Bob La Trémouille reports:
1. Report, September 17, 2006.
2. Update, September 18, 2006.
A. Moving further west.
B. Firefighters.
1. Report, September 17, 2006.
This morning, September 17, 2006, I saw the Charles River White Geese resting at Magazine Beach.
The Charles River White Geese have lived on the Charles River in Cambridge, MA for 25 years. Their habitat has been one half mile east and one half mile west of the BU Bridge on the banks of the Charles River.
They migrated in that limited area. They lived nine months of the year at Magazine Beach or across from the Hyatt Hotel. Three months of the year, they lived at their nesting area just downriver (east) from the BU Bridge.
That started to change in October 1999 when Boston University destroyed the vegetation in the middle of the nesting area and opened up the fence which protected the nesting area from the adjoining sidewalks. Boston University spent most of the next six months lying that they did not do it, until they were officially condemned for the act. Then they started bragging about it.
During the early period I have been heavily involved with the CRWG, essentially since that destruction of the nesting area, they fed at Magazine Beach and they slept at Magazine Beach or in the water off Magazine Beach, with frequent visits to the Hyatt Hotel Area.
At Magazine Beach, they had access to the entire area as long as they were within easy access from the Charles River so that they could retreat into the Charles for safety from predators. When they rested or slept, there always would be a guard on duty.
In September 2004 nine heartless hypocrites on the Cambridge City Council along with the regional govenment, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (formerly MDC) started starving the Charles River White Geese.
They destroyed the access of the Charles River White Geese to their food at Magazine Beach and at the Hyatt Hotel. These hypoocrites proudly call themselves "pro-environment."
The Charles River White Geese were left with access only to the nesting area, but there was no food there. It was destroyed in October 1999 by Boston University and, really the Destroyed Nesting Area was far too small to feed them.
The Charles River Urban Wilds Initiative has fed the Charles River White Geese since then with major gifts of lovely veggies from local merchants.
A few months ago, the Charles River White Geese were once again given access to a tiny portion of Magazine Beach, that portion on the eastern end of Magazine Beach, near the Bumpy Memorial Goose Pond.
But the CRWG have been trained. Those nine sick people on the Cambridge City Council and their friends the bureacrats trained them that there is nothing at Magazine Beach for them.
They have been gradually sneaking through a tiny opening at Magazine Beach, perhaps 5% of what they had had for most of their 25 years. They have come in the morning, furtively grabbed a little food and scurried back to the Charles River and the Destroyed Nesting Area.
Frequently the scurrying has been associated with the presence of a dog in the area. Occasionally, they just decided to go home, probably to take a nap.
This morning, I saw them sleeping at Magazine Beach for the first time in years.
They still leave Magazine Beach after a few hours, rarely staying after noontime. They still spend the bulk of their day at the Destroyed Nesting Area with many extended swims. They still are denied access to almost all of Magazine Beach and the training of the starvation attacks has held firm at the Hyatt Regency.
But at least they do do some sleeping near the Bumpy Memorial Goose Pond at Magazine Beach.
Now the nine hypocrites from the Cambridge City Council through the regional bureacrats have gotten rubber stamp permission to do even more harm, to the Charles River White Geese and to the Charles River Environment.
These hypocrites are going to dig up the playing fields and replace the playing fields with playing fields and poison. These hypocrites are going to "move" the parking lot at Magazine Beach and destroy one or more trees.
The nine hypocrites like the situation on the Charles River below Massachusetts Avenue where the water is dead, killed by a comparable project near the Charles River Dam.
The nine hypcrites will loudly proclaim their concern for the environment, everywhere except in their own back yard, and the nine hypocrites will continue their sick ways at Magazine Beach.
Decent human beings still can see no sense whatsoever in any of these bizarre projects.
The very voluble contractors and developers on the city/state dole love the wasteful projects.
2. Update, September 18, 2006.
A. Moving further west.
They are now moving further west. They had been moving north further from the Charles than ever before, to the environms of the grove of trees which is threatened by the nine environmental destroyers.
Today, they were moving west along the river further into the outfield of the Little League field.
They are making themselves at home.
Definitely a good sign, except for the nine environmental destroyers.
They still do not stay much beyond noontime because this is no longer their home.
B. Firefighters.
I do not know if it is new or just that I have been paying more attention, but I have seen Cambridge firefighters on Magazine Beach a lot more than in the past.
Firefighters regularly go to locations throughout the city and pump water through fire hydrants. They are rather clearly clearing out crud in the water lines.
The frequency at Magazine Beach is quite a bit more than would be expected for just flushing one fire hydrant.
There is a fire hydrant just east of the parking lot by maybe 10 feet and perhaps 20 feet north of the Bumpy Memorial Goose Pond. A variety of fire vehicles use this hydrant with frequently spectacular displays of water pumping. They are probably ensuring that the vehicles are not clogged.
The power of the water varies with the fire vehicle. The biggest, most powerful, vehicles throw water so impressively that it makes an excellent show.
A lot of the water goes into the Charles, which is the usual target. A lot also goes into the Bumpy Memorial Goose Pond. The latter water is extremely valuable to the various water fowl in the area, the Canadas, the Whites, and the Mallards. The geese is particular love to drink from the Bumpy Pond and get fresh water rather than the salty water in the Charles River.
This morning, I stayed at Magazine Beach longer than I would have because I wanted to see the reaction of the Charles River White Geese.
They moved to the west along the shore, away from the fire truck and the Bumpy Pond. Some had been in the Charles. These returned to land and followed the others to the west.
Clearly they were not at all distressed, to my pleasure.
