Destroyed Nesting Area used as Parking Lot: Cambridge, MA, USA, Conservation Commission Helps

1. Introduction.
2. General before and after photos.
3. As usual, outrageous lies.
4. What a responsible government would be doing.
5. Some nice photos.
6. Contact numbers.


1. Introduction.

I write this report with severely conflicting feelings.

I am very happy with Jennifer Letourneau, the executive director of the Cambridge Conservation Commission.

My disgust with the Department of Conservation and Recreation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts remains unabated, as does my disgust for the “responsible” elected officials and flat out contempt for the fake groups whose lack of ethics and contempt for basic principles of decency are so important in allowing these outrages to continue.

The location is the Destroyed Nesting Area of the Charles River White Geese on the north side of the Charles River in Cambridge, MA, USA, just east of the BU Bridge. The Charles River White Geese are beautiful gaggle of valuable, cherished beings who have lived in a mile long habitat centered on the BU Bridge for more than 32 years and who are now being heartlessly abused, including deliberate starvation and the use of their beloved nesting area for a parking lot.

For an excellent and extremely recent example of the contempt for ethics of the fake groups, please see my recent posts at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/magazine-beach-bad-faith-flaunted-by.html and http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-charles-river-corrupt-practices-and.html. This behavior is not at all unusual from the Cambridge Machine. The trouble is that extended discussions of the pattern of repeated outrages can be overwhelming. The Cambridge Machine lies about which side they are on. They stoop to belligerent actions of corruption to keep unforgivable behavior in place and expanding.

I have for some time now been reporting on the latest outrage at the Destroyed Nesting Area of the Charles River White Geese, parking by railroad workers in the most sensitive part of the world of these 32 year resident beautiful animals.

A few weeks ago, I attended a meeting of the Cambridge Conservation Commission in which I raised questions as to the actions of a contractor on the Grand Junction Railroad tracks next to the Destroyed Nesting Area of the Charles River White Geese. When it developed that the contractor really had nothing to do with the situation, I stopped my comments and informed the committee that I would talk with their Executive Director, Jennifer Letourneau.

Jennifer delivered, subject to the special limits of her powers. At the request of the City of Cambridge, Cambridge has been exempted by the Massachusetts legislature from river protections which are normal in almost all other communities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

2. General before and after photos.

Here is a photo of the core part of the Destroyed Nesting Area of the Charles River White Geese on April 16, 2013:

[04-28, CVS 16 01 03-29 DNA]



Here is the same location yesterday, April 28:

[04-28, CVS 23 03 04-28 DNA]



In both photos, there is a very large tree. In the first photo, it is upper right. In the second photo, it is still in the upper part of the photo, just a little more toward the center. Since the City of Cambridge and the DCR started deliberately starving the Charles River White Geese, it has been the core of their existence. They live under it.

For five weeks starting with the beginning of December, this core part of their world was denied to them. Since March 16, this core part of their world has been denied to them.

To make things worse, as of March 24, a massive metal building was dumped under that tree.

In the first picture, you can see distressed resident geese wandering through what should be their cherished nesting area, confused, doing what they can to exist.

In the second picture, you can see that the parking has been pulled back beyond a line. That line would appear to be the severely limited limits of the authority of the Cambridge Conservation Commission. The river is to the right.

The Charles River White Geese have taken back the most cherished part of their home. They have occupied the area which previously was denied to them.

The outrageous metal building is gone.

This change is a limit to an ongoing outrage. The change has not ended the outrage. Vehicles are still stomping on what is animal habitat, a nesting area for 32 years. They have been driven back from the most irresponsible behavior but still being as irresponsible as they can get away with. They continue to pound in the ground which should be cherished and held with care.

In the first photo, you can see a blue object smack dab in the middle. This is two portapotties. In the December -January portion of the outrage, the one portapotty was next to the BU Bridge in the created parking lot. In the second photo, it is at the upper left, in the edge of an area of native vegetation which has not been destroyed YET.

3. As usual, outrageous lies.

Here is a photo of an individual who claimed to be some sort of honcho. The date was December 28, 2012.

[01-10, Walgr 19-02, 12-28, DNA]



He is holding a cell phone by which he claimed to be calling the State Police as part of evicting me from the Destroyed Nesting Area. He was highly disturbed at my entering this public wildlife area and photographing the outrage he and his associates were committing.

He is standing at the entrance to the Destroyed Nesting Area. You can see the irresponsibly parked cars behind him. To his immediate right (left as you are viewing) and only a few feet away is the location where responsible people would be parking.

The day after the Cambridge Conservation Commission meeting, I passed on to Jennifer Letourneau links to reports on this blog of the ongoing outrage. She passed them on to Frederick Corsi who allegedly manages the area for the DCR. Corsi claimed incompetence.

Corsi said he knew nothing about this continuing outrage, neither in December and January, nor in the current outrage. He claimed lack of knowledge of the metal building.

And this apparent representative of the MBTA was threatening me with arrest for photographing their outrage?

4. What a responsible government would be doing.

Remember, the DCR has in the fine print of its goals the destruction of all animal life on the Charles River Basin.

It, however, fits in very well with the Cambridge City Council, the City Manager, and the fake organizations.

At the state level, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has been a breath of fresh air from the stench of Cambridge and the DCR. MassDOT managed the repairs of the BU Bridge which looms over the Destroyed Nesting Area to the west and from which the photos from above have been taken.

As of about April 8, 2013, MassDOT has been repairing the Memorial Drive structure which is north of the Destroyed Nesting Area. MassDOT’s management of the repairs of the BU Bridge took years. Throughout those years, workers parked under Memorial Drive, and through most of the current outrage of using the Destroyed Nesting Area for parking, all land under Memorial Drive was unused and readily available for parking.

[04-28, CVS 03 23 03-29 DNA]



This is a photo of the parking lot created next to the BU Bridge. These are two vehicles associated with the project on March 29, 2013, before the repair work started. The highway comes off the sidewalk at the northwest corner of the Destroyed Nesting Area, an entry illegally made by Boston University for the DCR in October 1999. The brick structure at the top is the Memorial Drive bridge. The area under the bridge provided plenty of very convenient area for parking.

The "honcho" in the above photo was standing on a line between the black car and where they should be parking. He was not that far from either.

[04-28, CVS 05 21 03-29 Mem Dr, Circle]



On March 29, 2013, came my first knowledge something new was going on. These vehicles are parked under Memorial Drive in the middle of the traffic circle which runs under it. These were the first workers in the closing of the overpass. The closing of the overpass occurred a little more than a week later.

[04-28, CVS 10 16 04-03 Mem Dr, Rotary, and 11 15 04-03 Mem Dr East]

The first photo is of the much more ambitious work site as MassDOT prepared to close the overpass and the area next to the Destroyed Nesting Area where a responsible government would be parking people for the railroad project. The asphalt to the right in the latter picture is the on ramp which directly abuts the Destroyed Nesting Area.




[04-28, CVS 25 01 04-28 Mem Dr, East]

This is the same area as the previous photo but from the other end of the ramp. Look back two photos at all those cars parked in the traffic circle next to the area under Memorial Drive. The area under Memorial Drive is dangerous because of the work. All those are parked right next to it.



Even with all those cars parked in the middle of the rotary, the large area between the on ramp and Memorial Drive is empty of cars. The lazy workers are still destroying the Nesting Area of the Charles River White Geese with totally unnecessary parking only a few feet away from this responsible location for parking.

And I have previously published a photo of the near portion of the Magazine Beach playing fields which is totally unused, except for sickly grass which requires poisons to stay alive, poisons which are being drained off by a massive drainage system which has replaced playing fields. Until this outrage started, responsible grass was there for the better part of a century. See my links at the top for a summary of this outrage’s handling by the fake group fronting for the Cambridge Machine.

5. Some nice photos.

[04-28, CVS 21 05 04-28 DNA]



April 28. The white figures are the Charles River White Geese enjoying their cherished Charles River. The photo is taken from the BU Bridge. To the top right is the Grand Junction Railway bridge. The land at the top is the Destroyed Nesting Area of the Charles River White Geese.

The cherished heart of the Destroyed Nesting Area is just above the vegetation.

[04-28, CVS 18 08 04-16 DNA]

March 16. The tiny yellow figures are goslings, perhaps a day or so old. They have been trooped by their parents through an area which has been the cherished nesting area of the Charles River White Geese and which was then and is now an irresponsible parking lot.



They are feeding in the soon to be new impenetrable thicket of introduced bushes planted by the DCR on the hillside under the on ramp.

Judging by the number of babies, it is my guess that this is more than one brood.

The Charles River White Geese have lived on the banks of the Charles River for 32 years. They are well organized in a family structure. They had food for most of that 32 years. They are being heartlessly starved by the same rotten bureaucracy which continues this parking outrage as much as they can get away with and which finds common decency unacceptable.

For an additional example of common decency being “unacceptable”, please go to the above links for the fraud of a fake neighborhood association protecting these rotten people.

6. Contact numbers.

The governor’s contact is http://www.mass.gov/governor/constituentservices/contact/.

Emails for all Massachusetts legislators are posted at: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/emails-for-all-massachusetts.html.

