I. Introduction.
II. Letter of Notice addressed to Cambridge City Manager and City Council.
1. Latest New Destruction.
2. The relevant Plans.
3. The area across from MicroCenter being destroyed by Order 1 of April 24, 2017.
4. Summary.
5. Responsible Action.
III. Lies, outright lies and flat out fraud. An analysis for newcomers and for people who need a refresher.
IV. Official Report, Prior Reports in this Series.
I. Introduction.
This is Part 8 of a series placing on the internet record, our attempts at preventing YET MORE DESTRUCTION on the Charles River by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, by the City of Cambridge, MA, and by their cheerleaders. Check the last section of this report for links to referenced documents which are not directly attached to the reference.
The first 6 parts of this series present sections of our 51 page letter to the Cambridge City Council responding to the vote of the Cambridge City Council to help the DCR in its destruction. Key in the vote were two things:
(1) They preceded the vote with a rally for themselves on the steps of Cambridge City Hall, deifying themselves for their environmental sainthood, and
(2) They gave the impression that all they, and their accomplices were doing is destroying “dead and dying” trees. The introduction to our letter wiped out the fraudulent word game which is the source of this false claim, and we presented photos of EVERY tree in the parklands of which they had voted to subsidize the destruction.
We have been interrupted yet again in our presentation of the plans for this outrage because the destruction has continued.
“Somebody” has destroyed two trees on the destruction plans on the far side of Memorial Drive from the Charles River, PLUS “somebody”has destroyed TWO TREES near those TWO TREES which were nor only not slated for destruction but have been lovingly cared for by the abutting property owner. It seems reasonable to assume in all cases that the “somebody” was the DCR.
Photos of the destroyed tree WHICH WERE ANNOUNCED AS DOOMED taken from the report is provided below in section II. Photos of the lovingly cared for trees casually destroyed in violation of promises not to destroy are also in section II.
Here is a DCR map of the Magazine Beach recreation area. It is the all of the area along the river colored except for the area to the furthest right.
The destroyed trees were ACROSS THE STREET FROM Magazine Beach . The lovingly cared for trees were below the asterisk. The previously announced destruction was to the right (east) of those trees, in front of the white marking which is the MicroCenter building.
We noticed the destruction on Monday June 26. We filed letter of notice on Wednesday, June 28 with the Cambridge City Manager and with the Cambridge City Clerk for the next meeting of the Cambridge City Council on June 26. We filed notice, WITH DETAILS, with the owners and most important tenants on June 27.
The photos in the letter frequently were so large that it is not possible to duplicate them on this blog. All graphics can be increased in size by double clicking.
II. Letter of Notice addressed to Cambridge City Manager and City Council.
RE: Continuation of destruction reporting: 56 Mostly Excellent Trees at Magazine Beach #8. Communication 11 in a series
Gentlemen / Ladies:
1. Latest New Destruction.
2. The relevant Plans.
3. The area across from MicroCenter being destroyed by Order 1 of April 24, 2017.
4. Summary.
5. Responsible Action.
1. Latest New Destruction.
This photograph was taken on June 25, 2007. This constitutes trees 55 and 56 of what was formerly 54 mostly excellent trees being destroyed at Magazine Beach.
Two trees not on the plans have been destroyed along with two trees which were on the plans at the MicroCenter Shopping Center.
As you are aware, this shopping center has new ownership.
One of the very nice things they did was to give clearly professional care to the trees on the Memorial Drive side of their parking lot.
That clearly professional care included mulch around each of those four lovely trees.
“Somebody,” obviously the DCR, destroyed two of those lovely trees to which the owners gave such excellent care. Destruction was achieved along with destruction of two trees next to the MicroCenter building which were on the list for which the Cambridge City Council voted to seek destruction moneys on April 24, 2017.
Here is a photo which I have not provided before which was taken in October 2016. It was taken with regard to the outrage on the DCR side. I have cropped this photo because it shows the two ADDED TREES which were destroyed, although they are obscured.
