Wednesday, June 01, 2016

Charles River, Visit to the Charles River White Geese, Destruction Report.

Charles River, Visit to the Charles River White Geese, Destruction Report.

1. Visit to the Charles River White Geese.
2. Recent important publications.
3. The Destroyed Nesting Area.
A. General.
B. Entrance at the BU Bridge and the Memorial Drive On Ramp.
C. Hill top to the south of the entrance.
D. Dead zone next to the BU Bridge.
E. Middle, area needlessly destroyed in the BU Bridge work.
F. Next to the on ramp to Memorial Drive.
G. Border zone.
H. Riverfront.
I. Woods next to the Tracks.
4. Summary.



1. Visit to the Charles River White Geese.

The three / four day Memorial Day weekend started off with two beautiful days on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, I visited the Charles River White Geese and took photos.  Ever since, I have been trying to figure out what to do with the photos.

On Friday, I wandered down to the Charles River and encountered a very young goose family with Mommy and Daddy showing their day old babies the world, the Charles River.

Here are a few photos of Mommy and Daddy teaching the kids how to swim and how to explore what little of the habitat has not been destroyed for them.






Here is a photo of another family in the government created wasteland.



2. Recent important publications.

Our video on the destruction of Memorial Drive by Massachusetts’ Department of Conservation and Resources and by the City of Cambridge:  https://youtu.be/h_u-woTPRJ8.

Our press release on the publication of the third edition of the video:  http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/press-release-youtube-video-on-charles.html.

3. The Destroyed Nesting Area.

A. General.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology gave the City of Cambridge a detailed analysis of Cambridge’s plans to add to the DCR’s destruction on the Charles River, as part of their bragged about “Grand JunctionPlans.”

Here is the relevant part of their package, showing the Destroyed Nesting Area of the Charles River White Geese.  MIT supported the destruction of those 150 trees on the Charles River with more coming.



The diagonal solid lines show the Grand Junction area.  I doubt that the boundaries are exact.

B. Entrance at the BU Bridge and the Memorial Drive On Ramp.



The top corner is the entrance illegally created by Boston University.

Here is a photo of the entrance taken from the outside.





To the right (outside the shot) are a stairs and a handicapped ramp illegally constructed for the DCR by Boston University for an area, the Destroyed Nesting Area, which has value to nobody except for the animals living in it.  The DCR does not like resident animals.  The DCR is the embodiment of man destroying our world.  Animals have had all their habitat destroyed in this area except for the tiny Destroyed Nesting Area and the DCR and Cambridge are determined to finish the destruction.

Straight ahead is the needlessly destroyed middle area.  To the left is the needlessly destroyed area next to the on ramp to Memorial Drive.  Dirt which replaced "ameliorations" are visible in each area, details in subsections E and F below.

The DCR and Cambridge started starving the Charles River White Geese by blocking access to their main residence of the last 35 years at Magazine Beach by constructing what is now a solid wall 16 feet high, preventing access from the water and turning waterfront land into landlocked land without a view of the water.

The DCR admits that the starvation wall is considered unattractive, to put it nicely, by humans, but the DCR is determined to starve the Charles River White Geese.

So the Starvation Wall at Magazine Beach is non negotiable.

Also non negotiable is the starvation wall shown in this photo.  After all, they have given themselves a duty to kill off or drive away all resident animals.

Somebody has forced an ability for humans to enter the Destroyed Nesting Area although the Charles River White Geese might be hesitant to walk through this.

This entrance was blocked by the DCR as part of the DCR’s starvation campaign.

The only food left to the White Geese is grass under and next to Memorial Drive.

They are very cautious jaywalkers.  They look both ways before crossing the ramp to make certain it is safe.  But, they are geese.  Some of them dawdle in crossing.

Watching the occasional back up of cars while they cross is illuminating.  The drivers all have big smiles on their faces.  The geese are beautiful.  They need food, and are doing the best they can.

The drivers realize this and are very happy to wait.

But the DCR wants to starve them.

C. Hill top to the south of the entrance.



This hilltop before the DCR destruction was filled with ground vegetation like the rest of the Destroyed Nesting Area.