And remember, the governor is seeking bond authorization for a highway to make this outrage even worse. The fake description is "underpasses."

The Cambridge, MA, USA City Council is really beneath contempt. On general principals, however, their contact email is council@cambridgema.gov. Emails to this address are forwarded to each member individually.

Cambridge City Council to Consider Massive Destruction of Trees on the Cambridge Common and the adjacent Flagstaff Park.

City Manager’s Agenda Item Number 1A in front of the Cambridge City Council at its April 29, 2013, meeting reads as follows:

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Ordered:

That $2,180,000 is appropriated for the purpose of financing renovations to the Cambridge Common including the reconstruction and partial realignment of pathways, replacement of benches and trash receptacles, planting of trees, replacement of lighting fixtures and poles, improvements to entryways and any other costs incidental or related thereto; and that to meet this appropriation the Treasurer with the approval of the City Manager is authorized to borrow $2,180,000 under Chapter 44 of the General Laws or any other enabling authority.

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The tradition of the Cambridge City Council under City Manager Robert Healey is that of lying through omission.

The City of Cambridge has submitted an environmental notification form which admits to plans to destroy 22 trees on the Cambridge Common because they block the view. Councilor Kelley had a motion approved by the Cambridge City Council which talks of something like a hundred trees being destroyed in the Cambridge Common / Flagstaff Park area. There is language in the ENF which fits the usual game. The ENF talks about a bike highway. The City Manager lies through mentioning the results of the destruction. It is duty of decent people to cross examine him, according to his standard explanation. This is the second time this matter has been considered by the Cambridge City Council ("second reading").

Dishonesty, lying through omission, is normal on environmental matters in the City of Cambridge.

This motion stinks of massive environmental destruction. 22 to a hundred excellent trees in a prime location for no valid reason.

The Charles River, Corrupt Practices, and the Cambridge, MA, USA Machine

I have submitted the following letter to the Cambridge (MA) Chronicle. It builds on the outrages of April 23, 2013, but also is a good, concise communication of the situation on the Charles River in Cambridge, MA, USA.

RE: Letter: More Corrupt Practices in the Fight to Destroy on the Charles

The fight for destruction on the Charles River has taken a new turn.

The Machine has started to proclaim its love for the Charles River / Magazine Beach. It insists that people who do the same follow its orders and do nothing else. Although they claim they want to be made aware of problems.

Following orders translates as supporting renovation of one building. Following orders translates as pretending the real problems do not exist:

● walling off the Charles from the playing fields with bizarre introduced bushes,

● destruction of healthy grass which survived for the better part of a century without poisons;

● replacement of the healthy grass with sickly stuff that requires poisons;

● destruction of playing field acreage to drain off poisons to keep alive the sickly grass;

● deliberate starvation of the 32 year resident Charles River White Geese, confining them in a tiny area which has been further destroyed with introduction of bushes which look like they will grow into another wall; use of the rest of the area for parking, and plans for two highways through it.

● plans for an east-west highway which will destroy hundreds of trees, habitat, wetlands and the Charles. This was sold as “underpasses.” The “underpasses” are opposed by MassDOT. Governor Patrick seeks $26 million in bond authorization; and

● destruction of boat docking.

The Machine’s “neighborhood association” has now tried to ram through expansion of this outrage to the hill to the west of the playing fields and the wetlands behind the swimming pool, along with destruction of the little guy’s parking lot needed by a picnic area on the hill.

The Machine could not get a favorable vote to expand destruction in their January meeting. Pretty much all of that meeting was devoted to project discussion. It included much negative response from people in the audience.

So the machine deferred the matter to their February meeting which in corrupt practices, was conducted on April 23, two months late, driving away the folks who showed up in January. A “vote” was conducted on a complicated motion which was kept secret until ten minutes before the end of the meeting. This complicated motion had fine print which blesses the destruction subject to meaningless “protections.”

Corrupt practices were needed to get “support” for expansion of outrages at Magazine Beach which were put in place in secret in the first place, This is sold as beneficial and inevitable?

Harvard University announces Harvard Square in Allston, Boston, MA, USA

Harvard University has released an Environmental Notification Form for its planned development on the northwest corner of North Harvard Street and Western Avenue in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, MA. This intersection is near the Harvard Business School, it abuts the Harvard Stadium / athletic complex, and is less than a mile south of Harvard Square. It is less than half a mile from the Charles River.

The ENF is posted at http://www.env.state.ma.us/mepa/mepadocs/2013/041013em/nps/enf/15036enf.pdf. An environmental notification form is the first step in state environmental reviews.

Project construction density is announced at 4.0. While exact definitions probably differ between the Boston code and the Cambridge code, this density is Harvard Square density.

This is not the site of the affordable housing which is being destroyed. That is the northeast corner.

A key quote, paragraphing cleaned up. I do not see the figures they talk about.

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The Project involves the redevelopment of a site, to be ground leased to Barry’s Corner Property LLC (a Samuels & Associates Entity), that is north and west of the intersection of Western Avenue and North Harvard Street in the North Allston neighborhood of Boston (see Figures 1 and 2). The existing site includes most of the building known as 219 Western Avenue, a single story building containing approximately 47,500 square feet of space currently home to a number of Harvard uses including mail room services, the Harvard University Information Technology department, the Harvard ceramics studio, a Harvard University Police Department training facility, other institutional services, and storage space.

The overall Project site is 2.67 acres and consists of two areas:

(i) the 2.03 acre development site that contains the proposed buildings and will be created by subdivision and subsequently ground-leased by Harvard to Barry’s Corner Property LLC; and

(ii) the 0.64 acres area along the westerly and northerly borders of the development site, on which will be located two new privately-owned and maintained publicly-accessible streets. The newly created private streets are “Grove Street,” which will border the site to the north, and “Smith Field Drive,” which will border the site to the west (fn 1).

[fn1: These street names are illustrative only; it is anticipated that they may be re-named in the future.]

In addition, the “Smith Field Drive Extension” will continue to the north outside of the Project site but within Harvard’s campus in order to provide full service access to North Harvard Street.

****************

The site consist of 2.67 acres of which 2.03 acres will be developed and 0.64 acres will be converted to new privately owned but publicly accessible streets.

The project will be primarily residential, 325 units. There will be first floor retail, 40,000 gross square feet. The total will be 350,000 gross square feet of floor area. 47,500 existing gross square feet will be demolished. Heights will be one to nine stories.

Resuming exact quote:

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To accommodate the Project, the existing institutional uses at 219 Western Avenue will be relocated and the existing building at 219 Western Avenue, two smaller maintenance buildings (with addresses at 141 and 155 North Harvard Street), and the adjacent surface parking lot will all be demolished.

Ground Floor Uses

The ground floor podium includes approximately 40,000 square feet of commercial/retail space/retail back of house. The remaining portion of the ground floor, approximately 25,000 square feet, may contain residences, residential amenity spaces — such as resident lobbies, mail and fitness center — and mechanical, service and similar functions. A multiple bay loading dock in the north building will service both residential buildings and the retail spaces for deliveries, recycling and trash.

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Relocation of many existing uses is to “the 28 Travis Street project.” Travis Street runs off Western Avenue to the south slightly east of the North Harvard / Western Avenue intersection. “Dining Services, Real Estate and Energy & Utilities” will be "relocated to other areas of the Harvard campus”.

Please see http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/harvard-university-formally-changes-its.html for Harvard’s most recent announcement impacting 28 Travis Street, with link.

Boston Marathon Bombings and the Charles River White Geese

A week ago Monday, we had a very major outrage at and near the finish line of the Boston Marathon with the explosion of two bombs and the killing and maiming of many people in the audience. The week was climaxed on Friday with the shut down of the municipal transit system and a request that millions of Boston people and Boston area businesses close down and stay in residences. The shutdown resulted in the arrest of the second of two suspects, a pair of brothers, after the first suspect died in a gun fight.

George Despotes provides the following comments on the side benefits for animals of what was a nightmare week for humans.

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The "lock-down" (red alert advisory?) probably was better for the geese than anything imaginable;

The number of humans out and about diminished significantly and my guess is that geese can find a lot to feed on in the natural environment.

[During the shutdown, it] was really pleasant and as I passed the Christ Church Parish, I noticed a rabbit "taking care of the grass cutting."

I presume the geese are involved in similar activity, though I know not precisely what they eat.

Thank you for your e-mail and hope that you share the concern for the Cambridge environment that resulted in the Boston tragedy; we are all products of our past experience and Cambridge, like Boston and New England can be quite unfriendly.

Town gown relationships here must be said to be less than optimal; I do not think there are many that would disagree with that.

Thank you very much for your thoughtful consideration.

************

It is decidedly frightening that one way to temporarily deter animal abusers was society’s response to abusive people many levels worse.

We have seen, at the destroyed nesting area an apparent killer of nesting geese who graduated to rape and murder where he had been killing and maiming Charles River White Geese. His killings peaked first with the killing of the leader of the gaggle in a day of multiple outrages, and then with the rape and murder in the same location. He is now in jail for many years.