The eastern of the two ADDED destroyed trees is obscured by an orange object and by a vehicle to carry boats. The western of the two destroyed trees is more obscured. Clear are the two undestroyed trees. Then you come to the entrance to the parking lot. The house is at the far end of the MicroCenter parking lot.
Here are before (my letter of June 6, 2017) and after (June 26, 2017) pictures of the two MicroCenter trees targeted FOR DESTRUCTION by the Cambridge City Council on April 24, 2017 in Order 1.
2. The relevant Plans.
Here is that portion of the plans which is relevant. The plans involved are the second grouping of plans given to the Cambridge Conservation Commission, the plans with the fraudulent word games which got picked up in Order 1 as the words “dead or dying,” falsely claiming environmental innocence in the vote for funding of destruction of 54, now 56, mostly excellent trees. The fraudulent second plans added the two trees by MicroCenter which were just destroyed by “somebody,” obviously the DCR.
The cropping I am providing here shows a contiguous area larger than separate croppings I provided in my June 6, 2017 letter. I am doing this to show you that the DCR told the Cambridge Conservation Commission that they had no intent to destroy the two now destroyed excellent trees by the parking lot and to provide more context of the horror supported by Order 1 and its “dead or dying.”
This cropping shows the originally doomed trees in yellow in front of the MicroCenter building. To their left is the driveway / public street west of the MicroCenter building. The two trees just destroyed AND NOT MENTIONED IN THE PLANS are the left two of the four to the left of the driveway / public street. The group of four abut the MicroCenter parking lot.
With the added destruction of these four (2 announced, 2 secret) trees, the destruction to be funded by Order 1 which constitutes “dead or dying” trees, has thus been reduced by 5, with the result that the very tiny number of truly “dead or dying” trees targeted by Order 1 is now even closer to non existence.
Judging by the care that the owners gave to the two now clearly dead trees (because they have been destroyed) by the parking lot, it is very clear that the owner considered those trees no more dead or dying than are the seven trees slated for destruction across Memorial Drive from the parking lot. The DCR admits those SEVEN trees are neither dead nor dying. The DCR and the City Council, by Order 1, simply want to destroy those excellent trees to move a parking lot so that this area of Memorial Drive has a parking lot across from a parking lot.
3. The area across from MicroCenter being destroyed by Order 1 of April 24, 2017.
On general principles, here are a couple of photos of the admittedly not dead or dying trees which the City Council Order 1 of April 24, 2017 and the DCR want destroyed on the DCR side of Memorial Drive.
Destruction supported by Order 1 MOVES THE PARKING LOT CURRENTLY BETWEEN THESE TREES AND THE CHARLES RIVER, and puts THAT PARKING LOT on top of SEVEN EXCELLENT TREES. There is NO OTHER REASON for the destruction except make work for contractors.
The “dead or dying” plan on page 3 clearly calls these trees excellent. These are the seven yellow circles WITHOUT OTHER MARKINGS across from the MicroCenter parking lot in the plan.
The reality is that, based on fraud, the Cambridge City Council supported the destruction of 54, now 56, mostly excellent trees, and the tiny minority of “dead or dying” trees has decreased by five now, although two of the five now dead were indisputably neither dead nor dying when Order 1 was taken.
Here are photos from my June 6, 2017 letter showing the trees on the MDC side of Memorial Drive at MicroCenter that the Cambridge City Council voted to seek funding to destroy by Order 1 of April 24, 2017. These photos were taken in October 2016. The view is even better now.
The first photo is from the Memorial Drive side. The Charles River is visible in the photo. The second photo is from the river side in the parking lot which the MDC and Order 1 of April 24, 2017, want to move on top of these excellent trees. These excellent trees in turn are across Memorial Drive from the two newly destroyed excellent trees on page 1 which were not in the DCR plans . Cars in the MDC parking lot proposed to be moved are visible in the first photo. One car is very prominent in the second photo.
4. Summary.
This follows on my letters of June 6 and 22, 2017 and on all of the references therein.
