1. Summary.
2. View of destruction, on the Ground.
a. Robin Pope, November 2, 2015
b. Response.
3. Seventh photos of pending destruction, from October 22, 2015.
4. DCR and fake neighborhood association celebrate commercialization of Magazine Beach, proceed with insulting “review” of much less destructive work.
a. Sainthood.
b. More censorship.
5. Past Reports in THIS series, and key communications to government agencies.
a. Communications to Public Agencies — Cambridge City Council, destruction plans; MassDOT proposing sanctions; DCR adding to the sanctions.
b. Past Reports in this series.
1. Summary.
This is the most recent report on the imminent logging by the Department of Conservation and Recreation on Memorial Drive on the Charles River.
My blog will not handle all the photos at once. So I am presenting them in sequence. This follows on prior reports with the destruction plans, and other photos, plus suggestions on added sanctions for the previously legislatively punished agency in question.
These photos are of the area east of the excellent and condemned grove of cherry trees at the Memorial Drive split. My memory is that 83 of 105 excellent trees are slated for destruction, PLUS ALL of the excellent group of cherry trees across from the Hyatt Regency.
This will be an edited collection.
The “approvals” received by the DCR for this outrage are non existent. They simply asked for money without saying what they were doing. The DCR has announced a second public meeting for the irresponsible, but far less destructive proposal at Magazine Beach. That proceeds with the fraud of being a responsible entity.
Naturally, the massive destruction is kept as secret as possible.
As near as I can figure out, the lobbying effort in the legislature amounted to the falsely named Charles River “Conservancy” showing a petition for underpasses under three bridges further out on the Charles. It appears that they lied that the petition for underpasses supported this massive destruction, without, of course, mentioning the destruction.
The falsely named Charles River “Conservancy” openly supported this destruction about ten years ago when fraud was not the in thing. The destruction has not changed. Fraud is now the open tool.
2. View of destruction, on the Ground.
a. Robin Pope, November 2, 2015
By today more zelkovas are marked for cutting than a few days back. It is bizarre which are saved and which cut.
Get [third party] to demand a map. There is no pathway I can imagine that would in any way cause some to be cut and others not. I cannot see how this helps people enjoy nature and nature survive. If any tree is claimed to be diseased a detailed account of the illness should be provided.
b. Response.
Third party identification is omitted as a matter of courtesy to the third party.
Robin may be referring to one of the many statements coming out of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. They have (my analysis) informed the Boston Globe in 2009 that all targeted trees were diseased. They are, to my understanding, no more diseased now than they were then.
I am aware of two destruction plans.
The first destruction plan was created in 2003, the same year the local transit agency determined that an off ramp was feasible to Cambridge over the Grand Junction railroad bridge in a study under very odd circumstances. Harvard bought the future Harvard Medical School area, just down the Mass. Pike from the possible off ramp, a few months later. A lot of destruction on and near Memorial Drive is, in my experience and opinion, consistent with setting things up to accept that off ramp.
The second destruction plan was created in 2009. There are striking similarities. The second reflects destruction of diseased trees in the interim.
A key lie in the plans as well, in my reading of the plans and knowledge of reality, is the omission of hundreds of trees being destroyed in the Wild Area west of the Grand Junction. The plans show exactly one tree in that area and shows it not being destroyed. All of the hundreds of trees existing in area were omitted from any reference whatsoever. The plan does show a supporting wall which does not exist.
In 2009, the DCR told the Boston Globe that all of the hundreds of trees proposed to be destroyed in 2009 were diseased. Another flat out lie in my opinion and understanding of reality.
The same trees are there now and are imminent for destruction.
3. Seventh photos of pending destruction, from October 22, 2015.
This is the area which includes the construction trailers. I am not aware of destruction which is imminent west of the trees next to the trailers. Since all is being done in secret and there is a severe and established problem with lack of reliability of statements from them, it is impossible to say what will be destroyed now.
This area has less trees being destroyed.
I have previously provided photos of the median and am only providing those which are different.
Destruction plans for this area are as follows.
Darkened circles are doomed trees.
The first plan includes the eastern part of the condemned cherry grove. The opening in the median in the second plan is the end of the work zone as it currently appears. The work trailers are in the area to the left of the opening.
As you can see, destruction continues to the west, and there is very major destruction to the west.
Destruction plans proceeding to the east include additional areas with really major destruction. Right now, I am not aware of work being begun there YET, but things can change from day to day. Full destruction plans are provided in the first link in section 6, 6(a)(1).
The work zone is also ambiguous at the western end.
I provided you a photo of the Department of Environmental Protection sign most of the way to the west of the Wild Area. The trouble is, now, that there is a work zone sign much closer to the BU Bridge on that ramp.
They could be destroying the excellent tree on that ramp PLUS the WILD AREA. Their destruction plans lie about the work they are doing.
They could be destroying the Destroyed Nesting Area again, now and furthering their heartless abuse of the Charles River White Geese.
Here is the plan for the area nearest to the BU Bridge.