The Cambridge City Council was specifically requested by a number of people to stop the outrageous attacks on the geese with the repeated comment that animal abusers graduate. The Cambridge City Council responded with a silence which could be considered support for the ongoing outrage. The Cambridge City Council then spent an hour discussing the rape and murder but did not want to know where the rape and murder occurred.

The route of the Boston Marathon passes a mile south of the Destroyed Nesting Area of the Charles River White Geese. The finish line is 2 miles east of the Destroyed Nesting Area. Franklin Street, Watertown, MA, which was near the focus of the shutdown and was the place of the capture, is 4 miles to the west. The residence of the older brother was about 2 miles to the north of the Destroyed Nesting Area.

Many people walk the BU Bridge next to the Destroyed Nesting Area to view the Boston Marathon.

Magazine Beach: Bad faith flaunted by a fake Neighborhood Association.

The one thing which is fully predictable when dealing with the Cambridge Machine is that, no matter how irresponsible, they will deliver what they have been told they will deliver.

In their January meeting, the Cambridge Machine tried to ram through approval for more irresponsible destruction expanding the existing irresponsible destruction on Magazine Beach.

They spent almost all of the January meeting discussing the irresponsible proposal of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. They could not get the vote they wanted. So they deferred until the next monthly meeting in February.

The February meeting was conducted this evening, April 23, 2013. Which did a good job of chasing away trouble makers who could not wait three months until the next monthly meeting. But the robots showed up and a bunch of people totally uninterested in Magazine Beach.

The meeting was stacked with a whole bunch of items, all of which were given as much as or more time than the Magazine Beach issue which had essentially filled the previous meeting, and which the Cambridge Machine could not ram through in the previous meeting.

The Machine devoted the last TEN MINUTES of the meeting to Magazine Beach and, at the last possible minute, passed out a motion which was complicated garbage. Then, of course, they rammed the complicate garbage through in the last TEN MINUTES of the meeting. The TEN MINUTES was then followed by the end of the meeting and then an extensive discussion on the many other much less pivotal issues which kept on going.

The complicated motion rammed through voted to work for money to COMPLETE the design for the outrage proposed by the DCR.

Completing the design means you do not change what you already have.

This was followed by a bunch of lovely process words.

This is the Cambridge Machine. This is the rotten reality of politics in Cambridge, MA, USA.

This is further destruction on Magazine Beach.

And a bunch of hypocrites lying about process.

Good Guys, Bad Guys, and Evil in Cambridge, MA, USA - Has action been deferred long enough to get bonds for destruction authorized?

A. New Material.
1. Cambridge Machine at Work. 1/30/13 meeting.
2. Environmental responsibility, MassDOT, the “Underpasses,” and the Secret Highway Proposal with Massive Destruction.
B. Reprint from January 22, 2013
1. Cambridge Machine: There is no such a thing as bad guys. There are just differences of opinion.
2. Bad guy.
3. Response (also known as censored #1)
4. Summary.
C. PS.
1. Alewife has come closer to perhaps total destruction.
2. Destruction of 22 to a hundred trees has come closer on the Cambridge Common.
3. The Governor has been seeking bonds for massive destruction.
4. Commuter rail has ramped up their outrage in the Destroyed Nesting Area and the DCR has once again bragged that the DCR is incompetent.


A. New Material.

1. Cambridge Machine at Work. 1/30/13 meeting.

On January 30, 2013, the Cambridge Machine had a meeting to discuss the destruction which has been done to Magazine Beach over the last 13 years. Very much long overdue since the Cambridge Machine has spent this long insisting it did not exist.

The Cambridge Machine tried to ram through an expansion of the destruction which does not exist.

The Cambridge Machine tried to expand the destruction from the Magazine Beach playing fields to the hill to the west of the playing fields and to the wetlands behind the swimming pool.

People objected. People looked like they might not be a rubber stamp. The Cambridge Machine deferred the action until the February MONTHLY meeting, and have deferred the February MONTHLY meeting to April, tonight, April 23.

In the meantime, the governor has SECRETLY turned discussion of underpasses into a bond bill with $2 million for underpasses and $24 million for massive environmental destruction including the highway sneaked which in part was not approved.

That SECRET money certainly looks like the reason why the February meeting has been rescheduled for April. Part of the destruction in Patrick’s SECRET $24 million bond bill could have been voted down by a responsible meeting. So, in the typical bad faith of the Cambridge Machine, the February meeting became rescheduled for April, after vote on the bond bill?

2. Environmental responsibility, MassDOT, the “Underpasses,” and the Secret Highway Proposal with Massive Destruction.

MassDOT opposes the $2 million line item in the Governor’s Bond Proposal for supposed underpasses for the River Street, Western Avenue and the Anderson Bridge. These "underpasses" have been rejected outright by the Department of Transportation in their ENF for the River Street and Western Avenue Bridges Rehabilitation Project, EEA No. 15029. The ENF is posted at http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/26/docs/Western_River/river_western032213.pdf.

The $24 million dollar line in the Governor’s bond proposal has been kept secret. This would destroy hundreds of excellent trees between the Longfellow and BU Bridges, destroy wetlands, destroy the Charles River, destroy animal habitat, and further the ongoing abuse of the valuable and beautiful 32 year resident gaggle of the Charles River White Geese.

Governor Patrick has been provided with the DCR’s tree destruction plans as part of a formal objection. His response was nonsense. The exchange is posted at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/governor-of-massachusetts-responds-to.html. This includes a very specific objection letter and the governor’s nonsensical response.

Governor Patrick’s proposal is wasteful and destructive and an excellent example of government conducted in secret.

The last time the DCR sought money for destruction of these hundreds of trees was Obama moneys in President Obama’s early highway expenditures. The DCR flat out lied that all these excellent trees were diseased. Their filing with the Cambridge Conservation Commission proved the diseased claim to be just another lie.

The Cambridge Machine stalled and rescheduled the February meeting to April.


B. Reprint from January 22, 2013

1. Cambridge Machine: There is no such a thing as bad guys. There are just differences of opinion.

The Cambridge Machine is active again.

Now the Cambridge Machine claims to be defending Cambridge against a massive increase in development allowed in Central and Kendall Squares.

As part of this fight, members of the Cambridge Machine have been doing lovely analyses of morality.

The Cambridge Machine is reading from the script.

The Cambridge Machine is objecting to the use of the word “Bad Guys” with regard to the supposed opposition.

I really do not want to spend a lot of time writing yet another response, so here are a bad guy comment and the response I sent which was censored from their listserve.

I am only quoting the introductory paragraph.

If I quoted the rest, I would have to go on and on and on.

2. Bad guy.

It isn't a case of bad people vs good people. (Gosh, we are hearing enough of that now with the Newtown killings.) It is best to think of it as different viewpoints on how expansion should occur and on the research on urban growth. It seems that the goal of these postings is to offer the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of upzoning and city planning in a rational, fact-based manner.

3. Response (also known as censored #1)

The people who tell me "It is just a matter of difference of opinion" tend to have striking problems in that their "opinions" deviate very far from the norm.

Excellent examples of deviating from the norm include

(1) fighting for achieving inexcusable destruction of acres of virgin woodlands at Alewife along with massive killing of their resident animals, and fighting through stalling to make it much worse and

(2) fighting for

(a) the dumping of poisons on the banks of the Charles River to feed sickly grass introduced in place of environmentally responsible grass,

(b) the continuation and worsening of large scale deliberate animal starvation of three decade resident animals on the Charles River and related and accelerating animal abuse targeted at achieving a goal of killing off all resident animals on the Charles River Basin,

(c) the continuation of the bizarre wall blocking access between the Charles River and the Magazine Beach playing fields

(d) the continuation of the destruction of the boat docks at the Magazine Beach playing fields,

(e) the continuation of smaller playing fields to drain off poisons which should not be there, and

(f) fighting for destruction of the parking lot at the foot of Magazine Street without giving any explanation except that they do not have the money yet (while "neglecting" to mention that the destruction will occur immediately after they get the money).

When you combine such behavior with loud proclamations of "concern" which give the impression that the speakers are on the opposite side from the side they are really on, I have very great difficulty calling these outrages "differences of opinion."

And when you look at the fact that the principal tool being used is stalling to allow, through inaction, the opposite to happen from what they claim to stand for, that definitely looks to me like the bad guys.

4. Summary.

The tactics used strike me as an excellent example of Evil.

This is Cambridge, MA, USA.

C. PS.

The continuing purpose of the Cambridge Machine company union is to keep people “out of trouble.”

While the Cambridge Machine has had people chasing their tails on Kendall - Central, and stalling on the Magazine Beach vote:

1. Alewife has come closer to perhaps total destruction.

2. Destruction of 22 to a hundred trees has come closer on the Cambridge Common.

3. The Governor has been seeking bonds for massive destruction.

4. Commuter rail has ramped up their outrage in the Destroyed Nesting Area and the DCR has once again bragged that the DCR is incompetent.

Parking is still possible under Memorial Drive as is relocation of that very noisy and destructive metal building, in the right side of the overpass, directly abutting the Destroyed Nesting Area.

[Photo]

Businesses supporting Environmental Destroyer in the name of Earth Day

As bad as the environmental situation is in Cambridge, MA, USA, a very big part of the problem is fake groups flying under false colors, and the people or business which keep them going with their money.

