Dear Will,
Please continue to come to relate to our Forum. We will be going over the facts again in terms of flooding and forest to note that the scientific facts of the DEP Hearings were ignored.
I am very sorry if we have disappointed you to continue battling. IT is a miserable position to be in, and everyone has given up some of their life to protect this area to live in a decent environment. I heard about the neighbor who told me of your encounters. She knows the facts and has the background to illuminate. Having a small child and living in a place
for its beauty bring out a fierce sense of protection. That is how I feel about my place in Vermont as well.
I hope you will stay open to a change of mind. Perhaps you are able to bring a quote from EOEEA to the Forum. IT is 45 days, isn’t it, or perhaps I am not accurate in terms of counting.
That would give folks some hope. People I know are not going to let that forest be cut, but will protect it.
We had almost 100 persons at our Park Serve Day from all over the Boston area and our area as well. ITs accessibility is reason enough to keep more development limited.
Hope the budget obligations to not keep you at the state house throughout the entire Forum and you can come.
THese scientists have not been given an opportunity and must be at this point. IT is only fair.
Hope to see you and hear from you. If you need to send a message to me we will read it at the FORUM.
Ellen
FORUM FLYER:
Floodplain Forest and Floodway Development FORUM:
Implications for Nearby Residents, Communities and Wildlife
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Alewife’s Natural Resources are threatened with development. Belmont Conservation Commission, Coalition to Preserve Belmont Uplands, and Friends of Alewife Reservation have appealed the DEP decision to displace a rare silver maple forest for housing. Experts feel the forest and surrounding open space are essential for protection of the 500 acre floodplain covering
Arlington, Cambridge and Belmont.
Moderator
Kathy Abbott: Executive Vice President of the Trustees of Reservations, former Commissioner of Department of Conservation and Recreation, former Asst. Secretary for Land Policy at EOEEA
Participants
Charles Katuska: Forty years of state and corporate experience in wetlands and forestry. Former Conservation Commissioner of Carver and Southborough. Board of Directors of Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions; wetlands and wildlife scientist witness for Plaintiffs at DEP Hearings on the silver maple forest.
Scott Horsley: Hydrologist – President and CEO of Horsley and Witten, Inc., Professor Environmental Engineering, Principle Instructor- U.S. EPA workshops on watershed management. US-EPA He received the Environmental Innovator Award from EPA for his work in constructed wetlands and storm water treatment; Hydrology specialist for DEP Hearings-Town of Belmont.
Thomas Bracken: Founding partner of first dedicated environmental law firm in Boston; formerly Regional General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (New England Region), Attorney-Advisor, Office of General Counsel, Agency for International Development and Chairman of Cambridge Conservation Commission. Represents Plaintiffs in Hearings and court proceedings for preservation of the silver maple forest.
EkOngKar Singh Khalsa: Executive Director Mystic River Watershed Association. 25 years experience in environmental design, planning, engineering and environmental restoration, hazardous waste investigation. Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Northeastern University, Boston University and the University of Alaska. Former Executive Director for Hallmark Companies. Broad understanding of public land use policy.
Tino Lichauco: Attorney in intellectual property law for fifteen years. Research Engineer at MIT and Livermore National Laboratory. Member of the Belmont Conservation Commission for four years. Represents the Commission in appealing the DEP order in Adjudicatory Hearings and in Woburn Superior Court in behalf of the silver maple forest.
Annie Thompson: A concerned East Arlington resident and MIT trained urban planner and regional economist will present the 2010 FEMA maps, discuss changes from the 1982 maps and describe the potential implications of additional planned development in the area.
Sponsors: Friends of Alewife Reservation, Coalition to Preserve Belmont Uplands, Cambridge Tree Stewards, Mystic River Watershed Association, Sustainable Belmont, Cambridge Climate Emergency Group, Arlington Land Trust, Belmont Land Trust, Groundwork Somerville, Belmont Citizens Forum Arlington Vision 2020 Environment Task Group, Greater Boston Group of Sierra Club, Arlington Vision 20/20.
Thanks, Ellen. Hope to be there, but am likely to be voting on budget issues that evening — we typically run late on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during budget week.