But, proceeding with the photos of the area east of the ones I just gave you. These relate to the first two of these three plans.
I find the situation so vile, and the corrupt tactics behind the destruction absolutely reprehensible.
4. DCR and fake neighborhood association celebrate commercialization of Magazine Beach, proceed with insulting “review” of much less destructive work.
a. Sainthood.
They are conducting an open house for their apparent success at fighting the quiet at Magazine Beach.
They are also hosting the second Department of Conservation and Recreation meeting publicizing the irresponsible work the two are doing at Magazine Beach. DCR and the fake group are still silent as to publicizing the imminent destruction of hundreds of trees.
The combination of these “public meetings” with imminent massive destruction of hundreds of trees between the BU and Longfellow Bridges with no such public meeting, makes these public meetings flat out fraud. DCR and the fake group are lying that DCR is a responsible entity which does things in public. The approvals in legislation make no mention of destruction.
The lobbying by the falsely named Charles River “Conservancy” apparently communicated that a petition in support of “underpasses” under the next three bridges to the west also supported the destruction of hundreds of trees and animal habitat between the BU and Longfellow Bridges. The money for the destruction was approved without mentioning the irresponsible nature of the project in Chapter 284 of the Acts of 2014.
b. More censorship.
The fake neighborhood association has been fighting for this destruction by preventing discussion while lying that they were allowing discussion and that they love the Charles River. Business as usual.
The “neighborhood association” shut down political comment on the listserve for a period of days or weeks. They then loudly proclaimed they were allowing all political comment.
After they censored one of my digests of blog posts reporting the imminent massive destruction by the DCR, I publicized the censoring. That post was passed on to the listserve.
Last I was aware of, my digest of my last report concerning the fighting for destruction of open space in Cambridge by Boston residents who were demanding maximum open space in Boston, and thus preventing needed clean up of traffic on the River Street Bridge was still being censored.
My report was entitled: “Charles River: MassDOT proposal would clean up the River Street Bridge mess. Boston residents demand logging and increased animal abuse for gold plating in Cambridge, fight MassDOT’s excellent proposal in Boston.”
Their folks whose destructiveness the fake neighborhood association supports have a meaningful number of Boston residents who are fighting for major increases in their open space at the same time as they fight for massive destruction of hundreds of trees and animal habitat in Cambridge. The project they (and, by its usual censorship, the fake neighborhood association) oppose would greatly reduce auto emissions in the Charles River area at the River Street Bridge.
5. Past Reports in THIS series, and key communications to government agencies.
a. Communications to Public Agencies — Cambridge City Council, destruction plans; MassDOT proposing sanctions; DCR adding to the sanctions.
(1). DCR Destruction Plans as provided to Cambridge City Council by me on April 1, 2014, full publication of plans in post: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/tree-destruction-plans-charles-river.html
(2). Detailed analysis to MassDOT suggesting, at minimum that they get legislative approval to allow DCR to manage open space being created in the Mass. Pike (I90) reconstruction on the south side of the Charles, ideally to ban DCR from the project area, http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-r-to-massdot-bar-dcr-from-mass.html:
(3). Communication to DCR objecting to the fraud of seeking “approvals” for the irresponsible, but much less irresponsible project at Magazine Beach while going forward with this outrage in secret, October 13, 2015: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-river-formal-objection-to-dcr.html.
b. Past Reports in this series.
(1). Report 1. Charles River: Massive Tree Destruction Appears Imminent on Memorial Drive, October 4, 2015. http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-river-massive-tree-destruction.html.
(2). Report 2. Memorial Drive Plans and Photos, October 5, 2015 http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-river-memorial-drive-logging.html
(3). Report 3. Charles River: CURRENT Memorial Drive Construction Zone, October 6, 2015, http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-river-photos-current-memorial.html
(4). Report 4. Charles River: Photos, CURRENT Memorial Drive Construction Zone and Major Likely Victims, October 8, 2015, http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-river-photos-current-memorial.html
(5). Report 5. Flash: DCR Going Ahead with Massive Destruction on Memorial Drive, October 22, 2015, http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-river-flash-dcr-going-ahead.html
(6). Report 6. Charles River: Logging preliminary photos - first group of photos October 23, 2015, http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-river-logging-preliminary.html
(7). Report 7. Logging preliminary photos - second group of photos, October 23, 2015 http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-river-logging-preliminary_23.html
(8). Report 8. Logging preliminary photos - third group of photos, October 24, 2015: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-river-logging-preliminary_24.html.
(9). Report 9. Logging preliminary photos - fourth group of photos, October 25, 2015: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/re-charles-river-logging-preliminary.html
(10). Report 10. Charles River: Logging preliminary photos - fourth group of photos - the doomed cherry orchard, October 26, 2015: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-river-logging-preliminary_26.html
(11). Report 11. Charles River: Logging preliminary photos - sixth group of photos - the doomed cherry orchard, October 28, 2015. http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/charles-river-logging-preliminary_28.html
