FW: Announcement on Forums and additional time and format
Nan Finkenaur
------ Forwarded Message
From: Nan Finkenaur <n...@adrenaline-design.com>
Date: Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:20:31 -0500
To: <forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com>
Conversation: Announcement on Forums and additional time and format
Subject: Re: Announcement on Forums and additional time and format
It’s pay for play. Pure and simple. This is highly unethical. No one the Friends Network has emailed will be compensated in any way. What will be the learning from multiple forums for the foresters? This corrupts the process further. Add that to the undemocratic public input process. Unbelievable.
Nan
On 2/3/10 9:08 AM, "Ted Cady" <ted....@peoplepc.com> wrote:
Dave,
I assume you oppose foresters getting continuing ed credits for attending the public forum because you feel all foresters support DCR policies. That is not the case, as Joe Zorzin's emails clearly show. In fact, not all DCR foresters fully support DCR policy. For foresters who have not been a part of the visioning process and are not fully aware of the array of opinions, these forums should be very educational. They will learn about the TSC's recommendations and hear the various arguments pro and con. Shutting down timber sales on all state lands and the publicity about the visioning process and what it means to the future of forestry is an important public policy activity. Foresters get continuing education credits for attending activities that are no where near as educational as this will be. While you may view as a win/lose situation, I found it to be very educational and learned a great deal from the presentations and from others on the AGS so I view it as an educational effort that moves along a continuum.
Do not fear that forester will railroad the discussion. You may be aware that the Friends Network has been active encouraging people to participate in the process. The format of the Friends email presentation to members is lively enough so there will be plenty of people attending. The Friends distruibution gives talking points, which should make it easy for people to focus their comments. If the continuing education credits for the foresters came with talking points and encouraged foresters to testify, then it would be a different story.
-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Gafney
Sent: Feb 3, 2010 7:14 AM
To: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com, forest-futures-techni...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Announcement on Forums and additional time and format
Bill,
The current effort by DCR to stack the public forums by offering continuing ed credits to licensed foresters to attend is an absolute outrage.
If this is not immediately reversed, then maybe it is time for many of us to abandon this process completely and denounce it as a sham that has been stacked from the beginning in favor of a special powerful economic interest.
Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Logue <mailto:Bi...@LogueGroup.com>
To: forest-futures-techni...@googlegroups.com ; forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 5:29 PM
Subject: Announcement on Forums and additional time and format
Please note all the dates were correct but one of the days of the week was off. Here is a corrected version for you to share with all.
Bill
_______________________________
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN LOCATION OF BOTH AMHERST FORUMS
TO AMHERST REGIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL CAFETERIA
170 Chestnut Street
Amherst, MA 01002
To All Interested Members of the Public:
As you may be aware, on January 22, 2010, the DCR Forest Futures Visioning Process Technical Steering Committee (TSC) released their draft recommendations to the general public for review and comment. You may review the full text of the TSC’s recommendations by clicking here <https://email.umb.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=">http://www.mass.gov/dcr.news/publicmeetings/tsc_draft_recommendations.htm> <http://www.mass.gov/dcr.news/publicmeetings/tsc_draft_recommendations.htm> .
As was previously announced, DCR is sponsoring a series of five (5) public forums across the Commonwealth to give citizens an opportunity to provide feedback on the TSC’s draft recommendations. These forums were designed and will be facilitated by the MA Office of Dispute Resolution & Public Collaboration (MODR <https://email.umb.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=">http://www.umb.edu/modr> <http://www.umb.edu/modr> ). After the announcement of the public forums, MODR received requests from some stakeholders to offer an alternative public forum format. In an effort to be responsive to those requests, MODR is adding an additional public forum on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Amherst Regional Middle School, 170 Chestnut Street, Amherst, MA 01002 . At this forum, citizens will be invited to sign-up on a first-come, first-served basis. The first 35 citizens to sign-up will be allotted two minutes to present their feedback on the draft recommendations orally to the TSC and to other members of the general public in attendance. Additional citizens may be heard if time allows.
The format for the five (5) original public forums is as follows:
· Welcome & Introductions
· Brief Overview of DCR Forest Futures Visioning Process
· Presentation of TSC Draft Recommendations
· Question & Answer Period with TSC Members
· Facilitated Table Discussions on Draft Recommendations. Public will be given opportunity to discuss substance of recommendations and to provide feedback. Comments, suggestions, concerns, etc. will be captured by scribes stationed at each table and will be forwarded directly to the TSC. All feedback will also posted on the DCR website for public viewing. Members of the public will also be given index cards and can also provide individual written comments should they choose to do so.
Below is the revised public forum schedule:
Thursday, February 4, 2010
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Westborough Public Library
55 West Main Street, Westborough
(Snow date: Tuesday, February 16)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
10 a.m.– Noon
North Adams Public Library
74 Church Street, North Adams
(Snow date: Saturday, February 13)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Berkshire Community College – Melville Hall Room 201
1350 West Street, Pittsfield
(Snow date: Saturday, February 13)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 – NEW LOCATION!
5 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
*Amherst Regional Middle School - Cafeteria
170 Chestnut Street
Amherst, MA 01002
**Tuesday, February 9, 2010 – NEW LOCATION!
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Amherst Regional Middle School – Cafeteria
170 Chestnut Street
Amherst, MA 01002
Thursday, February 11, 2010
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Taunton Public Library
12 Pleasant Street, Taunton
(Snow date: Thursday, February 18)
The public is also encouraged to provide input on the draft recommendations via email to MODRD...@umb.edu <mailto:MODRD...@umb.edu> and/or by completing an online survey <https://email.umb.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=">http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22A5PLMAE2G> <http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22A5PLMAE2G> .
*Location has been changed to accommodate a greater number of interested citizens.
**Additional forum was added to accommodate requests for an alternative forum format.
------ End of Forwarded Message
Joseph Zorzin
----- Original Message -----From: Nan FinkenaurSent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 9:21 AMSubject: FW: Announcement on Forums and additional time and format
------ Forwarded Message
From: Nan Finkenaur <n...@adrenaline-design.com>
Date: Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:20:31 -0500
To: <forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com>
Conversation: Announcement on Forums and additional time and format
Subject: Re: Announcement on Forums and additional time and format
It’s pay for play. Pure and simple. This is highly unethical. No one the Friends Network has emailed will be compensated in any way. What will be the learning from multiple forums for the foresters? This corrupts the process further. Add that to the undemocratic public input process. Unbelievable.
Nan
On 2/3/10 9:08 AM, "Ted Cady" <ted....@peoplepc.com> wrote:
Dave,
I assume you oppose foresters getting continuing ed credits for attending the public forum because you feel all foresters support DCR policies. That is not the case, as Joe Zorzin's emails clearly show.
In fact, not all DCR foresters fully support DCR policy.
For foresters who have not been a part of the visioning process and are not fully aware of the array of opinions, these forums should be very educational. They will learn about the TSC's recommendations and hear the various arguments pro and con. Shutting down timber sales on all state lands and the publicity about the visioning process and what it means to the future of forestry is an important public policy activity. Foresters get continuing education credits for attending activities that are no where near as educational as this will be. While you may view as a win/lose situation, I found it to be very educational and learned a great deal from the presentations and from others on the AGS so I view it as an educational effort that moves along a continuum.
Do not fear that forester will railroad the discussion.