I delivered the following letter on December 7, 2017 to the Cambridge City Clerk for the City Council and City Manager. It was received by the City Council at the December 11, 2017 meeting.
The City Council is considering various regulatory matters supposedly to help out the bee population.
The letter responds to the City Manager's input to the City Council on the bee initiatives.
The technical aspects of this report are overwhelmingly the work of Phil Barber. He knows the technical matters extremely well.
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RE: City Manager Agenda Item 6, December 4, 2017, government impact on bees and other resident animals in Cambridge
Gentlemen / Ladies:
Please remember, once again, that two of the most irresponsibly destructive entities in Cambridge with regard to bees and other living beings are the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the City of Cambridge, with open support of the Cambridge City Council as stated in Order 1 of April 24, 2017, plus earlier outrages.
The Charles River has an annual infestation of algae that dates back to the love of the DCR for use of poisons on the banks of the Charles River. Just prior to the first annual Charles River swim in, managers of the DCR determined that their beloved poisons were not functioning as well as they would like at Ebersol Fields next to the Massachusetts General Hospital. So they dumped on Ebersol Fields poisons (Round-up sounds right) marked “Do not use near water.” The next day, the Charles River was dead from the harbor to the Mass. Ave. Bridge with the first of these annual blights. It is not a confusing matter, just another example of the lack of fitness of the DCR to manage the environment.
During the government destruction at Magazine Beach during the 2000's, managed by Mr. Rossi before he assumed the City Manager position, Cambridge and the DCR instituted the use of poisons on the formerly clean banks of the Charles River in the Charles River playing fields. Playing fields were decreased in size to accommodate a poison drainage system.
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Photo labeled:
The poison drainage system created at Magazine Beach by Cambridge and the DCR in the 2000's. Area where government robots are destroying resident animal protecting ground vegetation.
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This year, bees have been seen on Magazine Beach suffering from what we understand looks like Round-up poisoning.
Activities of government and related robots on this matter are, of course, in the wrong direction.
Order 1 of April 24, 2017, blessed the outrageously irresponsible plans of the DCR for Magazine Beach.
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Photo inserted, labeled:
Top of the hill at Magazine Beach, proposed expansion area of poison use, along with one of the largest portions of the MASSIVE AND OUTRAGEOUS TREE DESTRUCTION supported by the Cambridge City Council in Order 1 of 4/24/17.
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In addition to massive destruction of excellent trees and continued heartless abuse of resident animals, the items blessed by the City Council include
1. Destruction of the poison fed and failed playing field grass and replacement with further poison fed grass instead of returning to the environmentally responsible playing fields which existed at Magazine Beach during the 20th Century.
2. Expansion of destruction of responsible grasses and replacement with poison feeding grasses at the top of the hill and in the area behind the swimming pool.
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Photo inserted, with label:
The little guys’ parking lot on the Hill at Magazine Beach. Order 1 of April 24, 2017, supported destruction of this environmentally responsible gem. Among other “achievements” is gentrification by driving away the lower income folks who use this place for access to picnicing. Additionally, this is part of the rearrangement of driveways to speed up traffic coming off the new Inner Belt / private exit for MIT from the Mass. Pike (I90)
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3. Continued destruction of animal habitat which habitat is a side benefit of the poison drainage system.
Destruction is by robots of the City of Cambridge and the DCR.
The robots regularly and proudly destroy valuable ground vegetation needed by resident animals.
For an analysis of the value of such vegetation, please see the following article published in the Magazine of Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum, http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/2017-75-1-other-order-sound-walk-for-an-urban-wild.pdf. Arnold Arboretum devotes 25 acres to such vegetation.
4. Continued existence of the truly bizarre starvation wall which prevents access between the playing fields and the Charles River and which
a. turns the playing fields into a facility which might as well be ten miles from the Charles River.
b. implements the goal of the DCR with Cambridge support to kill off resident animals, a goal which is broad enough to include resident bees.
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Photo inserted, labeled
Failure of the DCR and Cambridge’s beloved poisons on the playing fields. Supposed remedy: the poison drinking grass will be replaced with more poison drinking grass rather than by bringing back the responsible grasses of the 20th Century which were destroyed by the 2000's outrage, and which are targeted for further destruction instead.
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Yelling at / regulating the other guy as is the subject of bee keeping regulations is nice, but is no excuse for continued environmental destructiveness by the City of Cambridge, the DCR and their robots.
Please practice what you preach.
● Among other things end the outrage on the Charles River.
● End the plans for further destruction on the Charles River hidden in the fine print of the Grand Junction plans.
● Use the responsible alternatives for the Grand Junction which we have proposed.
● Reverse Order 1 of April 24, 2017.
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Photo inserted, labeled:
The starvation wall at Magazine Beach, viewed from the Boston side of the Charles River. The opening viewed is the only opening. It is the public boat dock destroyed by the 2000's outrages.
Second photo inserted, labeled:
Adult woman in destroyed boat dock, overwhelmed by size of Starvation Wall.
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● Replace the DCR with a responsible, although not perfect, entity, the Department of Transportation.
While MassDOT is not perfect, the DCR approaches perfection from the wrong direction, and MassDOT has stood up to outrages originating in the government of the City of Cambridge and in the DCR.
Lovely words primarily aimed at the other guy is a terrible substitute by a government which does not comply with its own lovely words.
Sincerely,
Robert J. La Trémouille, individually as as
Chair, Friends of the White Geese
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Photo inserted with label:
Early photo of bridge over created wetlands. It prevents access by boat users to historical boat dock. Bridge was introduced in the 2000's outrages.
Final photo inserted with label:
Vegetation introduced in 2000's outrage north of the bizarre bridge. After the first phase of the 2000's outrage, the Charles River White Geese entered their home of most of the last 37 years through the destroyed boat dock to feed. These bizarre plantings implement the goal of killing / driving away resident animals. Implementation of goal is by deliberately starving them, through this and other tactics.
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