This was destroyed in the BU Bridge project.  So the DCR put in bushes which, like the Magazine Beach starvation wall, grow thick to the ground to prevent foot access by the White Geese.  Most of this irresponsible vegetation has survived, making this area impassible.

Here is a photo from March.  The area is to the left.  The between the paths is straight ahead.  One of the gravel paths introduced is beyond the area between the paths.  The second path is closer.  The near area is parking lot next to the BU Bridge.



D. Dead zone next to the BU Bridge.



The government apparently claims that it needs a 100 foot wide dead zone next to the BU Bridge.  The dead zone was necessary to work on the BU Bridge and trees and vegetation was destroyed for access for Bridge work.


The DCR lies that it is achieving amelioration.  The amelioration consist of dirt, dirt and more dirt.  Not a speck of grass, nothing but dirt.  This is an excellent location to look at when you think of the lovely promises associated with the destruction of those 150 trees with 100 more coming.

The DCR calls this responsible behavior.

At the top of the deliberate 100 foot strip of dirt is crushed stone abutting the BU Bridge and south of the vegetated hill top.  It creates two walkways to the portion of the DNA which was not destroyed in the BU Bridge repairs.  This picture shows the dead zone and the parking lot.



E. Middle, area needlessly destroyed in the BU Bridge work.



The area between the two crushed stone highways, plus the highway was simply destroyed for Make Work for Contractors and to starve the White Geese.

In the middle of this area was planted bushes which have turned out to be responsible.  They are not dense at the bottom and thus allow the White Geese to wander.

Most of them died.  There was no allowance for maintenance in the Make Work for Contractors, and, of course, no grass allowed.  So most of this area is dirt.

Another excellent example of what is coming after the destruction of those 150 trees with 100 plus more coming.



Here are photos of the Charles River White Geese waiting in this area to get out the exit after it was blocked.





F. Next to the on ramp to Memorial Drive.



This area like every place else was filled with native ground vegetation.

It was needlessly destroyed and irresponsible ground blocking bushes installed much of which was then was allowed to die.



Here is a BU Bridge shot from the winter of destruction.  The two crushed stone paths are under snow in front of the area.




G. Border zone.



Between the BU Bridge destruction and the supposedly undestroyed habitat is a border area.

The amelioration includes thick to the ground vegetation targeted at destroying the habitat for use by the White Geese.

Closer to the native area is previously existing vegetation which was not destroyed by the falsely named Charles River “Conservancy.”  This vile fraudulently named ground has contempt for the native environment and for resident animals.  It destroyed pretty much all ground vegetation in the Wild Area on the far side of the railroad.

Then it destroyed all ground vegetation in the Destroyed Nesting Area except for that which the BU Bridge project would destroy.  This resulted in leaving two small patches of native vegetation inside the bizarre border vegetation created in the area which should not have been destroyed and at the inner edge of the 100 foot zone at the BU Bridge.

Here is a photo of the border area during the use of the most sensitive area as a parking lot by the DCR and the irresponsible railroad workers.  The native vegetation is to the right.  Next to it is plastic left over from the BU Bridge work.  This is the DCR's idea of remelioration.  To the left in the corner is the bushes seen above.  At the top is the area next to the on ramp, with Memorial Drive and MIT's building above that.

The DCR's introduced vegetation is rudimentary at this point.



Here are photos through the border area of some of the irresponsible parking under the beloved large, perhaps doomed, trees.






H. Riverfront.



This is where the goose family photos were taken.  Trees abutting the Charles have not YET been destroyed, but the destruction plans for the 250 plus tree destruction are ambivalent.  It could be the intention of the DCR and Cambridge to destroy all these trees like it is the intention of the DCR and Cambridge to destroy the Wild Area.

Here is a photo from February just after the DCR did the worst of its destruction of hundreds of trees on the Charles River.


This photo is taken from the BU Bridge, which is on the left.  The Charles River frontage is straight ahead.  The Grand Junction Bridge is to the right, and the Wild area to the Far Right.  The first family pictures were from the left end of the frontage.  The last from the opening to the right.

