Silver Maple Forest effort is insufficient for Legislator

While town of Belmont and city of Cambridge is frantic that permits to clearcut the Alewife silver maple forest could happen this week (noted by spokesperson Steve Corridan in the newspaper), and you have been contacted by many persons, it is insufficient for you to ask the DCR to save the forest. We are counting on the 2 bills you began and we citizens, environmentalists and flood protectors are counting on a major effort to protect the major mitigators of flooding, i.e. the regional silver maple forest “uplands”of Belmont, Arlington, Cambridge and Somerville.

Tens of thousands have been expended by Belmont and Cambridge citizens to proceed in the legal democratic processes towards Superior Court. We hope to prevent backroom subversion of this process by preventing permits until the state process has been completed.  Five lawyers are planning to gain an injunction, so why doesn’t the legislature take up the case, if we  in Massachusetts, are trying to avoid global warming with extreme local flooding impacts at Alewife as were realized last March and in the summer when the UPlands was surrounded as an island with flood waters. Digging up 7 acres will deeply exacerbate the flooding, not to mention, eliminate much of the only wildlife refuge that exists within many miles of Boston.
We were anxiously awaiting the response from the Governor. WE must trust that you will contine to be pro-active on the silver maple forest preservation effort for the sake of Belmont, Arlington and Cambridge.
Ellen Mass

Friends of Alewife Reservation