On April 24, 2017, a lot of members of the Cambridge City Council conducted a rally on the front steps of City Hall, calling themselves environmental saints. The City Council, in its first order that evening, based on a key falsehood, “dead or dying,” then proceeded to support the destruction of 54, now 56, mostly excellent trees, the continuation and expansion of the use of poisons on the banks of the Charles River, the continuation of the bizarre wall of introduction vegetation blocking off the Charles River, and the continuation of Cambridge and the DCR’s heartless animal abuse, plus set the stages for a whole bunch of other bad stuff.
Order 1 was based on the fraudulent use of words, “dead or dying,” which gave the lying impression that the 54, now 56, doomed and mostly excellent trees were anything but.
You may refresh your memory of what the City Council voted for by reviewing Cambridge records, my letter of June 6, 2017, posted at http://cambridgema.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1815&Inline=True, pages 198 to 249.
The vote was based on fraud, the clear and false implication that 54, now 56, mostly excellent trees were “dead or dying,” based on words which were a false expansion of skillful fraud by the DCR as extensively demonstrated in my letter.
5. Responsible Action.
The responsible thing to do is to implement the wishes of the legislature when the legislature destroyed the Metropolitan District Commission, in part to protect the Charles River from the destruction of its irresponsible “planners” in conjunction with the irresponsible “planners” of the Cambridge Development Department, and their controlled fake “protective groups.”
The reprehensible MDC “planners” took their irresponsible plans to the Department of Conservation and Recreation. They and the CDD and the Cambridge City Council are proceeding to implement those irresponsible plans. Hundreds of MOSTLY EXCELLENT trees have already been destroyed on the Charles River, as demonstrated in my videos at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTplCCEJP7o, and https://youtu.be/dWyCdcWMuAA.
Behave in a manner consistent with the proclamations of environmental sainthood on the steps of City Hall on April 24, 2017. Fulfill the wishes of the legislature when the legislature destroyed the MDC.
Reverse Order 1 of April 24, 2017.
Prevent any and all alternate sources of funding for this and for ALL SIMILAR OR RELATED outrages, including but not limited to actions of the legislature.
Reverse the destruction of the 2000s by Cambridge and the DCR / MDC.
Oppose the secret fine print in the blatantly deceptive Davis communication. My analysis was provided in a separate letter in the communications a little before the June 6, 2017 letter. I have posted my analysis of the Davis nonsense to the Secretary / CEO of Transportation at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/charles-river-con-game-fights-for.html, and the analysis attached to that letter of the CDD and its fake protective groups at: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/charles-river-con-game-fights-for.html. The official record is filed a little before my June 6, 2017 letter.
Give the DCR’s powers on the Charles River to the Department of Transportation which has split the former MDC powers with the DCR since the MDC was properly destroyed. MassDOT is not perfect. The DCR and “planners” of the CDD approach being perfect from the wrong direction.
Hopefully, City Manager DePasquale will clean up the outrages remaining from the preceding 42 years of three destructive City Managers by severely pruning the destructiveness of the CDD, which fits hand in glove with the reprehensible DCR / MDC.
In the meantime, I have provided you photos of 4 more trees destroyed by the DCR as part of this outrage, including some really good photos. These, bringing accomplished destruction up to 5, are the first to be destroyed of the very terrible destruction of 54, now 56, MOSTLY EXCELLENT TREES on the Charles River IN ADDITION TO THE HUNDREDS ALREADY DESTROYED east of the BU Bridge.
FIVE supposed justifications for this destruction have now been destroyed. The “justification” for Order 1 is rapidly going to EVEN MORE indisputable non existence.
Sincerely,
Robert J. La Trémouille, individually and as
Chair, Friends of the White Geese
III. Lies, outright lies and flat out fraud. An analysis for newcomers and for people who need a refresher.
The following is edited from the beginning of my letter of June 6, 2017 to the Cambridge City Council. These 51 pages provide a detailed analysis of the 54, now 56, trees at Magazine Beach for whose destruction the Cambridge City Council has voted to seek funding. This occurred in order number 1 of April 24, 2017, following a rally on City Hall steps by City Councilors praising themselves for their self-proclaimed environmental saintliness.
