Re: 2009 Park Serve Day Trail Damaged by Home Fuel Wood Program
Nan Finkenaur
I have not heard back from Mr. Murray regarding the issues in Georgetown Rowley State Forest. However, because I am a volunteer who has spent many hours working for Boxford Trails Association/Boxford Open Land Trust, I received the email pasted below.
It appears that DCR has found the resources to create a new Friends group for all of Essex County, including selecting the leadership, creating a very nice website (friendsofharoldparker.org), helping to organize financing, recruiting membership, and hours of support from a number of DCR staff, according to the website. This is a big expenditure of resources when only yesterday the Globe ran a story about how little funding is available for clean water, clean air, environmental police, park staffing and other important budget items. The timing is troubling. This group was recently started by DCR as Friends of Harold Parker, and has just been expanded to cover all of Essex County. The formation of this group seems undemocratic. Is it the intention of DCR to replace Friends of Georgetown Rowley State Forest with people that can be expected to support DCR land stewardship decisions? I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts.
Text of email:
-----
Attention all !!
This is a new volunteer group that has formed to work with Ray Faucher and the Director of Harold Parker SF to support all the State Forests in Essex County, called the Friends of Harold Parker.
Jim Sutton, Andover, and neighbor of State Senator Sue Tucker who lives near Harold Parker SF and supports open space, - Jim will be President.
Karen Kline, No. Andover and newly appointed Poet Lauriat of NA will be VP.
Wed Jan 13 is the next meeting at 7 pm at REI - intersection of Rt 128(RT 95) and Rt 129. Walk in front door and go to back - meeting room is in back.
This will be a very interesting committee with a chance to meet a number of interesting people and lead the volunteer effort in caring for our state forests, helping DCR and the local DCR director of this region in Essex County.
Please pass the word - We need a representative from Boxford.
Pike, Dan and Alan may already know about this committee. -
I expect that this group will be ongoing - and planning ways to support our State Forests within Essex County:
Bald Hill Reservation, Harold Parker SF, G-RSF, Bradley Palmer, Willowdale, and others.
The Bay Circuit Trail travels through many of these Essex County state forests.
-------
Sincerely,
Nan Finkenaur
Friends of Georgetown Rowley State Forest
work: 978-525-4800
home: 978-887-3294
fax: 978-525-2405
On 12/29/09 5:45 PM, "Murray, Jack (DCR)" <Jack....@state.ma.us> wrote:
Dear Ms. Finkenaur:
Thank you for your thoughtful comments regarding the DCR Home Fuel Wood Program and the recent cutting along the walking trail at Georgetown Rowley State Forest. We are following up on the concerns you raised in your email and would like to have the opportunity to discuss them with you further. I will reach out to you directly next week to arrange a time when we can talk about these issues. In the meantime, I wish to thank you and all of the volunteers with the Friends of Georgetown Rowley State Forest for you’re your continued efforts on behalf of the park. We very much value our partnership with The Friends and look forward to continuing to work with you and your organization to protect and enhance this unique recreational resource.