One of the worst is the falsely named Charles River “Conservancy” which has been on the wrong side of pretty much all recent organized destruction on the Charles River that I am aware of.

I have just received a second email seeking the funds of well meaning people who think they are defending the environment by supporting this group. Their pitch on April 18, 2013 read:

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On Earth Day, Monday, April 22nd, the Charles River Conservancy is partnering with four other parks organizations to raise funds and awareness for our urban parklands. Over 40 businesses will donate 5% of their sales from the day to support the work of the Charles River Conservancy, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Friends of the Public Garden, the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, and The Esplanade Association.

That means that this Earth Day, you can donate to your favorite urban parklands organizations while eating ice cream, drinking coffee, enjoying a burrito, or going out for a date-night dinner!

Below is just a sample of some of the businesses supporting the Conservancy:
Participating Businesses:

Henrietta's Table
FiRE + iCE in Harvard Square
OTTO Pizza in Harvard Square
Veggie Planet
Veggie Galaxy
JP Licks at their Harvard Square, Berklee, Charles Street, and Jamaica Plain locations
Boloco in Harvard Square and at Northeastern

Please check out the Give5Boston website for a full list of participating businesses.

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As usual, it is impossible to tell if any of the people quoted know what they are really doing, whether they just do not care, or whether they are really bad fellow travelers. But they are seeking funds for this destructive group. They had better care because by doing so, they are telling people this group is worthy of respect if you are pro environment, and they are helping a very bad cause.

In addition, however, I severely question the supposedly protective groups which are aligned with this destructive entity. They are giving this fake “conservancy” credibility by joining with it in this cause. Are these groups any better or worse than the CRC? The reasonable interpretation, and the interpretation the CRC is implying is that all are in the same boat.

Not a nice situation.


ADDENDUM:

For only one report providing details concerning this destroyer, please see http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-visit-to-two-construction-zones.html. There are many such reports on this blog.

Photos of the Outrage, Charles River, Destroyed Nesting Area, Memorial Drive, MA, USA

I have been properly chastised on not including photos with my report on visit to the two construction zones, at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-visit-to-two-construction-zones.html.

One problem is use of an analog camera with related delays in processing, but here are a few photos from my files which may help.

[1511 03-18-13 DNA]



This is a photo of one of the company vehicles leaving the Destroyed Nesting Area on March 18.

The brick structure running through the middle of the photo is Memorial Drive.

Most of the structure visible in this shot IS NOT UNDER REPAIR. The white body on the left side of the photo is a wall at the eastern edge of the BU Bridge. As you look at the Memorial Drive structure, you can see just to the right of the end of this wall a tree with a moderately wide support behind it. When I visited, there was a protected tunnel / pedestrian way to the right of this support. The way is approximately two people wide. Every thing to the right of this narrow pedestrian way is available for use by the irresponsible state government for parking and management of track repairs, including the irresponsible building. The area available runs more than half the width of the photo.

[1907 - 2203]



Here are four more pictures of the outrage as it existed on March 24. It really has changed little. My report was that they had replaced the metal working area with a smaller one. On looking at these pictures, I am not at all positive that the metal structure does not continue to be there.

In each of these three pictures, you can see the 32 year resident Charles River White Geese overwhelmed by the continuing outrage in what is their Nesting Area.

The continued irresponsibility is consistent with the governor seeking a $2 million and a $24 million bond authorization from the legislature for (1) the bizarre “underpass” project which has been rejected by the department in question and his seeking (2) environmental destruction, heartless animal abuse, and destruction of hundreds of trees related to the “underpass” project and kept secret in all public discussions of the project.

I have posted my exchange with the governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/governor-of-massachusetts-responds-to.html.

The governor’s form email contact is: http://www.mass.gov/governor/constituentservices/contact/.

The email addresses for members of the state legislature are posted at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/emails-for-all-massachusetts.html.


Do not try to check out the situation at the Destroyed Nesting Area for the time being. The lockdown in the hunt for the second of the marathon bombers will interfere with visits to the area.

I would anticipate that it will still be possible to feed the Charles River White Geese to correct for the fact that the state and city governments are deliberately starving them.

Thank you in advance for whatever you can do.

A visit to two construction zones, Memorial Drive and the Destroyed Nesting Area, Charles River, Cambridge, MA, USA

1. Visit, analysis of environmental situation.
2. Impact of the Boston Marathon Bombing.


1. Visit, analysis of environmental situation.

Late yesterday afternoon, a little after 4 pm, I visited the gaggle of the Charles River White Geese at their Destroyed Nesting Area. I have frequently reported on the ongoing outrage in what should be their inviolable home. I have quite recently reported on the plans to close for construction Memorial Drive to the north of the DNA and move traffic to the on and off ramps, one of which directly abuts the DNA.

I approached Memorial Drive from the Cambridge side. The Boston area works to maximize accidents by confusing drivers through use of multiple names for the same road. Memorial Drive has four to six names between its start near the Boston (TD) Garden and Arlington Center. To add to the confusion, the managers also apply their own names to parts of Memorial Drive.

Memorial Drive is elevated at the BU Bridge above a rotary which channels traffic among the various roads. The elevated portion is called the Reid Overpass. The area of work on the Reid Overpass is very clear looking at it either from the north or from the south. The entire STRUCTURE is not under construction. In particular, the portion next to the Destroyed Nesting Area is not under construction.

This area is exactly where the railroad workers would be parking and the metal building would be located if Massachusetts had a responsible government. The Cambridge (northern) side of this area is closed with a fence from the ground to the overpass, and pedestrians east of the rotary are protected by a constructed tunnel. But access from the side facing the on ramp and the Destroyed Nesting Area is wide open, and construction ends at the pedestrian tunnel.

Rerouted Memorial Drive traffic was moving with no great impediment on the Cambridge / north side of Memorial Drive. There were no police on this side. Traffic was responsibly yielding coming down the off ramp as it approached the traffic circle under Memorial Drive. There was a very slight back up, but it was no big thing.

As is normal, the south side of Memorial Drive with its access to and from the BU Bridge was more complicated. State Police were directing traffic in place of the stop light next to the Destroyed Nesting Area.

The first item I noticed on approaching the Destroyed Nesting area is that the large metal building has been replaced by a less large metal building. The southern end of the replacement building was as irresponsibly close to the Charles River as its predecessor.

Company vehicles were parked in the parking area created at the entrance in the most irresponsible part of the BU Bridge work. There is one parking space. Two vehicles were parked. The second was on the leg of the new crushed stone highways which is intended to receive Governor Patrick’s proposed highway.

Privately owned vehicles were still being parked in the grossly irresponsible location at the foot of the hill. The ground is getting badly pounded down. The large dumping of crushed stone remains at the foot of the leg of the new crushed stone highway which is intended to connect to the Cambridge City Council's irresponsible leg of its north-south highway.

The Charles River White Geese were doing their best to live through this outrage. During nesting season, they tend to do a lot of wandering. They were wandering among the irresponsibly parked privately owned vehicles. A number of them wandered up the hill supporting the on ramp, including babies who were probably about two or three days old.

The governor’s form email contact is: http://www.mass.gov/governor/constituentservices/contact/.

The email addresses for members of the state legislature are posted at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/emails-for-all-massachusetts.html.

The traffic outside the Destroyed Nesting Area really was not that terrible for a rush hour, and I imagine the traffic copy right outside the entrance was helpful in that respect.

2. Impact of the Boston Marathon Bombing.

During Red Sox home games tends to be the worst traffic. Yesterday, the Red Sox were on the road.

If the Copley area is shut down when the Red Sox return home, it probably would have minimal impact on this area, if any impact. The area of the shutdown comes within a few blocks of Fenway Park to the southeast side of Fenway Park going away from the Destroyed Nesting Area.

It is very difficult to fully predict the impact of the shutdown on traffic, and I have no intention to get in the middle of what could be a bad mess.

The shutdown closes traffic in the area to that portion of Boylston Street which was Ground Zero. That area is one way away from Fenway Park. The shutdown closes traffic on Massachusetts Avenue which bounds the parkland named the Fenway to its east. The shutdown closes traffic to and from Huntington Avenue east of Massachusetts Avenue. Huntington Avenue is the main road west of the Fenway parkland area.

The closing of Massachusetts Avenue could cause alternate route traffic to move traffic through the Fenway Park area. I do not know. I do know that I saw no meaningful impact in Central Square, Cambridge, through which Massachusetts Avenue passes, and the situation outside the Destroyed Nesting Area was not particularly surprising. The Back Bay bombing closure starts three blocks south of the Charles River on the Boston Side. Massachusetts Avenue crosses over the next bridge to the east from the BU Bridge.

River/Western ENF: MassDOT Correct on Governor’s Highway, Wrong on bike paths.

I have submitted the following Environmental Notification Form Comments this morning April 15, 2013.

These comments concern the next two bridges to the west across the Charles River after the BU Bridge in Cambridge / Boston, MA, USA. Secret maneuvers by Massachusetts Governor Patrick in an attempt to sneak through irresponsible construction has expanded the need for discussion in this matter.

There is still one day left to submit comments to these two addressees. Those comments are due not later than April 16, 2013.

