Don't drain Massachusetts rivers!

MESSAGE FROM THE CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION:

Last week, the Patrick Administration took a giant step backward in protecting our streams and rivers, all the while claiming that it had the environment’s best interests in mind. CLF and the three other environmental members of the state's Water Resources Management Advisory Committee needed to act swiftly and boldly. To that end, CLF and the three other environmental members resigned from the committee. CLF has sent a clear message of protest - and now we need you to do the same.

What happened?

During its announcement of its new “integrated water initiative,” the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) announced that the state was unilaterally revoking its earlier definition of “safe yield” that included environmental protections for rivers. EOEEA and MassDEP are now using a definition that would allow withdrawals of all water from rivers and steams.

What does it mean?

Simply put, our rivers and streams are no longer protected. Our rivers could be drained entirely, resulting in massive fish kills and environmental damage. We already have rivers and streams that are being drawn dry and we are steadily losing trout streams and other cold water fisheries. We can and must do better than this.

What can you do about it?

Michaelann, CLF needs you to stand up with us. Momentum is on our side, but we need you to build on it.

1. Send a pre-written letter to Governor Duval Patrick, the EOEEA and MassDEP by clicking here.
2. Forward this message to everyone that you know in Massachusetts. There is strength in our numbers.

Massachusetts has abundant natural water supplies that require smart stewardship, not more bureaucratic process. The state is in the process right now of issuing new long-term permits for many of the water systems that are already overdrawing our rivers and streams. We need you to act now.

Sincerely,

Peter Shelley
Massachusetts Advocacy Center Director

Rain barrels make a comeback

Springfield, Massachusetts is blessed with some of the purest and best-tasting water in the country, thanks to the state's largest uncontrolled river, the West Branch Westfield. This river fills the 1,135 acre Cobble Mountain Reservoir in Russell and Blandford; the reservoir then goes on to provide 37 million gallons of water a day to Springfield, Agawam, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow and Ludlow.

Rich in lakes and rivers, no place in New England is more than 400 miles from the ocean, With water so ubiquitous, New Englanders rarely give much thought to its availability..Yet the region experienced a moderately severe drought in 2002 and has had periods of abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions every year since then. Last August was the second driest in 122 years, according to Drought Monitor.

One old water conservation idea that seems to be becoming new again is the rain barrel. The Mass. Department of Environmental Protection has partnered with SkyJuice New England to provide rain barrels to Massachusetts and Maine communities through its Sustainability Grants. Western Mass, Agawam, Easthampton, Greenfield and Lee all applied for and received discount vouchers. Agawam is on its third year of the program, with the goal of reducing per-capita usage from 80 gallons to 65 gallons by 2017. Last year the barrels filled six times in six months.

Kathy Pederson at the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission says Springfield didn't apply for the program last year, but it is under consideration along with other water conservation measures for this year. She says one of the Commission members will be assigned to oversee conservation measures for Springfield within six months. Not only does this program help conserve water, it can save money for residents during our fiscal crunch.

What can you do with rain barrel water? Water your garden, wash your car, give your dog a bath.
If the rain barrel fully returns, maybe the next generation of children will relearn:

O little playmate
come out and play with me,
and bring your follies three,
climb up my apple tree.
Slide down my rain barrel,
slide down my cellar door,
and we'll be jolly friends
for ever more.

O little playmate,
I cannot play with you,
My dolly has the flu,
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo.
Don't have no rain barrel,
Don't have no cellar door,
But we'll be jolly friends,
Forever more.

Coyotes and fishers and moose (Oh my)

Stan Freeman at the Springfield Republican wrote an interesting story this week about how our Eastern coyotes are actually a genetic blend of Western coyote and Eastern wolf!

Wildlife has been returning to Massachusetts in a big way. I remember a few years ago, as I was driving up Bay St., I saw a magnificent, fully antlered deer standing just behind the wrought iron fence at Oak Grove Cemetery. I called the groundskeeper when I got to work and he was well aware of the buck and was making his own calls to various state agencies for guidance.

Fishers are back, too. The largest member of the weasel family, their reputation as cat killers is probably well-deserved. I lived in Maine for about five years in the early 70's, where fishers had an almost mythical character. I saw one once, streaking across a back road at twilight. My hair stood on end. They were reintroduced in Massachusetts in the 1950's by the logging industry because they are one of the porcupine's only predators.

Thanks to the reforestation of Massachusetts, even moose are returning.. We now have a population of about 1,000 established in just 25 years, according to Stephen DeStephano, research professor at UMass, Amherst.

I've often thought about how amazing it is that Massachusetts is more forested now than a hundred years ago. Our forests started their road to recovery during the Gold Rush of 1849 and took another step forward during the Civil War, when many returning soldiers abandoned farming entirely. Then, in the 1930's, Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) put 10,000 men and boys to work in our forests. You can read more about Massachusett's history of forest conservation at MA's Department of Conservation and Recreation. Why don't we do something like this again?

One sad note in this picture is that the increase in forest cover equals the decline in local agricultural production. But that's another story.

Graphic from David Foster; 'Wildlands and Woodlands: A Vision for the Forests of Massachusetts" Harvard Forest, Harvard University, 2006/