwing making them unable to fly.
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Leave No Trace
In order to conserve our natural spaces for future generations, please remember to follow the 7 principles of Leave No Trace while visiting Fresh Pond Reservation.
Principle 4: Leave What You Find
The items we find in nature have a role to play, either in the ecosystem or the story of the landscape. Leaving what we find in place helps to preserve both. Allow others a sense of discovery by leaving rocks, plants, archaeological artifacts, and other objects of interest as you find them.
Natural objects of beauty or interest, such as antlers, petrified wood, or colored rocks, add to the experience of an outdoor area and should be left so others can enjoy them, too. They may play a vital role in the ecosystem by providing essential nutrients, habitat, or other benefits.
Leave rocks, plants, and other natural objects as you find them.
- Damaging tree bark by carving, hammering, or stapling into trees can make the them more susceptible to disease and cause lasting damage.
- Moving rocks can promote erosion and alter habitats for aquatic species and insects.
- Picking a few flowers does not seem to have any significant impact, and if only a few were picked, it wouldn’t. But, if every visitor thought, “I’ll just take a few,” a much more significant impact might result.
- Pollinators supported by these plants often have small ranges and may depend on just a few species of flowers for survival.
- Removal of flowers will also impact the plant’s ability to reproduce and may result in fewer flowers in that location.
Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
- Clean outdoor gear regularly
Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.
- Fresh Pond is a small patch of wilderness in a very dense urban area. People come here to find peace, and altering the landscape, besides impacting the ecosystem, is a reminder that this place isn't that wild.
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The dream of my life
Is to lie down by a slow river
And stare at the light in the trees —
To learn something by being nothing
— Mary Oliver, Entering The Kingdom
| | | Fresh Pond Reservation | 250 Fresh Pond Parkway | Cambridge, MA 02138 US | | | | |
