2. Summary.
a. Introductory.
b. Photos of the heartless abuse.
c. Reason for massive tree destruction changes again.
d. Apparently clear fraud.
e. Summation.
3. Contact Information to prevent this outrage.
a. Officials.
b. Friends of the White Geese.
4. Photo comparison, further destruction of the habitat of the Charles River White Geese.
b. The outrage at Magazine Beach.
c. Starvation through closing off a supposed public park.
d. Starvation through blocking access to the areas of imminent tree destruction.
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. Reports from the Charles, east of the Destroyed Nesting Area.
A friend reports.
Report 1
Never see the white geese here, alas, since the tubes arrived and miss them.
Report 2
The situation is that I now only ever see them by the BU Bridge. I have never seen them down here. Whereas I saw them almost every night on the water somewhere down her at some hour of the night, and every so often on land here.
[Ed: The line in the water next to the almost certainly doomed young trees is the tubes our friend is talking about. Many more photos below.]
a. Introductory.
A few years ago, the Massachusetts legislature attempted to destroy the entity which created the irresponsible plans for destruction of hundreds of excellent trees between the BU and Longfellow Bridges on the Cambridge side of the Charles River.
Part of the destruction of the irresponsible entity worked.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has taken over the bridges over the Charles River and they have stood up to the destructive City of Cambridge and to the rump entity whose name was changed from the Metropolitan District Commission to the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
The key rotters from the prior entity moved to the DCR and now are calling the shots for the rest of the Charles River without missing a beat.
They even have sneaked through legislation authorizing destruction based on 2009 plans (bragged to be 19th Century plans) without any meaningful public communication.
In fact, the DCR is rather clearly slapping the face of the local cheerleaders controlled by the City of Cambridge who have been fighting for this destruction as a company union for years.
The DCR is conducting fake public input on irresponsible plans for the Magazine Beach playing fields, just west of the BU Bridge. The massive logging proposed is east of the BU Bridge, running to the Longfellow Bridge. The DCR is refusing any form of input in their "public meetings" on the massive loggings.
They do not even allow the fraudulent public input they are allowing concerning the most irresponsible parts of the Magazine Beach proposal to be given meaningful respect. It is no coincidence that the person representing the DCR has been part of this outrage from the beginning.
The same policy applies in both situations: "public input" is "allowed" on everything except the irresponsible behavior, where it is ignored if not silenced.
The irresponsible behavior is not negotiable.
In section 4, I am doing photos of the work on the Charles as it attacks the Charles River White Geese and including prior outrages..
In a recent meeting concerning the Charles River, the DCR commented that it was looking for tourist attractions at the Magazine Beach playing fields. They had no comment that the Charles River White Geese were a tourist attraction there until the DCR started starving them.
Starvation was achieved through the usual flat out lying and lies of omission.
The DCR promised to deliver a lawn to the river in the sanctified "Charles River Master Plan." They delivered instead an introduced wall of vegetation which appears nowhere else on the Charles River to our knowledge. It has been allowed to grow to a height of 16 feet. The blockade has been modified to make it more impressive.
The Charles River White Geese have lived for 34 years on the Charles River, primarily at the Magazine Beach playing fields. They have been loved by normal human beings. They lived in a habitat of a mile on the Charles River centered on the Magazine Beach playing fields, with visits to their nesting area west of the BU Bridge at Memorial Drive for nesting and protection from extremes of the weather.
They have a striking organizational structure based on families. They have done a striking job of surviving for 34 years and are a very clear tourist attraction. So the DCR is starving them, and the DCR’s ongoing destruction of hundreds of trees is destroying that much more of their habitat
In addition to walling off the Charles River from the playing fields, the DCR destroyed the responsible native grasses there and replaced it with sickly stuff that requires poisons.
The sickly stuff has failed. Current plans seem to be to put in more sickly stuff and poisons and to expand the sickly stuff and poisons to the west, to the hill west of the playing fields and to wetlands behind an MDC Swimming Pool.
This is in addition to destroying hundreds of trees between the BU and Longfellow Bridges and animal habitat.
The DCR conducts meetings for "public input" on their plans.
The destruction of the hundreds of trees is a prohibited topic for discussion.
The use of poisons is non negotiable.
The starvation wall in non negotiable.
The destruction of the little guys parking lot at the top of the hill has gone through the form of negotiations. The key factors seem to be that normal use is prohibited and that, since the DCR likes destroying trees in addition to spreading poisons in addition heartless abuse of resident animals, in addition to heartless abuse of the little guys by destroying their parking . . . the DCR is destroying more trees.
You get the idea.
I think an excellent idea would be to revisit the legislature which destroyed the Metropolitan District Commission because of the legislature’s contempt for its destructiveness. On the Cambridge side of the Charles River, all that has changed is the name. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has taken over the bridges, and compared with the DCR and the City of Cambridge, MassDOT is a breath of fresh air.
I think the legislature should assign the Cambridge side of the Charles River from the Longfellow Bridge to the Western Avenue Bridge to MassDOT to get ride of the MDC filth.
Photos are in section 4.
