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With summer on the way, Friends Groups across the
Commonwealth are taking stock of their forests and parks—planning events
and organizing work parties— taking advantage of the renewed enthusiasm of
the season. Yet, as friends to Nature, we are feeling a great sense of loss
as a monstrous oil slick makes its way onto the shores of the Gulf
Coast, smothering every living
thing in its path.
Those of us who love the Earth have to believe that this
tragedy will spur new interest in protecting the environment. What better
way is there for people to become stewards of the Earth than by joining a
Friends Group in their own community?
Together we can make a difference! Visit our website and connect with
people who care about the Planet as much as you do—one forest or park at a
time!
Friends Network Facilitators
Learn
more about the MA Forest and Park Friends Network
Help your park. Insist on a
Resource Management Plan!
Massachusetts legislature enacted MGL
Chapter 21, Section 2f which mandates the completion of a Resource
Management Plan (RMP) for all DCR properties.To
date, only seven RMP’s, have been completed.DCR needs to focus resources to this effort
to complete the mandate given them by the legislature.
Please let DCR officials and your legislators know that you understand
the need for RMP’s and are strongly opposed to
going forward with decisions affecting any public forest or park until an
approved RMP is completed. Please help make completion of RMP’s a priority by writing to your state
representatives and to DCR officials.
More
on RMP's and what you can do to help.
Say No Biomass Plant Subsidies!
The Friends of Myles Standish are asking for your help in supporting
House #4458. This initiative will limit taxpayer subsidies for
"biomass" and "waste to energy" incinerators being
promoted as "clean and green" energy and would require these
power plants to limit their air pollution output of carbon dioxide, which
now goes unchecked, in order to be considered clean energy.
Biomass is made up of wood chips derived from forest cover and from
dedicated energy crops and crop residues. Biomass combustion power
plants currently receive public subsides as a renewable energy
resource. Recent reports show that state lands like the Myles
Standish State
Forest are not protected from
excessive commercial logging for biomass and other uses. There is
considerable concern that biomass plants could lead to the clear cutting of
forests while pumping more carbon dioxide into the air than coal plants,
adding to global warming.
The typical wood burning biomass plant burns a ton of wood every minute of
every day. After much research, the American Lung Association,
Massachusetts Medical Society and others strongly oppose biomass burning on
the grounds that it presents an unacceptable risk to public health. It
is a fact that these incinerators produce more greenhouse gases than coal
burning incinerators and there is no current regulation on the output level
of carbon dioxide in order to be considered clean energy. This bill
would require these plants to limit their air pollution output in order to
be considered clean energy.
There are currently five biomass plants proposed for Massachusetts; i.e.
Fitchburg, Pittsfield, Greenfield, Russell and Springfield They will
give us only 1% more electricity than we already have but will increase our
greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector by 11%, dry up our rivers,
increase health care costs, and make air pollution worse. Let's get
behind this bill and try to stop public funding of dirty energy and limit
emissions from these plants to no more than 250 pounds of carbon dioxide
per megawatt hour.
If you are a registered voter in Massachusetts,
you can help by printing out the
petition, double sided, on 8.5 x 11" white paper and mail to:
Stop Spewing Carbon
P.O. Box 380083
Cambridge, MA 02238
Please note that although each petition may have multiple signatures,
each one can only be signed by voters that live in the same town. The
reason for this is the signed petitions are given to the particular Town
Clerk associated with that petition so they can certify the signatures. The
filing deadline for submission to election officials of this petition is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 23, 2010, so please send it to Stop
Spewing Carbon right away so they can meet this deadline. View
the Instruction Sheet.
You can also get more involved and start collecting signatures. Your
help would be most gratefully appreciated. For more information, go to
http://www.stopspewingcarbon.com/.
Dianne Cosman, Friends of Myles
Standish State
Forest
Help Protect
Your Favorite Lakes and Ponds-Take a Dip-In and
Join The Great American Secchi Disk Dip-In.
Friends Network members in parks where
there's a lake or pond should consider participating in the Annual Secchi Disk Dip-In coordinated by Kent State. Each year volunteers help document the quality of our nation's
lakes from June 26 - July 18, 2010.
It's good to have a base of existing
information on lake quality to map trends in water clarity, weed
infestations and other considerations—before its ever needed—if an event
occurs. And, it only takes a couple of minutes. Best of all, its a great excuse to get out on the water and enjoy the
event. I've taken my kids out numerous times and taught them how to use the
disk. It literally puts simple science in their hands and they have a blast
using the disk.
BTW-Just be sure to hold the end of the rope. :-)
About
the Secchi Dip-In
Here's a quick
link to review the disk and how to make one if you don't have access to
one.
Mike Toomey, Douglas State Forest
June
Stewardship Council Meeting
The Next Department of Conservation and
Recreation Stewardship Council Meeting:
June 3, 2010
1pm - 3pm
Fall River HSP
Davol Street, Fall River
Heard Or Seen
Any Loons Lately?
Bridgett McAlice,
Wildlife Biologist, Central District,
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife is looking
to map out where pairs of loons are living. Any assistance in collecting
loon data would be very much appreciated.
For a quick refresher course, you'll
find both photo and sounds to listen for by clicking here.
Here
is an update on Loons from MassAudbon.
Whenever you're out on the lakes and
ponds, keep your eyes open for a special
treat when you spot the loons.
Let Bridget know where and when if you
spot any. Bridgett.Mcalice@state.ma.us
Bridgett McAlice
Wildlife
Biologist, Central
District
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
(508) 835-3607
Support OHV
Enforcement Bill
Support the passage of SB 2257, An Act
to Regulate the use of Off Highway and Recreation Vehicles.
Contact your state representative and
ask him or her to speak to House Ways & Means Chairman Charles Murphy
and House Speaker Robert DeLeo expressing support
for Senate Bill 2257, An Act Relative to Off Highway Vehicles!
To find your State Representative
go
here.
Tell your Representative that you are
calling in support of Senate Bill 2257, which passed the Senate and is
currently before House Ways & Means.
Ask your Representative to speak to the
House Ways & Means Chairman Charles Murphy and the House Speaker Robert
DeLeo. Tell them this bill is important to you.
Share Information about illegal riding in your district if possible.
This bill will give enforcement officers
the tools they need to stop illegal and destructive riding on public and
private lands and provides funding for the development of public trails in
appropriate places.
For more information, read the letter
sent by nine major conservation groups: OHV
Joint Letter
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