Photos of the area from the ground from last Saturday are of limited value because of the extreme variations in light.  The family pictures cropped out the vegation because it was took dark because of the contrast.  This photo is taken from the Dead Zone next to the BU Bridge.  The dirt is an extension of the main, and destroyed, goose area, just below the two trucks in the repeated photo.

All ground vegetation has been destroyed under the trees.


Here is a photo, regular sized and blown up from a March shoot, of a flotilla in the same area, showing the destruction under the trees.





I. Woods next to the Tracks.



This area is most important to the White Geese.  Its excellent ground vegetation was destroyed by the CRC and the situation was made worse by the railroad workers unexplained items in the MIT satellite view are the work of the railroad workers.

They used the heart of the White Geese habitat for parking.  In spite of the fact that there was plenty or room for them to park under and next to Memorial Drive.  Tbey dumped crushed stone in this area which was previously clean of crushed stone.

The Cambridge Conservation Commission staff condemned the destructiveness.  The DCR management blessed the destruction outside a tiny are next to the Charles River to which the Cambridge City Council has limited the legal powers of the Conservation Commission.








There are a number of piles of ground vegetation in this area.  The DCR / its agents have destroyed and destroyed and destroyed.  Then they left the formally good vegetation in piles.  Eventually, this stuff could be mulch.  I am confident that, once it has value, that will also be destroyed.

J. The Wild Area next to the tracks.



This steep bank between the Charles River and the railroad was used for nesting by the White Geese probably up to this year.  This vegetation has been destroyed like the rest of the vegetation was by the DCR.



Destruction near the tracks would have been done by the railroad division of MassDOT, on the hillside?


4. Summary.

We are dealing with belligerently rotten people.  They rather clearly seem to see their function as dual:

Kill off all resident animals.

Make Work for Contractors.

Nothing else has value to these people.

And they just destroyed 150 trees with 100 plus more coming.

And they want to make the outrage at Magazine Beach worse.

And I think the adult in the room, MassDOT should take over management of the environment from the DCR.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Mass. Pike Expansion (I90) across from Goose Habitat gets smaller.

RE: Mass Pike Expansion (I90) across from Goose Habitat gets smaller.

1. General.
2. Specific.
A. MBTA.
B. Recent vileness from Cambridge, DCR and cheerleaders.
C. MassDOT.
2. Official Announcement.



1. General.

Today, we have received some excellent information from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The Charles River White Geese have the misfortune of living in the middle of a massive amount of possible development.

The very terrible actors are the City of Cambridge, the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation, and fake groups which can best be described as falsely named cheerleaders for the City of Cambridge, Cambridge’s friends, and individuals possible worse than Cambridge ad the DCR.

MassDOT has been the adult in the room, and MassDOT, once again, lives up to expectations.

2. Specific.

A. MBTA.

Here is a map from the local transit authority, the MBTA, which brings a lot into focus.



This particular map shows a possible crossing of the Charles River for the Heavy Rail “Urban Ring” subway proposal, a crossing which was made an official alternative of the MBTA in 1991, after I proposed it in 1986.

Last I heard, Cambridge and those influenced by Cambridge had spent a minimum of 20 years denying the existence of this MBTA proposal.  Cambridge and friends want a destructive alternative river crossing which, increasingly, looks impossible because of the major upgrade of a Commuter Rail station called the “Yawkey Station.”  They are losing in reality, so Cambridge and friends indulged in blatant lies over a period exceeding 20 years.

The MBTA is now part of MassDOT.  MassDOT has made another major favorable ruling.

B. Recent vileness from Cambridge, DCR and cheerleaders.

Cambridge and the DCR have destroyed hundreds of trees between the BU and Longfellow Bridges on the Cambridge side of the Charles River.  The BU Bridge is to the left of the river crossing in the map.  The Longfellow Bridge is the second bridge to the right of the crossing.

Our video on this latest outrage may be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/h_u-woTPRJ8.

The Charles River White Geese have lived in this world for more than 35 years.

When Cambridge and the DCR started their attacks on the environment, the habitat of the Charles River White Geese ran on the Charles River from the lower of the two bridges on the left (the River Street Bridge) to the proposed river crossing.

They are now confined without food in their Destroyed Nesting Area to the right of the BU Bridge on the Cambridge (upper) side and areas to which they can swim.

