Editorial
Save the Silver Maple Forest!
by Ellen Mass
President of Friends of Alewife Reservation
Friends of Alewife Reservation remains grass roots in purpose and mission. We work with neighborhoods, environmental groups, state, cities and towns to move forward local and regional conservation and climate concerns. These include the 600,000 square feet hotel on Route 2 and the planned 298-unit development at the silver maple forest. The July 20 rally/parade (FAR's idea, rally design, invitations, plan and work) to save the silver maple forest was a fabulous success. The large turnout was due Anne Marie Lambert from Belmont, Lorene Melvin from Arlington, Michael Connolly, Cambridge spokesperson, and Quinton Zondervan from Green Cambridge who rallied the troops and brought constituencies from many groups, politicians and environmental speakers.
Recently, many of our preservation goals have been undermined at the political level. The most recent is Cambridge's Policy Order #4 with excellent "whereas" clauses and originally an "Order" for an official financial acquisition search. Instead of the City Councillors as the original Order stipulated, the responsibility was placed with City Manager. We are also disappointed with the State Senators who did not formally debate the floodplain forest acquisition inclusion for Environmental Bond Bill 2014, as recommended by environmental lobbyists. We continue to work with all players, despite these setbacks.
Some place high hopes in administrators and political leaders who do care, and potential deals. In my judgement this is not working. Let's continue citizen outreach to solicit more support from local interest groups whose standard of living and well being depend on no more buildings on this 100 year floodplain and floodway. (FAR held a well attended floodplain-floodway 2012 Belmont Forum). We had great constituent participation in on Cambridge's Policy Order testimony, with many people speaking to the value of the forest.
In 2008, FAR presumed mistakenly that Bulfinch Enterprises on Acorn Park Drive would stop expanding into open space, with less building upward impact. Now the open space floodway's function of climate protection faces dire threats from a gigantic hotel and garages along with massive reduction of the silver maple forest. Our priority is protecting the floodplain forest, but we are able to do only a little. Our large event on July 28 was good, but we need neighborhood groups to consolidate and carry this work forward.
And we are most grateful to WGBH's Emily Rooney for her Silver Maple Forest story, the first Boston-wide media coverage, and to Anne Marie Lambert and Quinton Zondervan for making this happen. We need more letters and reporting in the Globe and wider social media.
Please read about the Save the Silver Maple Forest campaign and take action.
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