An additional game is that the DCR has routinely been varying its explanation for destruction of all those trees depending on the audience. Boston residents who have been fighting for destruction may have taken a hike, so the pitch used to bring them in has disappeared, at least for the time being..
Depending on the audience, the story is back to the original one: Won’t it look great in 40 years?
In particular, these sick people have that holy grail they have not mentioned for awhile: plans for the Charles River from the 19th Century.
Since the folks who wrote those plans could not think of cherry trees, cherry trees are being massively destroyed, almost all of them. The same would appear to apply to that magnificent willow, and a whole bunch of excellent trees.
Another ongoing lie, as well, is that they are destroying diseased trees or trees which are in the way of their gold plated highways.
They do not mention the fact that there are no diseased trees or next to no diseased trees.
The lie comes from the omission of the non existence or near non existence of diseased trees.
So they use "or" with next to nothing on one side of the "or".
But the cheerleaders love it. They can claim to be on the side of sainthood, even if the alternative wording is just another blatant fraud.
Last I heard, however, the poor dears from the DCR will not even document their claims of disease, obviously because they cannot and are determined to destroy the evidence as soon as possible by destroying excellent healthy trees.
And the Boston Globe swallowed the flat out lie in 2009 that all trees being destroyed are diseased.
Listening to the legislative liaison emoting with belligerence that all they are destroying Norway Maples, and totality ignoring the reality that there is no edict to destroy existing Norway Maples, I have even more sympathy for a good reporter who has done good work, but who made the mistake of thinking she was dealing with honorable people.
The kind way to describe the legislative liaison's statement is that he lied through omission, not mentioning the scores of excellent cherries, that magnificent willow, the Lindens, the Mulberries, the Sassafrass, the Zelkovas, and the others.
But his strong statement was much more than lying through omission. "We are destroying Norway Maples." with the belligerence he used, clearly stated that that is all they are destroying.
The liaison then went into a communication that it was unthinkable to object to the DCR’s environmental outrage.
The standard pitch with the people we are dealing with is claim after claim after claim. A reasonable person has to think that, with all the claims being propounded with such great certainty that one of them has to be true. And the pitchmen know which one is the "truth". It is the piece of nonsense that gets swallowed.
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 words obviously used fit the claim of the name that this entity is conserving the Charles River rather than fighting for its destruction.
Thus, the $20 million looks like it was obtained through outright fraud.
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. They are still using that fake name as well, giving the Legislature the impression that they are the good guys.
Fraud is now the open tool.
And then you have another fake group fighting for destruction with the falsehood of being a neighborhood association "concerned" about the Charles River.
The Cambridge "City Council" is belligerently environmentally destructive, with falsehoods claiming sainthood about far less important issues than massive tree destruction, and heartless animal abuse. They voted in favor of the three underpasses which the falsely name group claims puts them in support of the massive logging.
With the Cambridge "City Council", however you have the reality that silence in the face of circumstances which call for outrage is consent.
Then you have the DCR's "legislative liaison." It is silly to think that his nonsense was not given by him to the legislature / the governor's office.
The DCR is unfit to manage the environment. These latest outrages should be immediately ended.
The DCR should be stripped of more of its responsibilities on the Charles River, in a further legislative attempt to end the outrage which was the Metropolitan District Commission. The responsibilities should be transferred to the Department of Transportation which took over the DCR’s responsibilities for the bridges across the Charles River. MassDOT is not perfect. The DCR approaches being perfect from the wrong direction.
MassDOT has shown its willingness and capability to stand up to the DCR and to its partner in destruction, the City of Cambridge.
Part of the transfer would be that portion of Boston's Soldiers Field Road from the BU Bridge to its end in Brighton, an area which MassDOT is currently planning in the Mass. Pike reorganization. Cambridge's Memorial Drive from the BU Bridge to the Longfellow Bridge should be transferred to protect it from the vileness of the DCR.
a. Officials.
Please object to the massive, irresponsible destruction imminent.
Internet Email form: http://www.mass.gov/governor/constituent-services/contact-governor-office/
These destructive people are people from the bureaucracy which reports to him, using money allocated by the opposing party. It would be very much to the governor’s advantage to save the people of Massachusetts from the costs of this outrageous boondoggle, financially, politically, environmentally, and from protecting the animals of the Charles River from an acceleration of heartless animal abuse in which Cambridge and the bureaucrats are belligerently guilty.
Additionally, the City of Cambridge approaches being a one party state, and the party is the opposite party of that to which the governor belongs.
Cambridge City Council: 617-349-4280, council@cambridgema.gov
Letters can be sent c/o City Clerk, City of Cambridge, 795 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139. They should include a cover letter asking that that the letter be made part of the communications to the Cambridge City Council at their next meeting. Because of the timing, letters could be a waste of time.
Formal Email Communications to the Cambridge City Council can be done in a similar manner. The City Clerk’s email address is dlopez@cambridgema.gov. These become part of the formal record. The above address is recorded but not part of the formal package. The above address, however, is immediate, as opposed to the next Monday night when they have a meeting. Because of the timing, formal emails could be a waste of time.
