Friends of Alewife Reservation presented 1000 plus signatures to representatives, Wolf, Brownsberger, Garbally, and Senators Donnolly and Jehlen March 14 to ask they continue to be vigilant with further actions to prevent the valuable floodplain and floodplain forest from destruction and incursion.
The 5 member delegation from Arlington and Cambridge updated them on Superior Court arguments held in Woburn before Judge Jane Haggerty, and asked about a land Appraisal request from the Governor which is to come out soon.
Rep Brownsberger thought the appraisal was the most promising step to prevent permitting, over consideration of a moratorium to stop all actions.

The Delegation presented a large GIS map which displayed final 2010 FEMA evidence of 10 and 100 years floodplain designations. Evidence of property ownership changes such as purchase and sale in the area affect the watershed system and its functions.
Cheap land and wetlands prices in 2000 reflect low environmental values in a city which now wears a bright green banner for the nation to see.
Delegates noted that growing a billion dollar Alewife empire will negate the environmental protections for the community.

Afterwards, the delegation visited Bob O'Connor of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs who accepted the 1000 petitions for the Agency and welcomed the floodplain map, property designations, and explained that the EOEEA would be evaluating the property soon.

Delegates explained to the legislators and EOEEA that an alliance was forming between Belmont, Cambridge and Arlington, made up of citizens who cut across town and city borders to address the dangerous regional impacts of removing a small river floodplain forest and allowing an expansion of building in the area without addressing the serious problems plagued by the alewife watershed that continues to see bacteria counts rise, and flood waters threaten.

Ellen Mass
Friends of Alewife Reservation