Comments on the Governor's proposal to the legislature and the Governor should not be delayed any more than necessary.

Legislators email addresses are posted at: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/emails-for-all-massachusetts.html.

************************

Secretary Richard Sullivan
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
ATTN: Deirdre Buckley, EEA No. 15029
100 Cambridge Street, Suit 900
Boston, MA 02114
Deirdre.Buckley@state.ma.us

Copy:

MassDOT, Highway Division
Environmental Services
ATTN: Beth Suedmeyer
10 Park Plaza, Room 4260
Boston, MA 0116-3973
Beth.Suedmeyer@state.ma.us

RE: River Street and Western Avenue Bridges Rehabilitation Project, EEA No. 15029

1. Introductory.
2. Bicycle and pedestrian accommodations along the Charles River in the North - South direction.
3. Restricting bicycle traffic to the sidewalks (I refuse to use the nonsensical term, cycle tracks. That is the corresponding term in the document, however.)
4. Conclusion.


1. Introductory.

I have two aspects of the project which are of concern to me:

● Bicycle and pedestrian accommodations along the Charles River in the North - South direction.

● Restricting bicycle traffic to the sidewalks (I refuse to use the nonsensical term, cycle tracks. That is the corresponding term in the document, however.)

I have been involved in environmental protection activities in and near the City of Cambridge for 35 years.

During that period, using zoning as a tool, I have achieved downzoning of a significant part of the City of Cambridge to make development more environmentally responsible. My efforts have achieved by far more successes in the zoning change field than have been achieved by any other individual not employed by the City of Cambridge. In contrast to the City of Cambridge written initiatives, my achievements have always achieved what I said I was doing.

I have been an active bicycle commuter traveling, among other things from my then residences in Cambridge to Boston University, the State House, and Waltham. My commutes have been in all normal forms of weather including the normals extremes of the New England winter. I strongly support integrating bicycles into our traffic patterns so that they are a meaningful and responsible part of the traffic mix and thus are a responsible part of minimizing pollution in our world.

I am a law abiding bicyclist.

When I was in Law School, the then Governor’s Office attributed to me a very striking achievement with regard to a piece of bicycle control legislation which was well meaning but defective. In a period of a week, that legislation went from approval by both houses of the legislature without a negative comment to a veto at the request of the author. I was never visible. I just organized and directed bicycle activists so as to make their efforts effective. WBZ devoted a portion of their evening talk show during the national convention to the very striking and sudden death of this legislation.

2. Bicycle and pedestrian accommodations along the Charles River in the North - South direction.

I am highly distressed at the pressure apparently coming from the Governor’s Office on this matter.

I have seen reports that the Governor has sought bond authorization for alternatives which would go under or through the bridges. The euphemism is “underpasses.”

The environmental destruction minimal in the “underpasses” is obvious. What is less obvious appears to be included in a Governor’s Bond Authorization request. He is reported to be seeking TWELVE TIMES the money for the association bicycle highway proposal.

That proposal multiplies the obvious environmental destruction by destruction of animal habitat, wetlands, the Charles River and hundreds of trees between the BU Bridge and the Longfellow Bridge.

The DCR has previously sought Obama moneys for the destruction lying of these tree trees the governor now seeks to destroy. The DCR lied that the trees being targeted were “only” diseased trees. I understand that the documentation filed by the DCR with the Cambridge Conservation Commission proves the “diseased” claim to be a flat out lie. All diseased trees in the area were destroyed years earlier.

The animal habitat destruction is an implementation of the DCR’s secret definition of “parkland,” no resident animals need apply.

The DCR public position concerning the most visible victims, the irreplaceable and valuable 32 year resident gaggle of the Charles River White Geese has been non stop promises of “no intent to harm.”

These hypocritical promises have been combined with deliberate starvation and other forms of whatever heartless animal abuse the DCR and its friends can slip into individual projects. The long time mile long habitat of the Charles River White Geese was centered on the BU Bridge with feeding and home at the Magazine Beach playing fields. It has been converted to confinement in their Nesting Area east of the BU Bridge with accelerating harm inflicted on them there. Harm includes but is not limited to this east-west highway and a north-south highway being pushed for the Grand Junction railway with fencing splitting their habitat even further.

Rejection by MassDOT of this outrageously destructive proposal is commendable.

3. Restricting bicycle traffic to the sidewalks (I refuse to use the nonsensical term, cycle tracks. That is the corresponding term in the document, however.)

My bicycle commute from Cambridge to Waltham would have been made severely more difficult if I had been confined to sidewalks for the entire trip, to put it mildly.

The proposal translates into a flat out contempt for bicycle commuting glossed over with the lie of favoring it.

The advocates clearly do not have the slightest concern for bicycle commuting as part of the traffic mix. The advocates do not understand or do not want to understand they basics of responsibly operating a bicycle in traffic. The activities taken are consistent with deliberately destroying viable bicycle commuting efforts.

A bike path on the right makes sense with common sense individual modifications by the operator in special circumstances. The operator should function as a car would function in special circumstances while taking care to behave responsibly as he/she shares the road with larger vehicles.

The proposal rejects basic common sense in favor of confining bicycles to the sidewalks.

The drafters expect a bicyclist to make a left turn by crossing to the opposite side of the street, shifting the bicycles direction and waiting for a second red light to clear in the new direction before proceeding.

The responsible methods of making a left turn compare to the method properly used by a car with adjustments accordingly. The bicycle operator can operate as close to the midline of a two way street (left side of a one way street) as possible and turn into the comparable nearest part of the highway to which the operator is turning, and then carefully move back to the right side of the new highway. In specialized circumstances, it might make sense to be to the right of a mandatory left turn lane, and left of straight ahead traffic, thus going straight to the right hand side where the bike should be.

In a situation where cars are turning right, the bicyclist should observe the turn signals of a turning vehicle, and move to the left of the turning vehicle so as to be between straight ahead traffic and the turning traffic. The proposal would place bicyclists directly in the path of turning vehicles, a highly stupid maneuver.

4. Conclusion.

The MassDOT proposal is basically a responsible initiative in a world with a number of extremely irresponsible actors.

Returning the bicycle treatment to a considerate, well thought out treatment would remove the influence of those irresponsible actors.

The lead of MassDOT should be followed with regard to the governor’s irresponsible highway initiatives spinning off this proposal. Killing the outrages which the Governor is seeking in his bond bill is essential.

Objecting to Legislators: Governor Patrick’s Bond Bills for Destruction on the Charles River in Cambridge / Boston

This evening, I have emailed the following to each member of the General Court (legislature) of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the email addresses posted at: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/emails-for-all-massachusetts.html.

************

Dear Legislator:

Governor Patrick's proposed bond bill is highly destructive to the environment of the Charles River in Cambridge and Boston.

The proposal is opposed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to the extent the proposal has not been kept secret.

MassDOT opposes the $ 2 million line item for supposed underpasses for the River Street, Western Avenue and the Anderson Bridge. These "underpasses" have been rejected outright by the Department of Transportation in their ENF for the River Street and Western Avenue Bridges Rehabilitation Project, EEA No. 15029. The ENF is posted at http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/26/docs/Western_River/river_western032213.pdf.

A $24 million dollar line item has been kept secret. This would destroy hundreds of excellent trees between the Longfellow and BU Bridges, destroy wetlands, destroy the Charles River, destroy animal habitat, and further the ongoing abuse of the valuable and beautiful 32 year resident gaggle of the Charles River White Geese.

Governor Patrick has been provided with the DCR’s tree destruction plans as part of a formal objection. His response was nonsense. The exchange is posted at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/governor-of-massachusetts-responds-to.html. This includes a very specific objection letter and the governor’s nonsensical response.

Governor Patrick’s proposal is wasteful and destructive and an excellent example of government conducted in secret.

The last time the DCR sought money for destruction of these hundreds of trees was Obama moneys in President Obama’s early highway expenditures. The DCR flat out lied that all these excellent trees were diseased. Their filing with the Cambridge Conservation Commission proved the diseased claim to be just another lie.

I strongly encourage you to remove both these bizarre initiatives from Governor Patrick from consideration.

Thank you.

