More money from the Cambridge, MA, USA, City Council for destructive bureaucrats on the Charles River?
The Cambridge City Manager’s Communication 2 in the Cambridge City Council’s Monday night, March 22, 2021, meeting involves the expenditure of money supposedly to respond to algae floating in the Charles River.
The basic problem is extreme mismanagement of the Charles River in the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and in the Cambridge Development Department. The basic problem is, of course, being ignored.
The algae stemmed from
1. Cambridge and the DCR dumping poisons on the previously pristine Magazine Beach playing fields starting in the late 2000's,
2. That was combined with the installation of expensive drainage to keep the poisons out of the Charles River. No care was taken that I am aware of to refrain from poisoning resident / visiting animals.
3. In December 2017, this was followed by the blocking of the drainage by an “activist” with money and volunteers provided by the DCR. Her activities rerouted poisons which should not even be used on the Charles into the Charles River. We have reported on this in detail. One photo is attached. Trash from the destruction was picked up by the City of Cambridge. We have photographs of that.
4. Most recently, the Cambridge City Council has funded that same “activist” for “environmental work” preparatory to the destruction of the excellent grove across from MicroCenter. Photo of affected area attached
The most basic need is replacement of bureaucrats in the DCR and the Cambridge Development Department responsible for these outrages by competent people. This should be initiated in the state legislature, but any changes would have to be combined with changes in attitude on the Cambridge City Council. The Cambridge City Council’s actions have supportive of destructive behavior by the DCR and the Cambridge Developmen Department. The supportive actions combine with non stop claims of environmental sainthood.
Giving more money to the destructive people involved is going in the wrong direction. Replacement through the state legislature of the MDC with MassDOT would be an intelligent step. MassDOT is not perfect, but the DCR and the Cambridge Development Department, and their “activist” approach being perfect from the wrong direction.
Here are a photo of the blocking of the drainage, a photo of some of the algae created by these bureaucrats and the “activist” (Phil Barber) and a drone photo of the excellent and doomed grove which the DCR in its destruction plans admitted is excellent. The drone photo is taken from “From Cambridge to Boston with the DJ Inspire 1 Drone footage,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN-OmMzvHhw, minute 2:33. The doomed AND MAGNIFICENT grove adjoins the upper right corner of the pool.
Further details are available in a number of reports filed in the files of the Cambridge City Council but more readily available on the web site of Friends of the White Geese at http://www.friendsofthewhitegeese.org/ar1.htm.
These are the first three items currently listed, spelling out the reality of the Interstate 90 Off Ramp to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (plus?) being sold as a bike path, documentation of tree destruction which is claimed to not exist, and the full documentation and photos of the DCR’s report to the Cambridge Conservation Commission on the ONGOING and increasing destruction at Magazine Beach by the Cambridge City Council and the DCR.
Tossing money at entities which are unfit for their duties on the Charles is going in exactly the wrong direction.
