Mitigate the climate catastrophe. Protect
our forests now and for future generations.
Solar gone wrong
Technology is deforesting large swaths of Mass. Published: 6/6/2021 6:00:09 PM
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JESSICA ROBERTSON and Daniel Berwick would be well-advised to take the advice they offer in their recent opinion piece that we should “shift the conversation from where solar shouldn’t go to where it should.”
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Borrego Solar, the company that employs them, must withdraw its current plans for another 200 acres of ground-mounted solar in the town of Wareham – and urge the town to put the brakes on the additional 1,500 acres proposed on pristine Pine Barrens forests. Read more.
Solar Power Panels
Judge Hears Arguments on Motion to Dismiss Wendell State Forest Case, Sets Deadline for Comments Published: 9/16/2020 6:35:09 PM
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Plaintiffs and defendants on Wednesday afternoon delivered statements pertaining to a motion to dismiss a lawsuit pitting a group of environmental activists against the state.
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Superior Court Judge Richard Carey heard arguments from three Wendell State Forest Alliance members and Assistant Attorney General Kendra Kinscherf. He gave the parties until Sept. 25 to submit additional written comments while he takes the motion under advisement. Read more.
Protesters on Montague Road in Wendell picket the logging operation in Wendell State Forest last summer. STAFF FILE PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ
Judge Hears Out Activists Over Wendell State Forest Logging Published: 1/7/2020 11:29:05 PM
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"There are many reasons the members of the Wendell State Forest Alliance wanted to “have our day in court,” they told Judge Mark Mason on Tuesday in Franklin County Superior Court.
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"Citing concerns about climate change, endangered species and the recreational value of the woods, the 29 co-plaintiffs are suing the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), alleging the logging of 100-year-old oak trees on an 80-acre stand in Wendell State Forest over the summer broke numerous state laws and regulations." Read more.
James Thornley of the Wendell State Forest Alliance pleads with Judge Mark Mason to not dismiss their case against the state Department of Conservation and Recreation’s logging practices. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ
Bill McKibben's Open Letter to the Massachusetts Legislature Published: 3/6/2020 9:51:10 AM
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"We need to engage all of our resources in fighting climate change. Many of the necessary actions will be difficult, time-consuming, and costly. However, some strategies are not only effective, but also wonderfully simple and require only the stroke of a pen. This is the case with two bills that are pending in the Massachusetts Legislature, which can be implemented immediately and will not cost taxpayers a dime.
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Bill McKibben photo: Wolfgang Schmidt
Rare Salamanders Threatened by DCR's Cutting Plan
On Saturday, January 12, 2019 the Wendell State Forest Alliance held the Rally to Save Our Oaks at the Wendell State Forest Ranger Station. Oaks are not the only living things being affected by the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s cutting plan for this 117.6-acre section of the forest that straddles Montague Road at Brook Road in Wendell.
One of the many things I love about Wendell is the community’s almost universal respect for the wildlife with whom we share our neck of the woods. We put up turtle crossing signs, and, on warm, rainy spring nights, we grab ponchos and flashlights and head out to carry frogs, toads and salamanders safely across roads during the annual amphibian migration.
The large vernal pool in the Wendell State Forest just to the northeast of the Brook Road - Montague Road intersection is the breeding habitat of several amphibian species, including the Jefferson Salamander, a Species of Special Concern under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. (1) While the presence of Jeffs has not been general knowledge, Wendell’s herp fans are proud that our tiny town is one of only 51 towns in the state with officially-recognized Jefferson Salamander populations.
Read more.
Mary Thomas
Wendell
Located in the Wendell State Forest and other habitats, the Jefferson Salamander is a Species of Special Concern, as identified under the MA Endangered Species Act.