C. MassDOT.

The area of current concern to MassDOT is at the far left of the map.  It extends below the Charles River from the left margin, through the “90" (I90, Mass. Pike) to the BU Bridge.  The highway shown is the Mass. Pike and its current ramps off the Mass. Pike to Cambridge and the Allston / Brighton neighborhoods of Boston.

Here are MassDOT’s latest plans before this announcement, that I am aware of.  I split one map in half to keep my scanner happy.





The existing layout of the Mass. Pike (I90) in this area is greyed in under the colored proposed rearrangement.

The yellowed highway running from left to right through the combined map and then changing to blue and orange toward the right is the proposed relocation of the Mass. Pike (I90).

Between it and another, smaller parallel local road, and under both of them was intended to be storage for commuter rail trains going into and out of South Station several miles to the east (right).

The report is that this storage yard will not be going there.  Where the storage will be going is spelled out in the email I just received from MassDOT.

That frees up this space for other uses.  It decreases costs and greatly decreases pressure on the project.

So far, MassDOT has stoop up to outrageous proposals from friends of Cambridge and the DCR which would have accomplished further destruction on the Cambridge side consistent with the massive destruction already achieved and other irresponsible expansions proposed in concert with that outrage.

Hopefully, MassDOT will continue to be the adult in the room.

2. Official Announcement.

Here, without edit, is the MassDOT announcement.

* * *

Dear Friends of South Station,
1. We are writing to update you on MassDOT’s plan to submit a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the South Station Expansion Project early this summer. The FEIR will include a preferred South Station Expansion alternative, summarize any changes to the project since the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) filing, and incorporate the additional environmental analysis outlined in the Certificate on the DEIR. The FEIR will also respond to comments made on the DEIR.
The FEIR consists of four primary components:
Expanding South Station to accommodate additional platforms, tracks, a new expanded headhouse, and passenger amenities
Acquiring and demolishing the United States Postal Service (USPS) facility
Constructing rail layover facilities at Widett Circle and Readville – Yard 2
Reopening Dorchester Avenue and extending the Harborwalk
MassDOT is developing the FEIR filing schedule, public meeting date and additional materials. We will share the schedule for filing the FEIR with the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs as soon as details are available. There will be a public meeting on the FEIR during the comment period.
In preparing for the release of the FEIR document, MassDOT is hosting two community meetings in neighborhoods near the proposed midday layover facilities. On Tuesday, June 7, there will be a meeting in the Community Room at Boston Police District E-18, 1249 Hyde Park Avenue, Hyde Park, at 6:00 PM. On Wednesday, June 8, there will be a meeting at the Courtyard by Marriott-South Boston, 63 R Boston Street, South Boston, at 6:00 PM. Please visit the project website for meeting flyers and project materials.
The project will provide more reliable service for the MBTA’s customers and for the Northeast Corridor. We look forward to discussing the FEIR with you.
For more information about the South Station Expansion Project, please visit www.mass.gov/massdot/southstationexpansion. Please share this message with others who may be interested.
Sincerely,
South Station Expansion Project Team

Monday, May 23, 2016

Press Release: YouTube Video on Charles River Destruction.

Friends of the White Geese have Released the following.

The press release did not include photos.  I have added some.

RE: IMM RELEASE: Charles River Destruction Video posted on YouTube

PRESS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACTS AT END OF REPORT.

Friends of the White Geese has announced the posting of a detailed video on YouTube concerning what they call "outrageous" destruction this year on the Charles River, including the impacts on the Charles River White Geese.

The video is entitled “The Destruction of Memorial Drive, Charles River, Cambridge, MA, USA, January - February 2016, 3d Ed.”  It is posted at https://youtu.be/h_u-woTPRJ8.


More than 100 photographs are included in the report.  The photos presented were taken on site.  They show before and after pictures, plus actual photos during destruction, maps of the destruction area, and destruction plans.  The report includes purported evidence of destruction which even exceeded the destruction listed in the plans.  The destruction comes years after original approvals of the less extensive destruction expired under law.

Almost all of the destruction occurred in January 2016.

The photos include before and after pictures between the BU Bridge and Mass. Ave. Bridge (halfway between the BU and Longfellow Bridges).













