Environmental Bond Bill doubles from 2007 and includes acquisition of Silver Maple Forest. It now needs you!
The Success of our Forest inclusion depends on all of your calling to support the entire Environmental Bond Bill. By identifying with spokespersons for those items is sufficient for legislators to know why you are lobbying. I testified at the Bond Bill Hearing to the Natural Resources Committee of Rep.Pam Resor for the forest.
Take out 5 minutes. Just call and write 3 of your reps. PLEASE! Give the concepts in the sample letter below, I have been advised by legislative offices. If you are able, Call 617 415-1884 or 617 489-2067 to let us know that you have called at least 3 representatives from House and/or Senate. Or e-mail me.
The Environmental Bond bill has substantially increased this year, and we have a better opportunity than in many years to sustain a good environmental policy in Massachusetts, but competition for these funds is great. We have weathered the first major hurdle in accomplishing this goal thanks to many of you and your advocacy. Please see the model letter below and send to your elected officials. Check who they are here: http://www.wheredoivotema.com . You may e-mail or send a note. Better yet, both call by phone and e-mail. This year, the Environmental Bond Bill included the acquisition of the silver maple forest, thanks to you and Representative Will Brownsberger's advocacy and House Bill 21.
The importance of passing the Bond this session is critical – we therefore must remain vigilant and keep the pressure up. With so many other bond bills competing for the attention of the legislature we need to make sure all legislators are aware that passing the Environmental Bond this session is essential to protecting a sustainable and productive landscape of working farms, forests, wetlands, rivers, drinking water supplies, urban parks and protected natural areas, while meeting the economic and recreational needs of residents and visitors. Full Bond Bill on this website.http://www.envirobond.org/whynow.php.
Members of the 220 member Coalition: www.envirobond.org. Reasons why it is so important:
Sample Letter:
Dear Friends,
As you may be aware Friends of Alewife Reservation is a member of the Coalition for the Environmental Bond. We are working with more than 220 other organizations across the state to pass a strong Environmental Bond Bill this session because funding for critical environmental programs across the Commonwealth is running out.
The Bill has just passed through the legislature's Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture. This is the first step of many the bill must take before it appears on the Governor's desk for his signature.
The last Environmental Bond bill passed in 2002 – so passage this session of a new Environmental Bond is vitally important.
Sincerely yours:
Thank you
Jim Miranda
22 Myrtle St, Belmont MA 02478
617.489.2067
REPEAT:
Tell them that passage of the Environmental Bond is very important to you as a member or supporter of Friends of Alewife Reservation and that you want them to contact members of the Bonding Committee as well as the Ways and Means Committee so the Bill moves through quickly. We are not lobbying separately for the silver maple forest, but the entire Bill as it includes the forest acquisition.
Ellen
_________________________________________________
Instructions for Letters to Globe Paper
Here is a sample letter with points. Go to FAR search engine for more points
Dear Editor,
Your article on the Belmont Uplands lacks any understanding of the full nature of one of the Boston area's special urban wilds in the town of Belmont bordering Cambridge off of Route 2 The City of Boston states its protection of these areas amoung our crowded metropolis. The Belmont uplands borders the Mystic River watershed and its upper basin, one of the most polluted sections in the entire watershed with highest e-coli counts in the shed according to the Mystic River Watershed Association testing. Alewife Brook and Little River bring their waters into the Mystic River and into the Atlantic Ocean. Alewife herring runs are at an all time low along spawning path of Little River. The planned 3 different developments that O'Neill proposed impacted the River and Little Pond which are surrounded by homes , bought for the beauty of the uplands and healthy Pond. A professional hydrology reports to the town's Belmont Conservation Commission predicted the further impacts with 40B development.. Environmental regulations in this case then must take precedence over housing considerations.
Yours truly
Dear Editor,
Thank you for putting two views in your article by Keith O'Brien, "Foes of Belmont Plan City Green Theme". As a Belmont citizen who lives near the area and in full view of the Pond, I must state my alarm at the prospect of 300 units on 7 acres surrounded on all sides with a flood plain with very little ability to perform sewage and storm water run-off functions with predictability and safety backup. The plan put before our Conservation Commission was not accepted because of these reasons. It would have been helpful to see the reasons that the development was denied, rather than to push the political buttons of 40B housing regulations.
Yours truly,
Special ideas from students:
Dear Editor,
Our Belmont High School is on ClayPit Pond which flows into LIttle River. We already have serious pollution problems. Our wildlife are found at the Alewife silver maple forest ecosystem, less than a mile from our High School. We know that recently gray fox, fisher, and river otter were sighted. Coyote have their dens there, and there is rich diversity of bird life, both nesting and migrating. Our community needs the open space. we need the silver maple forest to absorb storm water run-off that acts as a sponge, and we need the forest of 7 acres to act as
a climate mitigation. There is a Master Plan by the MA. Department of Conservation and Recreation which will create a wildlife refuge and passive recreation in certain human tolerant
areas of othe woodland/wetland ecosystem. The article in the Globe does not do justirce to the area or the silver maple forest, and therefore to us as youth who will benefit from protection of our natural areas and our water bodies such as Little River and Little Pond.
Sincerely yours
The Environmental Bond bill has substantially increased this year, and we have a better opportunity than in many years to sustain a good environmental policy in Massachusetts, but competition for these funds is great. We have weathered the first major hurdle in accomplishing this goal thanks to many of you and your advocacy.
Please see the model letter below and send to your elected officials. Check who they are here: http://www.wheredoivotema.com . You may e-mail or send a note. Better yet, both call by phone and e-mail. This year, the Environmental Bond Bill included the acquisition of the silver maple forest, thanks to you and Representative Brownsberger's advocacy.
The importance of passing the Bond this session is critical - we therefore must remain vigilant and keep the pressure up. With so many other bond bills competing for the attention of the legislature we need to make sure all legislators are aware that passing the Environmental Bond this session is essential to protecting a sustainable and productive landscape of working farms, forests, wetlands, rivers, drinking water supplies, urban parks and protected natural areas, while meeting the economic and recreational needs of residents and visitors. Full Bond Bill on this website.http://www.envirobond.org/whynow.php [note from FAR: full text of bill is at http://www.envirobond.org/h4446natrsrcs.php].
Members of the 220 member Coalition: www.envirobond.org. Reasons why it is so important:
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