All are invited to join the Friends of the Blue Hills for a spring festival of stewardship and fun.  The annual Green Up Day will be held on Sunday, May 31, from 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Ponkapoag AMC Cabins.  Volunteers will enjoy music, food, face painting, crafts and a scavenger hunt while helping with an essential task: pulling up invasive weeds that threaten the Blue Hills.

Many plants look alike for most of the visitors to the 7,000 acre Blue Hills reservation, yet many of the plants that have expanded in recent years are not native to the park and threaten to crowd out naturally occurring species.  Vigorous weeding during the warmer months helps maintain a healthy balance in the forest.

Malik Malcolm, a senior at Milton High, and Rosa Gomez, a junior at Fontbonne Academy, will be volunteering at Green Up for Community Service Hours.

A number of Milton schools are participating in Green Up this year.  Pierce Middle School science teacher Jeff Stoodt will once again be offering extra credit to any student who volunteers at Green Up, Milton High School and Fontbonne Academy are offering students community service credit, and Thacher Montessori School is planning to have a team of staff, parents and students on hand that day.  All volunteers will receive a t-shirt.

Volunteers should park at Temple Beth David, 1060 Randolph Street, in Canton.  It is a short, scenic walk to the cabins. The event is rain or shine, and while some gloves will be available for weeding, volunteers are encouraged to bring their own gardening gloves if they have them.  Please RSVP to anne@FriendsoftheBlueHills.org or 617-696-8248. For more information, please visit www.FriendsoftheBlueHills.org.