The trails that criss-cross the hilltop have been cherished by trail walkers for over 60 years; volunteer Mike McDonough with the Melrose YMCA has been leading guided nature walks here for decades. Very few people, including Mike, knew what was planned for the forest since they were told that Breakheart Reservation would not be touched.

Many on the trails today still don’t know that this section of Breakheart-Hill Forest was transferred to the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School District in 1965. Without immediate action, fences will go up followed by clearcutting and blasting. Soon there will be nothing left to protect. Actual building construction won’t begin until late 2023 with occupancy in Jan 2026. The clearing and blasting is part of the “early site package” . There is ample time and considerable savings if the site of the new school is moved off the forested hilltop to existing open space next to the current school.