Legislators: 617-722-2000, http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/201304/emails-for-all-massachusetts.html
Contact information as to individuals who might be of value for communications: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-can-we-do-to-help-on-charles-river.html.
Financial help is needed and encouraged. This blog has a donate button which links to PayPal. PayPal confuses me. I am pretty sure I have charged through American Express, and their materials show all credit cards, but they may somehow amount to a debit card type of arrangement, or perhaps they let you use the credit cards the first time. .
If you would rather use snail mail, please mail to Friends of the White Geese, PO Box 391412, Cambridge, MA 02139. Checks would be necessary in snail mail. Please provide your name and address. I can imagine the pious nonsense which would come from these people with regard to anonymous contributions.
Whatever you can do would be of help.
4. Photo comparison, further destruction of the habitat of the Charles River White Geese.
Section 5.a.(1), below.
Photo before.
The promise at this point was a "lawn to the river."
Photo first day of starvation.
View of the wall.
This photo is from the Boston side.
This is an adult woman standing in that opening a couple of years ago. These introduced invasive bushes are now 16 feet high. They have no purpose except to Starve the Charles River White Geese. And they appear nowhere else on the Charles River basin. Everywhere else, the DCR destroys bordering vegetation twice a year. But they love heartless animal abuse.
c. Starvation through closing off a supposed public park.
The Charles River White Geese has had the nerve to cross the on ramp next to the Destroyed Nesting Area looking for food because they are being starved by DCR.
The Charles River White Geese are extremely cautious jaywalkers, and the drivers love them. They look both ways ways before crossing to make certain it is safe. Once they determine it is safe to cross, many do have the tendency to dawdle, like geese.
But, as I said, the drivers stand and wait for the Charles River White Geese to finish crossing, with big smiles on their faces.
No horn beapings, no scowls, big smiles.
But the DCR’s policy is to kill off or drive away all resident animals. And they love heartless animal abuse.
So the DCR has blocked off the entrance to this public park that the public only enters to admire the Charles River White Geese.
The Charles River White Geese are regularly hunting for food on the Charles River. Here are a couple of photos of them off the Destroyed Nesting Area.
They travel in family groups. The families are quite close.
The families include White Geese (Emdens or White Chinas) mixed in with the one Toulouse who has mated into their families, or one of the two White Chinas with vestigial Brown China markings. The offspring of the Toulouse and the vestigial Brown China marked geese frequently have mixed markings.
Their friend, in section a, reports that the friend regularly seen them travelling to the east until their access to the river bank has been blocked by this bizarre tree destruction project. The friend misses them.
The photos are mostly from November 5 and November 12. Some are from November 15. Between November 12 and November 15, the DCR placed green tubes on the ground.
The orange tubes run from the BU Boathouse to slightly east of the doomed and magnificent willow. The orange tubes prevent access to the river bank from the Charles River in the area where the Charles River White Geese have hunted for food.
The green tubes block access should they reach the river bank. The green tubes tend to commonly be maybe 10 feet in. The green tubes run from the BU Boathouse through the condemned and magnificent cherry grove at the split. The green tubes end east of the Cherry grove where the river bank has been replaced by a supporting wall. The river east of the first picture appears to be too steep for the Charles River White Geese to maneuver.
The DCR seems to be intent on destroying all the trees next to the Charles River which were not on their 2009 plans, the young trees, WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE CAMBRIDGE CONSERVATION COMMISSION. My understanding is that the commission has attempted to get updated papers. My discussion with the legislative liaison of November 18 indicated that the DCR / he refuses to update what has already been provided.
I have photos of the green tube from November 15 further east of these final photos, but I have gotten more photos into this report than I expected the blog to allow. The positioning nearest the BU Boathouse is further inland than the ten foot distance which tends to be pretty normal.
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.
(4). Charles River: Thought Control and the City of Cambridge, MA, USA, November 5, 2015: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/charles-river-thought-control-and-city.html.
This is a strikingly short summary of fake groups in the City of Cambridge and their use to lie to the population that Cambridge and its accomplices are responsible entities while fighting, fighting, fighting for destruction. With me on the responsible side. I have had a lot of very major victories. The victories are timed as my time allows, and as I see an opening.
(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.
(12). Report 12, Charles River: Logging preliminary photos - seventh group of photos, update on the ground, November 2, 2015 http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/charles-river-logging-preliminary.html.
(13). Report 13, Charles River: Logging preliminary photos - eighth photos condemned cherry strand revisited, update on the ground, November 6, 2015, http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/charles-river-logging-preliminary_7.html
(14) Charles River: Logging photos - ninth photos first destruction likely east of BU Cambridge Boathouse, November 15, 2015, http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/charles-river-logging-photos-ninth.html
(15) Charles River: Logging photos - 10th photos: Doomed Cherry Grove, doomed magnificent Willow, November 8, 2015, http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/charles-river-logging-photos-10th.html
(16) Charles River Logging: More Fraud on the Governor/legislature? November 24, 2015: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/charles-river-logging-more-fraud-on.html