Emails for all Massachusetts legislators (Senators and Representatives), as of April 14, 2013 with Update

Update, August 10, 2013, Jay.Livingstone@mahouse.gov

Denise.Andrews@mahouse.gov, James.Arciero@mahouse.gov, Brian.Ashe@mahouse.gov, Cory.Atkins@mahouse.gov, Bruce.Ayers@mahouse.gov, Ruth.Balser@mahouse.gov, Mike.Barrett@masenate.gov, F.JayBarrows@mahouse.gov, Carlo.Basile@mahouse.gov, Matthew.Beaton@mahouse.gov, Jennifer.Benson@mahouse.gov, John.Binienda@mahouse.gov, Nicholas.Boldyga@mahouse.gov, Garrett.Bradley@mahouse.gov, Michael.Brady@mahouse.gov, Stephen.Brewer@masenate.gov, Paul.Brodeur@mahouse.gov, William.Brownsberger@masenate.gov, Antonio.Cabral@mahouse.gov, Thomas.Calter@mahouse.gov, Linda.Campbell@mahouse.gov, Linda.Campbell@mahouse.gov, Christine.Canavan@mahouse.gov, Gale.Candaras@masenate.gov, James.Cantwell@mahouse.gov, Gailanne.Cariddi@mahouse.gov, Tackey.Chan@mahouse.gov, Harriette.Chandler@masenate.gov, Sonia.Chang-Diaz@masenate.gov, Katherine.Clark@masenate.gov, Cheryl.Coakley-Rivera@mahouse.gov, Nick.Collins@mahouse.gov, Thomas.Conroy@mahouse.gov, Edward.Coppinger@mahouse.gov, Michael.Costello@mahouse.gov, Cynthia.Creem@masenate.gov, Claire.Cronin@mahouse.gov, Sean.Curran@mahouse.gov, Mark.Cusack@mahouse.gov, Josh.Cutler@mahouse.gov, Angelo.D'Emilia@mahouse.gov, Marjorie.Decker@mahouse.gov, Robert.DeLeo@mahouse.gov, Vinny.deMacedo@mahouse.gov, Brian.Dempsey@mahouse.gov, Marcos.Devers@mahouse.gov, Sal.DiDomenico@masenate.gov, Geoff.Diehl@mahouse.gov, Stephen.DiNatale@mahouse.gov, Diana.DiZoglio@mahouse.gov, Paul.Donato@mahouse.gov, RepDonato38@aol.com, Kenneth.Donnelly@masenate.gov, Eileen.Donoghue@masenate.gov, Benjamin.Downing@masenate.gov, Peter.Durant@mahouse.gov, James.Dwyer@mahouse.gov, Carolyn.Dykema@mahouse.gov, Lori.Ehrlich@mahouse.gov, James.Eldridge@masenate.gov, Christopher.Fallon@mahouse.gov, Tricia.Farley-Bouvier@mahouse.gov, Ryan.Fattman@mahouse.gov, Robert.Fennell@mahouse.gov, Kimberly.Ferguson@mahouse.gov, John.Fernandes@mahouse.gov, Ann-Margaret.Ferrante@mahouse.gov, Barry.Finegold@MASenate.gov, Michael.Finn@mahouse.gov, Jennifer.Flanagan@masenate.gov, Linda.DorcenaForry@mahouse.gov, Gloria.Fox@mahouse.gov, John.Fresolo@mahouse.gov, Paul.Frost@mahouse.gov, William.Galvin@mahouse.gov, Sean.Garballey@mahouse.gov, Denise.Garlick@mahouse.gov, Colleen.Garry@mahouse.gov, Susan.Gifford@mahouse.gov, Anne.Gobi@mahouse.gov, Thomas.Golden@mahouse.gov, Ken.Gordon@mahouse.gov, Danielle.Gregoire@mahouse.gov, Patricia.Haddad@mahouse.gov, sheila.harrington@mahouse.gov, Jonathan.Hecht@mahouse.gov, Robert.Hedlund@masenate.gov, Carlos.Henriquez@mahouse.gov, Paul.Heroux@mahouse.gov, Brad.Hill@mahouse.gov, Kate.Hogan@mahouse.gov, Russell.Holmes@mahouse.gov, Kevin.Honan@mahouse.gov, steven.howitt@mahouse.gov, Donald.Humason@mahouse.gov, Randy.Hunt@mahouse.gov, Patricia.Jehlen@masenate.gov, Bradley.Jones@mahouse.gov, Brian.A.Joyce@masenate.gov, Louis.Kafka@mahouse.gov, Jay.Kaufman@mahouse.gov, Mary.Keefe@mahouse.gov, John.Keenan@masenate.gov, John.Keenan@mahouse.gov, Thomas.P.Kennedy@masenate.gov, Kay.Khan@mahouse.gov, Michael.Knapik@masenate.gov, Peter.Kocot@mahouse.gov, Robert.Koczera@mahouse.gov, Stephen.Kulik@mahouse.gov, Kevin.Kuros@mahouse.gov, John.Lawn@mahouse.gov, Jason.Lewis@mahouse.gov, David.Linsky@mahouse.gov, Marc.Lombardo@mahouse.gov, Joan.Lovely@masenate.gov, James.Lyons@mahouse.gov, Timothy.Madden@mahouse.gov, John.Mahoney@mahouse.gov, Liz.Malia@mahouse.gov, Brian.Mannal@mahouse.gov, Ronald.Mariano@mahouse.gov, Paul.Mark@mahouse.gov, Christopher.Markey@mahouse.gov, Thomas.McGee@masenate.gov, Paul.McMurtry@mahouse.gov, James.Miceli@mahouse.gov, Aaron.M.Michlewitz@mahouse.gov, Lenny.Mirra@mahouse.gov, Mark.Montigny@masenate.gov, Michael.Moore@masenate.gov, Richard.Moore@masenate.gov, Frank.Moran@mahouse.gov, Michael.Moran@mahouse.gov, James.Murphy@mahouse.gov, Kevin.Murphy@mahouse.gov, Therese.Murray@masenate.gov, David.Nangle@mahouse.gov, Harold.Naughton@mahouse.gov, Rhonda.Nyman@MAhouse.gov, Shaunna.O'Connell@mahouse.gov, Kathleen.OConnorIves@masenate.gov, James.O'Day@mahouse.gov, Gene.O'Flaherty@mahouse.gov, Keiko.Orrall@mahouse.gov, Marc.Pacheco@masenate.gov, Jerald.Parisella@mahouse.gov, Sarah.Peake@mahouse.gov, Alice.Peisch@mahouse.gov, George.Peterson@mahouse.gov, Thomas.Petrolati@mahouse.gov, Anthony.Petruccelli@masenate.gov, Rep.Smitty@mahouse.gov, Elizabeth.Poirier@mahouse.gov, Denise.Provost@mahouse.gov, Angelo.Puppolo@mahouse.gov, KathiAnne.Reinstein@mahouse.gov, Michael.Rodrigues@masenate.gov, Dave.Rogers@mahouse.gov, John.Rogers@mahouse.gov, Dennis.Rosa@mahouse.gov, Stan.Rosenberg@masenate.gov, Richard.Ross@masenate.gov, Jeffrey.Roy@mahouse.gov, Mike.Rush@masenate.gov, Byron.Rushing@mahouse.gov, Jeffrey.sanchez@mahouse.gov, Tom.Sannicandro@mahouse.gov, Angelo.Scaccia@mahouse.gov, Paul.Schmid@mahouse.gov, John.Scibak@mahouse.gov, Carl.Sciortino@mahouse.gov, Alan.Silvia@mahouse.gov, Frank.Smizik@mahouse.gov, Frank.Smizik@comcast.net, Todd.Smola@mahouse.gov, Theodore.Speliotis@mahouse.gov, Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov, Thomas.Stanley@mahouse.gov, Ellen.Story@mahouse.gov, William.Straus@mahouse.gov, David.Sullivan@mahouse.gov, Benjamin.Swan@mahouse.gov, Bruce.Tarr@masenate.gov, James.Timilty@masenate.gov, Walter.Timilty@mahouse.gov, Timothy.Toomey@mahouse.gov, Cleon.Turner@mahouse.gov, Aaron.Vega@mahouse.gov, David.Vieira@mahouse.gov, Joseph.Wagner@MAhouse.gov, Chris.Walsh@mahouse.gov, Martin.Walsh@mahouse.gov, Steven.Walsh@mahouse.gov, James.Welch@masenate.gov, Daniel.Winslow@mahouse.gov, Daniel.Wolf@masenate.gov, Donald.Wong@mahouse.gov, Jon.Zlotnik@mahouse.gov

Governor of Massachusetts responds to objections about his seeking bonds for destruction of hundreds of trees on Memorial Drive.

1. Introduction.
2. My letter, addressed to Governor Patrick and to the head of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.:
3. The governor’s apparent answer.

1. Introduction.

I have just received an email from the governor’s office. I am not positive, but I think it responds to my snail mail letter transmitting to the governor the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s tree destruction plan associated with his bond request on the Charles River.

2. My letter, addressed to Governor Patrick and to the head of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.:

Gentlemen:

I have received the following notice from a group which falsely calls itself the Charles River “Conservancy.” The brackets constitute my modification in the name of accuracy. The comment is buried in a much longer communication.

**********

As our legislative leaders prioritize investment decisions, now is the time to let them know that their constituents [oppose environmental destruction included in the Patrick budget]. Governor Patrick's proposed bond bill includes a $2 million line-item for construction of bridge underpasses on the Charles, as well as over $24 million for the paths.

**********

Please be advised that there is a serious problem with flat out lies and lies of omission practiced by the DCR, Cambridge and their friends in their actions for environmental destruction and heartless animal abuse / killing.

This outrage is also exemplified in their ongoing destruction of the Alewife Reservation using a different fake group as front there.

Please note that your bond bill is for $2 million for bridge underpasses and $24 million “for the paths.”

That is one very major multiple of 12 going from what should be (and is not) a larger project to a smaller.

The reality is that the project includes usual heartless animal abuse plus the destruction of hundreds of trees between the BU Bridge and the Longfellow Bridge.