There are powerful photos both of the destruction of the magnificent Cherry Grove at the Memorial Drive split, and of the destruction of the magnificent grove of ancient trees at the heart of the MIT campus.  Destruction photos presented in the report include photos taken IN PROCESS.








The photos of the destruction between the Mass. Ave. Bridge and Longfellow Bridge were all taken during destruction by the DCR contractors.

All destruction was blessed by the City of Cambridge.

The report has integrated in it an update to reflect further destruction in late February near the BU Boathouse.  The destruction was located between the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the BU Boathouse.  The BU Boathouse, in turn has only the Destroyed Nesting Area, the Grand Junction Railroad, and the Wild Area between it and the BU Bridge.

The video goes into DESTRUCTION YET TO COME, and reflects destruction and heartless animal abuse both in the main area of concern, but also on Magazine Beach, to the west of the BU Bridge.  The information page fills in additional information.

A preliminary version of this report has been cablecast on Cambridge, MA, Cable Channel 8 by Cambridge Community Television, with Internet availability.  The report has been studied in a review session at CCTV Cambridge.  The 3d edition includes modifications to allow for comments in that forum and from elsewhere.

The video is an expansion of presentations made on the Cambridge Environment show on CCTV Cambridge, channel 9 primarily on February 7, 2016.  It includes introductory information from the show on March 27 and information on subsequent destruction in February 2016.  The content has been edited to present introductory materials and to edit the February 7 show to create a presentation starting at the BU Bridge and extending to the Longfellow Bridge.

Added to the original presentation on Cambridge Community Television are photos, maps, and destruction plans.  The photos are the work product of Robert J. La Trémouille, chair, Friends of the White Geese.  Maps and destruction plans are included taken from materials created by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Comments received to date have been highly favorable on the video report.  Suggestions received made the video more powerful than the original edition.  Those suggestions are appreciated by Friends of the White Geese.

Robert J. La Trémouille, Chair, Friends of the White Geese comments:

“I hope our response to comments  is considered adequate by the contributors.

“The changes made from the prior editions go more into the heartless animal abuse involved, by the DCR and Cambridge.  The changes analyze the apparently massive increase coming in the already inexcusable use of poisons on the banks of the Charles.

“Our biggest regret is that we did not have room in this report to go more into the outrages planned at Magazine Beach.  There is only so much you can report at one time.”

Friends of the White Geese is a Massachusetts charitable organization registered with the Attorney General.  It has been active since March 2000.

The purpose for which Friends of the White is founded is to defend the environment of the Charles River and living beings residing therein from any and all harm.  The organization has had extensive activities defending the Charles River.  Its activities, in particular, have concerned destruction initiating in the City of Cambridge and in the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation.  The organization considers Cambridge and the DCR the biggest environmental threats on the Charles River.

The organization supports the replacement of the DCR on the Charles River by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation which it describes as the “adult in the room” which it shares with  Cambridge and the DCR

The organization advocates the firing of the Cambridge City Manager and his replacement by a person independent of what the organization calls the “City Manager Machine,” the series of City Managers and the organization which has grown around them since 1974.  According to Friends of the White Geese, there have been 3 interlocked City Managers during the period, each previously serving as top manager to the prior City Manager.

All photographs included in the video are available.  The only reason photographs are not attached to this press release is the justified fear of many recipients for attachments.

Further information may be obtained from Robert J. La Trémouille, Chair, Friends of the White Geese at 617-283-7649 or at boblat@yahoo.com.  Physical mail may be directed to Friends of the White Geese, Post Office Box 391412, Cambridge, MA   02139.  Additional valuable sources of information include the Facebook page entitled “Charles River White Geese” and the Charles River White Geese Blog which in turn provides many valuable links.

The Facebook page has been in existence since early 2010.  It was created by a person in Maine who was previously unknown to members of Friends of the White Geese.  The Facebook page consists, primarily, of condensations of much longer reports on the Blog.  The Blog, at charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com, has been in existence since November 2005.  It is an extension of an email report which originated in March 2000.  The email report eventually included so many recipients that it became unmanageable, thus requiring the creation of a free standing blog report.