Dedicated to
(1) protecting the Charles River environment in Cambridge/Boston, MA, USA.
(2) standing up to environmentally destructive state and local governments.
(3) protecting the Charles River White Geese and other wildlife currently being starved by state and local governments.

We request that, consistent with repeated expression of environmental concerns by THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL, the following actions be taken:

1. Retract and rescind the City Council's action on April 24, 2017, in order 1, supporting the destruction of 56 mostly excellent trees and related outrages in the Magazine Beach recreation area.

   The April 24, 2017 Cambridge City Council action is responded to in detail in our letter of June 6, 2017, with photos of every reservation tree with full tracing to the two OFFICIAL DCR plans for destruction. This is posted at focrwg.com/agenda1.html

2. Trash the Department of Conservation and Recreation as manager of all properties under its jurisdiction in Cambridge in favor of replacement by the Department of Transportation.

   The predecessor to the DCR was the Metropolitan District Commission. In about 2010, the state legislature destroyed the MDC, in very major part, because of its destructiveness. Its "Planners" moved to the DCR WITH THEIR PLANS. The terrible DCR planners then continued to work with Cambridge's irresponsible planners to further their shared, and destructive goals.

   They have already destroyed hundreds of excellent trees between the BU and Longfellow Bridges, creating work for contractors to destroy trees which should not have been destroyed and to "replace" those trees which should not have been destroyed with saplings. As part of this outrage, the DCR deferred a larger planting of saplings which should have been planted ten years earlier in vast empty spaces which should not have been left empty. Deferral of planted was targeted to plant all at once, giving a vastly false impression of their "achievements."

   Our video on the destruction is posted here on Youtube. The City Manager receiving major negative reviews in this video is the predecessor to the current incumbent.

   Our video on an international expert’s evaluation of the most massive individual part of the "replacements" here on Youtube.

3. End the environmental outrages planned by the DCR and Cambridge and reverse, insofar as feasible, the many outrages accomplished by the DCR, Cambridge and related entities from November 1, 1999, to the current date.

   The first indications of massive environmental destruction on the Charles River came with the creation of a plan for Magazine Beach by the then Cambridge City Manager by friends of his. The plan for Magazine Beach was presented to the now Chair of Friends of the White Geese by the lead planner of the DCR in Summer 1997, noting the minor differences in the DCR plan.

   The Charles River White Geese are generally loved, and tourists have regularly come from the suburbs to admire them at their main home for most of the last 37 years at the Magazine Beach playing fields. At the start of this series of outrages, their habitat ran for about a mile on the northern side of the Charles River centered on the BU Bridge.

   First destruction was accomplished in their Nesting Area west of the BU Bridge by Boston University in November 1999, thus the 11-1-99 date.

   Since then, the Charles River White Geese have been deliberately starved and blocked from their feeding grounds at the Magazine Beach playing fields by increasing obstacles. This is most visibly the 16 foot high wall of introduced bushes which the DCR admits is hated by the public because it prevents viewing the Charles River from the banks of the Charles River. This starvation wall was promised as a "lawn to the river."

   Use of poisons were added to the Charles River Playing Fields in the late 2000's.

   A significant part of the feeding of the Charles River White Geese was on the banks of the Charles River across from the Hyatt Regency Hotel, east of the Destroyed Nesting Area. The outrages of January 2016 resulted in the shoreline being modified by a wall of stones preventing access by the Charles River White Geese.

   The Charles River White Geese crossed the on ramp from the BU Bridge Circle to Memorial Drive to get to luscious grass under Memorial Drive. They were careful jaywalkers That access has been destroyed by a blockade of the entrance to the Destroyed Nesting Area, additionally proving as a lie any claim of the DCR that the Nesting Area is a public park.

   Pretty much ALL ground vegetation in the Destroyed Nesting Area and in the Wild Area to its west has been destroyed by the DCR. Denying food and nesting materials.

   In 2018, the Cambridge City Council took two SECRET votes concerning Magazine Beach. One of the SECRET votes adds yet another obstacle to the Charles River White Geese getting to their food of most of the last 37 years.

   The DCR rerouted their poisons to the Charles River starting in December 2017. In 2019, their poisons in the Charles River caused algae filth on the Charles River for more than a month. A health emergency was declared. Details and photos are posted at https://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/ 2019/09/state-agency-admits-to-poisoning.html.

   In 2019, the Cambridge City Council took another SECRET vote concerning Magazine Beach. They added another obstacle for the Charles River White Geese, PLUS they added tree destruction with their money. They normally play funding games. In the funding games, the City Council pays for animal harmful changes and praises the DCR with its tree destruction paid by the DCR. This time Cambridge City Council is paying for and has already destroyed trees as part of this latest SECRET vote.

These repeatedly stated goals are eminently reasonable from a city government which purports to be an example for humanity.

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Friends of the White Geese Post Office Box 391412 Cambridge, MA 02139-0015 617-283-7649 boblat@yahoo.com

This site is sponsored by Friends of the White Geese, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, Bob La Trémouille, chair/editor.
Friends of the White Geese has worked since 2000 and has been a recognized Massachusetts, USA non-profit organization since 2001.
Contents © 2005-18, Friends of the White Geese, a Massachusetts non-profit organization.