Mount Tom - Interviews - The Trustees of Reservations

Cesar Gomez

At 14, Cesar Gomez is an enthusiastic woodsman, an adept animal tracker, a paleontology buff, and a burgeoning camper – not too shabby for a kid who had never been into the woods until this year. When Cesar was nine, his family moved from the Bronx to Holyoke, where his mother works at the Ian White public school cafeteria, his stepfather manages a barbershop, and his little brother, Toli, doesn't bug him too much. Three years ago, Cesar joined the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club (HBGC) when they opened a branch at Beaudoin Village, where he lives. This year, he dove headlong into The Trustees' nature programs, based at Mt. Tom, and jointly run with HBGC. Here's what he has to say:

What was it like to go on your first trip with The Trustees?
I was psyched because I noticed stuff I had never seen before, like that milkweed seed pod. I had never been in the woods before that.

Anything that surprised or amazed you?
When we went to the Dino Footprints I saw evidence, that I could touch, that the dinosaurs had been here. It made me want to learn more, like I feel like I don't want to leave because there is more to learn.

What did you like best?
When we went to Mt Tom and you could hear things, like the stream, louder by doing the Deer Ears. I remember following the bird tracks in the snow and how when the bird takes off, the tracks disappear!

How do you feel about the forest now?
At first I didn't know what to expect, like anything can come out and get me, but next time I went, I knew what I was doing. I feel like I know my stuff now. I bring my notebook and write down new things I learn. I know these places now, like Mt. Tom and the woods behind Beaudoin Village, and I can go find out more myself.

Would you ever think of going camping or hiking on your own someday?
I have never camped before but I've heard about it on T.V. I'm going camping in two weeks at Tully Lake. It's going to be great.

Dialis Santiago

Dialis Santiago has lived in Holyoke her whole life, and belonged to HBGC for nearly half of it. A sweet and very responsible 4th grader at the Kelly School, she can tell you that growing up in the Flats, her Holyoke neighborhood, is hard sometimes. But she can always count on her older brother, Wilson, and her mom, who works as a supervisor at Iron Duck, a firm nearby in Chicopee that manufactures health, safety and rescue equipment for paramedics, firefighters and police. Now, Dialis can count on the consolations of nature, too.

What was it like to go to Mt. Tom?
FUN! I'd never been in the woods before. I liked making sound maps, seeing the big hole [the quarry], eating blackberries, finding the mitten tree [sassafras].

What animals and plants have you seen there?
A turkey vulture and a red-tailed hawk. My favorite flowers are the yellow ones with the brown center [Black-eyed Susans].

What's the most interesting thing you've learned?
There used to be volcanoes here, and we learned what happened to them.

How do you feel about the woods now?
When I was in first grade, I saw a bear outside my school window, so I used to feel scared of the woods. Now I know where Mount Tom is because I have been up there. When we drive by, my Mom asks me, ‘What do you do up there?' and I tell her we explore! I want to bring my mom up there to go hiking and tour her around.