Enclosed are their tree destruction plans. Some of the smaller trees being destroyed are perhaps 50 years old. They are a magnificent grove of 105 trees at the Memorial drive split. Destruction targets approximately 80 to 85 of them.

The DCR previously sought Obama moneys for this outrage. The flat out lie at that time was that all of the targeted trees were diseased. That flat out lie was disproved by their filing with the Cambridge Conservation Commission.

The project would further decimate the habitat of the 32 year resident, very valuable and very popular gaggle of the Charles River White Geese. The DCR and Cambridge have been deliberately starving them through bizarre aspects of the Magazine Beach project, aspects which were achieved through flat out lies in their supposed master plan. They walled off Magazine Beach with a master plan calling for a lawn to the river. The key manager has emphasized their value by his non stop lying of “no intent to harm.” He has publicly bragged that he is starving them.

The secret fine print of the DCR plans call for killing off all animals in the Charles River Basin by their definition of “parkland.”

You reversed responsible members of your team by allowing space to be left open for the “underpasses” which did not mentioned the outrageous environmental destruction and continuing heartless animal abuse. I hope you will rejoin those responsible members.

3. The governor’s apparent answer.

From: Webmail, Gov (GOV) ;

TO: boblat

RE: Your message to Governor Patrick

Dear Robert,

On behalf of Governor Deval L. Patrick, thank you for your letter regarding the FY2014 budget. Governor Patrick welcomes your thoughts on the state spending initiatives that are important to you.

The Patrick-Murray administration has proposed a balanced, responsible budget that makes investments in education, innovation, and infrastructure that will grow jobs and opportunity in the near-term, and strengthen our Commonwealth in the long term. We have also proposed a series of reforms to change the way government does business to achieve savings, improve performance and renew trust in government.

We have made great progress to responsibly address our long-term liabilities. We have taken steps to control growth in health care costs and address the deficiencies in our transportation system. Yet, even with these reforms the state budget is challenged to make critical investments in our economy, particularly those in education and transportation.

Our budget calls for such investments and pays for them with a thoughtful and responsible revenue p r oposal . The result will be a more progressive, equitable and transparent tax structure. We do not submit this proposal lightly and understand that many households in Massachusetts continue to struggle under the economic consequences of the Great Recession. But Governor Patrick firmly believes that investing meaningfully today in education and transportation will significantly improve our economic tomorrows.

In fiscal year 2014, we will continue to use the budget as a vehicle to reform state government. This year the budget is presented in a new program format for the first time. It will provide comprehensive information on how taxpayer dollars are being spent, making the budget more accessible and transparent than ever. To review the budget proposal in its entirety, we invite you to v isit www.mass.gov/budget/governor .

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our office direct at 617-725-4005.

Sincerely,



Governor Patrick's Constituent Services Office
617-725-4005
www.mass.gov/governor/contact

River/Western Bridge repair proposal rejects Governor’s highway, supports bike nonsense

1. Summary.
2. Contrast: Longfellow Bridge.
3. Overlap between meetings.
4. My Comments.
5. Filing Requirements.


1. Summary.

On Wednesday, April 10, the state started the environmental review process on the bridge repairs proposed for the River Street Bridge and the Western Avenue Bridge, the next two bridges over the Charles River, to the west from the BU Bridge. This was a public hearing conducted by the Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office.

The public meeting was conducted at the Honan Library in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, MA, USA, perhaps half a mile from the bridges.

This part of the process is called an environmental notification form, ENF. The one which has been submitted is surprising detailed, and is posted on line at http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/26/docs/Western_River/river_western032213.pdf.

The bridges work as a paired highway. Western Avenue runs west. River Street runs east.

Governor Patrick ordered the department to leave room for a bike highway under / through the bridges. They are leaving room for it by doing nothing really to support it and nothing physically to oppose it. The analysis strongly opposes the two alternatives for the highway in the Charles River our through holes cut in the bridges. They supports highway level bike and pedestrian movement.

By supporting highway level traffic, MassDOT is opposing the governor’s attempt at bond authorization for a bike highway which would destroy hundreds of trees between the BU and Longfellow Bridges along with massive amounts of animal habitat, wetlands and the Charles River. The ongoing heartless abuse of the beautiful, 32 year resident gaggle of the Charles River White Geese would be made worse.

The big problem with the highway level bike movement is that the proposal is to confine bike operation to sidewalks, extending the nuttiness being commenced by Cambridge on Western Avenue in Cambridge.

2. Contrast: Longfellow Bridge.

The night before, a comparable meeting was conducted to go over the first stage of implementation of bridge repairs to the Longfellow Bridge, the second bridge to the east of the BU Bridge. They have received their environmental approvals and are going forward.

The meeting was conducted in the Shriners’ Burn Center auditorium in this small hospital east of Massachusetts General Hospital, perhaps a quarter of a mile from the Longfellow Bridge. It is located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, MA, USA.

For this bridge repair proposal, the Cambridge bike nuttiness has been rejected, and there is no connection to the Governor’s highway. A responsible department is behaving responsibly and has not been interfered with by an administration which is influenced by the fraudulent machinations centered in Cambridge.

On very big part of the fraudulent tactics in Cambridge’s fight for the destruction of hundreds of trees on Memorial Drive is the lie that Cambridge is pro bicycle and benefiting bikes by this destruction. Confining bikes to sidewalks proves this particular con to be a flat out lie.

3. Overlap between meetings.

It was a pleasure not to see the falsely named Charles River “Conservancy” at the Longfellow meeting. Their destructiveness has been rejected.

Distressingly, the head of this group was at the River/Western meeting, with one of her assistants. She did not seem to bring the usual collection of Cambridge type robots praising her destructiveness with mindless intensity, and loudly proclaiming themselves experts while demonstrating contempt for reality. I however did not stay to the end of the meeting. I did observe a look on her face which displayed lack of pleasure.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation was not represented at the Longfellow meeting. Richard Corsi was present at the River/Western. The look on his face was not has happy as the look on the face of the leader of the falsely named Charles River “Conservancy.”

I am still trying to understand how to evaluate the budget process. I hope the lack of health on the faces of the bad guys includes a rejection by the legislature of the Governor’s destructive highway.

4. My comments.

I spoke at both meetings.

The Longfellow meeting was very businesslike. We went over some good and valuable details. The most important issue environmentally is a plan to close this bridge to car traffic from Boston to Cambridge during years of construction starting this coming June, and thus to reroute that traffic to the adjoining bridges, perhaps even to the BU Bridge.

At the River/Western meeting, I followed a gentleman who had biked from Waltham to make the meeting. He was received with expressions of pleased reception at his level of bike use, a ride which could easily be 10 or 12 miles.

I have bicycle commuted to Waltham from Cambridge.

I expressed in my comments a very strong feeling that having to do that commute going up and down sidewalks was total nuttiness. I pointed out Cambridge’s explanation that people should ignore the sidewalk bike highways when making left turns proved the nuttiness of the proposal. A later speaker commented that confining bikes to sidewalk bike highways would put the bikes directly in the path of cars making right turns, another aspect to Cambridge’s contempt for bicyclists.

The engineers followed my comments with a suggestion for making left turns which was not as responsible as Cambridge’s.

While I was there, every person who followed me who mentioned the sidewalk bike highway nuttiness objected to the concept. When I had to leave, I was treated very well by members of the audience including at least one state type.

5. Filing Requirements.

The ENF at its end provides details for mailing comments but neglects to mention that email comments are encouraged. Comments are due not later than April 16, 2013.

The email address for formal comments is: Deirdre.Buckley@state.ma.us.

Copies of formal comments are encouraged to MassDOT at: Beth.Suedmeyer@state.ma.us.

The governor’s form email address for objecting to his bond proposal to fund destruction of hundreds of trees on the Charles River is: http://www.mass.gov/governor/constituentservices/contact/.

Harvard University formally changes its plans for its expansion in Boston’s Allston neighborhood.

1. Harvard University publicly announces a major change in its public announcement of its plans for the Allston neighborhood of Boston.
2. Context.
3. Contact for Governor Patrick.

1. Harvard University publicly announces a major change in its public announcement of its plans for the Allston neighborhood of Boston.

Harvard has recently filed an “Environmental Notification Form” changing its official description of its plans for Allston.

Harvard’s short range plans as announced are less than previously proclaimed, but Harvard has drastically shortened the period it is publicly communicating.

The impression, possibly false, is that, since Harvard has cut back in the near term, it is also cutting back in later years. Such an assumption ignores the ongoing destruction on the Charles River to facilitate Harvard’s expansion.

To provide just one example, the destruction of hundreds of trees between the BU Bridge and the Longfellow Bridge on the Cambridge side of the Charles is a direct assistance to moving the Brighton / Cambridge exit from Harvard’s properties to the Grand Junction Railroad Bridge. Bond approval for this destruction is included in Governor Patrick’s budget, which seems to be proceeding in the legislature.

Harvard’s write up is so concise and so communicative that it would be silly of me to attempt to pass it on in these pages. I probably would wind up using more words than Harvard does.

The posting is at http://www.env.state.ma.us/mepa/mepadocs/2013/041013em/nps/npc/14069npc.pdf.