This analysis is being repeated because readers may need repetition of key issues. Editing has been done in an attempt to isolate the key issues.
People who wish to review the full 51 page analysis are encouraged to review it from the City Clerk’s detailed agenda preparatory to the City Council meeting at which the City Council received the letter. The official record of the letter is posted at http://cambridgema.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1815&Inline=True, pages 198 to 249. This is a large document which is part of a truly massive document containing everything being considered at that meeting. There can be a significant delay in loading it. Should you prefer, we have PDF versions at a size transmittable (5 files) over the Internet. Please just give us a request at boblat@yahoo.com.
* * * *
A relevant, and true, comparison that can be made to Order 1 of April 24, 2017, is to compare the 54 trees (now 56) the City Council has supported destroying at Magazine Beach to trees on the City Hall grounds, specifically to the grove directly behind the rear entrance to City Hall.
I was recently very much impressed by this grove. Then it came to me.
[Ed. A photo of this grove was watermarked on the first page of the letter. Here it is straight out.]
This is a good grove, BUT its individual trees are inferior to a significant number of trees at Magazine Beach which the Cambridge City Council voted to destroy by Order 1. The reality is that the skillful word games used by the DCR in its color amendment to its destruction plans, to justify outrageous destruction are fraud, fraud, fraud. Key words in Order 1 converted skillfully reworded fraud in the DCR color amendment to a statement of an absolute fact. Rewording fraud as absolute fact does not change reality. I presume this order with the fraud was written by the Cambridge Development Department and not by the signers of the order.
In any case, A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF THE TREES THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO DESTROY ON MAGAZINE BEACH ARE SUPERIOR TO THE TREES AT THE REAR OF CITY HALL. It is irresponsible and wasteful to destroy them.
I have previously passed on to the City Council and City Manager the wisdom of Phil Barber with regard to destruction proposed on the Charles River. Phil Barber’s words have general relevance to the destruction called for in Order 1 of April 24, 2017.
* * *
It's certainly an outrage to destroy entire stands because of some deadwood or unsightly growth. I see this all too often, that trees that have valiantly survived the elements and abuse are cut down simply because someone judges them not to be sufficiently aesthetic. I imagine people who lack the awareness that these are living beings deserving of care simply see the bottom line, that it's cheaper to ruin an irreplaceable old tree and put in a new one, as if it didn't matter.
I've also seen city workers on the job in the various little parks and public landscaping hacking away willy-nilly at the vegetation blissfully unaware of the difference between weeds and plantings. The lack of concern, and of knowledge, is appalling but such is our time.
* * *
As I have analyzed the original official DCR black and white submittal to the Cambridge Conservation Commission in comparison to the subsequent color package with the fraudulent word games, it has become clear that the proposed destruction in the areas I have previously reported has grown.
While destruction has gotten more irresponsible in the area claimed to be under the protection of the fake neighborhood association associated with the development department, DESTRUCTION IN THE BOAT CLUB AREA WITH MEANINGFUL PROTECTION HAS DROPPED FROM TWO TREES TO ZERO.
There are trees which may accurately be described as dead or dying in the area proposed to be destroyed by Order 1 of April 24, 2017. This report points them out. The dead and dying are almost all outside the core areas of outrageous destruction. Most of the dead and dying are around the playing fields.
This tiny number of dead or dying trees, in no way, justifies the massive destruction supported by Order number 1 of April 24,2017, in spite of the DCR’s skillful word game fraud in the color propaganda package being reworded in Order 1 as absolute truth.
Almost all of the dead and dying trees are at the playing fields, the beginning of my analysis. The parkland, from the east of the pedestrian overpass to the boat club, has the vast majority of doomed trees. These doomed trees are almost all excellent, especially when you ignore the areas which have been improperly added to the parkland.