One aspect which could use elaboration is on the plan posted on the last page. It is marked as 28 Travis Street. This is, apparently, the one Harvard project in the ground. On the plan, Travis Street runs vertically. It hits Western Avenue very close to North Harvard Street which, in turn goes into Harvard Square.

The north side of the street is the Charlesbank affordable housing project which Harvard has forced to be sold to Harvard.

2. Context.

The biggest single environmental problem on the Charles River is the multitude of destruction being accomplished to ease Harvard’s empire building on the north side of the Charles River in the Allston neighborhood of Boston.

Looking at the Charles River, the expansion starts with Western Avenue and the Western Avenue Bridge and extends south beyond River Street / Cambridge Street / the River Street Bridge to include an area larger than Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. This latter area currently constitutes the Brighton / Cambridge exit from I90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) and the Beacon Railroad Yards.

The Railroad Yards are being vacated by the railroad, which is relocating the facilities to Worcester, MA. I have recently reported on consideration of use of the Beacon Yards by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Department of Transportation for overflow daytime storage of trains working out of South Station, Boston. Beacon Yards, by rail mileage, is only about four miles from South Station.

3. Contact for Governor Patrick.

It really is not nice to destroy hundreds of excellent trees, particularly since it is silly to consider the package which obtained Patrick’s blessing was pushed through clearly fraudulent tactics.

http://www.mass.gov/governor/constituentservices/contact/.

Brookline and Cambridge in the Same Boat Concerning the BU Bridge Area.

1. DOT’s Transparency Failure.
2. Summary / background.

1. DOT's Transparency Failures

From Archie Mazmanian:

********

Bob,

What happens on the Cambridge side of the BU Bridge impacts the Boston/Brookline side, and vice versa. We had the inconvenience of several years of "fixing" the BU Bridge by reducing the vehicle travel lanes from 4 to 3 to accommodate bicyclists. Yes, the BU Bridge needed fixing. But it was recognized that so might the infrastructure on both sides, including the Cambridge rotary under the Memorial Drive overpass. I don't know if the MA Department of Transportation (DOT) is addressing the issue of the function of this rotary as an efficient means of traffic control in the 21st century while DOT addresses fixing the overpass. I noticed yesterday the impact on the Boston/Brookline side of the BU Bridge with heavy commuter traffic requiring multiple police details, presumably the impact of the situation on the Cambridge side of the BU Bridge.
This brings me to infrastructure issues on the Boston/Brookline side of the BU Bridge that I described in my following submission to the Brookline TAB months ago that its editor declined to publish:

******
TROUBLED BRIDGE OVER TURNPIKE EXTENSION

By Archie Mazmanian

Work on the repair and renovation of the BU Bridge has finally been substantially completed following several years of inconvenience for Brookline and other area commuters on both sides of the Charles River.

Alas, fairly soon these same commuters will have to deal with the replacement of the bridge/deck portion of Commonwealth Avenue over the MA Turnpike Extension in the area of the BU Bridge extending from westerly of the BU Bridge in Boston to the westerly side of the Carlton Street at Commonwealth Avenue in Brookline. A small segment of the bridge/deck includes Essex Street in Brookline.
I have heard that replacement of the bridge/deck is imminent as it is in bad condition. The MA Transportation Department has the responsibility for replacement of the bridge/deck, as well as responsibility for the complex traffic system that is part of the Commonwealth Avenue/BU Bridge area that includes, in Brookline, Essex and Mountfort Streets, the Carlton Street Bridge over the Extension, as well as the short University Road in Boston that serves as an exit from and entrance to Storrow Drive East.

I understand that the MA Transportation Department has had discussions with Boston, Brookline and Cambridge officials regarding possible redesign of this complex traffic system to provide traffic improvements, including pedestrian safety, for the Commonwealth Avenue/BU Bridge area. It is not clear that the MA Transportation Department has the funding for such redesign. But it would seem appropriate to include such redesign of this complex traffic system at the same time that the bridge/deck replacement takes place. Since the Town of Brookline and its residents would be impacted by such redesign, both the Brookline Board of Selectmen and Transportation Board should hold public hearings for concerns of residents. [Note: Such redesign may include replacement of the Carlton Street Bridge, which would not be a major project.]

With regard to the timetable for replacement of the bridge/deck, I understand that the MA Transportation Department has indicated that such may be accomplished with minimal inconvenience over several weekends similar to several small bridge replacement methods successfully employed north of Boston. Hopefully this can be accomplished without the years of inconvenience with the BU Bridge project.

Replacing the bridge/deck is a major project that has to address traffic flow along Commonwealth Avenue, including for the MBTA?s B Green Line, the BU Bridge and the complex traffic system described above. At the same time, it has to address traffic flow, including trains, along the MA Turnpike Extension below.

Hopefully Brookline’s Board of Selectmen and Transportation Board will provide timely public hearing forums to address the bridge/deck project?s issues. This is not a bridge to nowhere.

******

With respect to the Memorial Drive overpass, it seems from your posts that the closing was a surprise. Apparently DOT does not keep communities apprised of projects that might impact their neighborhoods. My purpose with my submission to the Brookline TAB was to bring attention to the issues described therein so that the communities on the Boston/Brookline side would have the opportunity to learn of what DOT may be planning and how it may impact their neighborhoods. Perhaps DOT's next surprise will be the anticipated project on the Boston/Brookline side of the BU Bridge. If so, what happens on the Boston/Brookline side of the BU Bridge will impact the Cambridge side. SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

The issues are regional, as the BU Bridge serves many commuters from many communities. DOT should be more transparent with its projects. The "weakly" DOT newsletter fails in this regard.

Archie Mazmanian

2. Summary / background.

From your editor:

I provided an extended analysis on the closing of Memorial Drive’s Reid Overpass at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/memorial-drive-closing-in-response-to.html.

The municipal geography on the southern end of the BU Bridge is the sort of thing that, I should hope, can only happen in Massachusetts.

When you leave the BU Bridge, you are in the Allston neighborhood of Boston.

Unless you are turning right, you have a choice between going onto a traffic circle and maneuvering left or going straight ahead.

If you go straight ahead, you are, for all practical purposes, in Brookline.

To the right of the traffic circle is a large former car dealership now owned by Boston University.

Across the street behind the car dealership is Brookline. Archie Mazmanian, the author of the principal part of this report, lives in Brookline on the second street behind the car dealership.

Although Archie lives in the second community to the south, his distance from the BU Bridge is pretty close to identical to the distance of the nearest Cambridge residents from the Reid Overpass / Memorial Drive.

An additional confusion comes from a regional government controlled by the Department of Conservation and Recreation which has had responsibility for the area and which seems to be in the background exercising too much power. Note that I went to the governor with my complaints. I consider the DCR’s regional government beneath consideration. I think the entire mess should be fired for destructiveness and incompetence. Cambridge fits in hand and glove with the DCR’s very bad regional government.

Today a key day on the Budget, destroying hundreds of excellent trees on the Charles River?

I am getting word that today is a key day in budget discussions.

I do not understand the process, but we have an outrageously destructive bond bill proposed by the Governor with the key details kept secret by the con artists who have been running around lying that they are defending the environment.

The governor’s bond proposal falsely described as “underpasses” will destroy hundred of excellent trees between the BU Bridge and the Longfellow Bridge on the north side of the Charles River.

Contact folks, object like mad.

And the governor’s contact is http://www.mass.gov/governor/constituentservices/contact/.

And if you get this too late, try later anyway, just in case.

Thank you.

WHY WE LOVE THE CHARLES RIVER WHITE GEESE, rerun by popular demand

I have received the following email from Archie Mazmanian, which I am reproducing almost intact:

************

RE: Why We Love the Charles River White Geese - Feb. 6, 2012

Bob,

I'm getting longer of tooth and problems have been limiting for me for the past six months. But I follow your Blog and your recent post on the Memorial Drive closing's impact on the CRWG got me thinking of one of my last contributions to your Blog. Perhaps it might be appropriate to republish my contribution of Feb. 6, 2012, noted in the "Subject."

Archie Mazmanian

************

RE: WHY WE LOVE THE CHARLES RIVER WHITE GEESE

Archie Mazmanian comments:

Yesterday's (2/5/12) NYTimes Sunday Review section features "Why We Love Zoos" by Diane Ackerman. Here's the closing paragraph:

"What a lonely species we are, searching for signals of life from other galaxies, adopting companion animals, visiting parks and zoos to commune with other beasts. In the process we discover our shared identity. We flock to zoos for many reasons, not least to shed some of the burden of being human."

Zoos are indeed great places to go to. But so is our jewel of the Charles River where for many years we - and especially our children - could enjoy the Charles River White Geese in what ha d developed into a seemingly natural habitat. There were no bars or cages. We did not interfere with the Goose Ghetto, respecting their privacy. But we shared the Charles River with them in mutual respect. Will the Goose Ghetto be restored? Will the destructive vegetation along the banks interfering with the CRWG use of the Charles River be eliminated? Will we once again reside in harmony with the CRWG?

Imagine 50 or a 100 years from now yet another misguided governmental effort to eliminate some other Charles River fauna. Perhaps these government officials might think: "Who remembers the CRWG?"

Let's not forget.