If “technically correct” language knowingly communicates a different meaning to average human beings who hear normal meanings for that language, usage of the technical language without explanation of the difference from normal language is fraud.
I use the language of normal human beings and I call fraud fraud. I do not go into a long explanation which explanation, to the normal human being, is silly.
The chop, chop, chop mentality of the Department of Conservation and Recreation is one reason why the legislature destroyed the Metropolitan District Commission ‒ to protect, among other things, the Charles River from the horribly irresponsible “planners” of the MDC. Those horribly irresponsible “planners” moved to the DCR. Too many of those “planners,” are now working in the DCR. They, with the bad Cambridge Development Department and others in the City of Cambridge, have just destroyed hundreds of trees east of the BU Bridge.
There are significant and key trees which the DCR and Cambridge want to destroy that they admit are healthy and have not reached their peak beauty. The DCR and Cambridge just want to destroy them.
The color / propaganda package represents the second phase of fighting for destruction. It uses word games. It claims that, if a tree has reached peak perfection plus a day, the DCR and Cambridge have a right to destroy it. The euphemism is “decline.” Translation: while excellent, it only has another 50 years to live (or whatever). This outrageous word game is the sole supposed justification for a very significant part of this outrage. This outrage will devastate the river side of Memorial Drive from east of the pedestrian overpass to the Boat Club.
This outrage was based on skillfully worded fraud. The writers of Order 1, whether the named writers or the Cambridge Development Department, took skillfully worded fraud and converted the skillfully worded fraud to call the skillfully worded fraud an absolute (and false) “truth.”
IV. Official Report, Prior Reports in this Series.
The official and complete Cambridge, MA, USA, City Council record of the letter to them detailing the destruction they supported by that order is posted by the Cambridge City Clerk at http://cambridgema.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1815&Inline=True, pages 198 to 249. It is part of a very large file and takes some time to load.
PDF copies of this filing with the City Council / City Manager may be obtained directly by email from boblat@yahoo.com
Prior Reports in this series may be viewed at:
Part 1, June 10, 2017, repeating Section 1, Introduction, of the Report, in
Charles River: What is being destroyed next, Part 1 at: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/charles-river-what-is-being-destroyed.html.
Part 2, June 11, 2017 Repeating Sections 2, Northeast Corner of the Playing Fields; and 3, Parking Lot of Playing Fields, of the Report, in:
Charles River: What is being destroyed next, Part 2, “Dead and Dying” reality of Magazine Beach, Early History of the Outrages, at: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/charles-river-what-is-being-destroyed_11.html
Part 3, June 14, 2017, Repeating Sections 4, Southern Edge of Playing Fields; 5, The Starvation Wall; and 6, The middle of the playing fields. Poison usage. Drainage for poisons that should not be used. of the Report, in:
Charles River, MA: Magazine Beach Playing Fields Destruction, Council report part 3, sections 4 to 6, Starvation Wall, Use of Poisons, Some Dead Trees, at: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/charles-river-ma-magazine-beach-playing.html
Part 4, repeating section 7, The Start of the BIG Destruction, Northern Edge of Playing Fields, in:
Charles River, MA: Magazine Beach Playing Fields Destruction, Council report part 3, sections 7, The Start of the BIG Destruction, Northern Edge of Playing Fields, at: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/charles-river-ma-magazine-beach-playing_16.html
Part 5, repeating section 8, Northeast Hill, Northwest playing fields, in:
Charles River, MA, USA: Magazine Beach Destruction Plans, Council report part 5, section 8, at the Pedestrian Overpass, at: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/charles-river-ma-usa-magazine-beach.html.
Part 6, repeating section 9, Destruction of the Magnificent Grove dominating the Playing Fields.
Charles River, MA, USA: Planned Destruction of Magazine Beach 6, to City Council, section 9, Destruction of the Magnificent Grove dominating the Playing Fields, at: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/charles-river-ma-usa-planned.html
Charles River, MA: Magazine Beach Destruction: Part 7, Destruction Starts, at: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/charles-river-ma-magazine-beach.html