I look forward to talking with you next week. All the best for a very happy New Year
Jack Murray
From: Nan Finkenaur [mailto:n...@adrenaline-design.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 10:02 AM
To: Murray, Jack (DCR)
Cc: Sullivan, Rick (DCR); Cash, David (ENV); Hill, William (DCR); Mellace, Robert (DCR); Jahnige, Paul (DCR); drfo...@fas.harvard.edu; frel...@umn.edu; Bi...@loguegroup.com; Penniman, Harris (DCR); Faucher, Ray (DCR); Crawford, Conrad (DCR); dbh...@comcast.net; dick...@crosspartnership.com; Bowles, Ian (ENV); Cash, David (ENV); Cooper, Stephanie (DCR); Wilson, Suzanne (DCR); tsb...@verizon.net; ma...@matthewulrichdesign.com; sta...@verizon.net; stevek...@yahoo.com; susa...@gmail.com; wtle...@wtleroyer.com; kmc....@mindspring.com; Bob...@aol.com; plove...@verizon.net; marybeth...@comcast.net; andyjsh...@yahoo.com; Sharl Heller; Dan Streeter; Charlie and Carolee Miller; Briere, Gary (DCR); paul....@gmail.com; gmm...@hotmail.com
Subject: 2009 Park Serve Day Trail Damaged by Home Fuel Wood Program
To: Jack Murray, Deputy Commissioner, DCR
From: Friends of Georgetown Rowley State Forest
Subject: 2009 Park Serve Day Trail Damaged by Home Fuel Wood Program; Response to DCR letter dated December 17, 2009
Introduction
A little background on Georgetown Rowley (GR) in case you are not familiar with the park: Up until a couple of years ago GR was open to ORVs. There were only 5 miles of trails open to ORV use, and there was much illegal riding on closed trails, so most trails became quite damaged and eroded. Once the park was closed to ORVs, our Friends group set to work closing eroded trail sections and constructing 2 new lovely single-track trails. The one under discussion was our 2009 Park Serve Day project. This park is surrounded by a dense suburban area and is very important to local folks for recreation.
The issue from our viewpoint
Nan Finkenaur asked for DCR to protect the trail Friends of Georgetown Rowley State Forest created for Park Serve Day 2009—not to cancel the home fuel wood project. She specifically asked Bill Hill to spare some of the trees marked along the trailside from the logging. If you haven’t seen these emails, she’ll be happy to forward them to you. While DCR marked the trail with flags, many healthy trees along the trail were removed.
Recent fire damage to the trees was the initial reason given by DCR for refusing Ms Finkenaur’s request to spare trees along the trail. Please provide documentation of fire damage and subsequent disease that was remediated by this logging. An independent forester recently reviewed the site and could find no evidence of fire damage in blackened bark on stumps or remaining trees.
When Ray Faucher walked with two people in our Friends group – the walk was taken to discuss future trail work - not the home fuel wood program. One of the Friends remembered less marked wood than was cut, which was Ms Finkenaur’s perception as well. She went out Saturday morning (12/19) to look at it again, and took some photographs. She didn’t see a lot of paint on the stumps...so maybe that is why no one complained on the trail walk. Unmarked stumps should be investigated, and there should be consequences if cutting has occurred illegally.
We are enclosing a slide show of the current trail after the logging. We realize that aesthetics are subjective. To us, this was a beautiful, close trail…a place that you could feel away from it all. This trail was very different than the majority of trails in GR. The slides show the trail in order as a walk along the path, and all the photos are taken from the trail view.
We believe that in suburban parks and forests, special care must be taken to protect recreation and other values that the public has a right to expect from their lands. DCR must do a much better job balancing recreation and other ecosystem services against timber extraction. Better planning (earlier in the process) between foresters, park staff and citizen stewards is essential. We appreciated your suggestions for improving DCR process going forward. However, considering this recent trail issue, we no longer believe that the home fuel wood program is compatible other values in suburban area forests.
We request a review of the home fuel wood program to answer the following questions: Do people demonstrate financial need to participate? Doesn’t the wood go to the same group who bid every year, with an average bid of $32 per cord, when green cords go for $250? Who follows up to ensure there is no reselling? Who inspects the logging afterwards? There were a number of large, valuable trees cut this year.
In our discussions after the AGS/TSC meeting, Bob O’Connor suggested that perhaps a professional logger (woodlands) or arborist (parklands) could harvest firewood as part of a project. This wood could be left at the landing area for local people demonstrating financial need to use as fuel. This is a good idea and solves several problems with the home fuel wood program as is currently executed.
Conclusion
The DCR letter marginalized our complaint. We are deeply disappointed by the response – we had hoped volunteers and their work were valued, and that supporting Park Serve Day was important to DCR. Signers of this letter are concerned about the logging. Given DCR budget restrictions, volunteer work by Friends groups can make a critical difference to our parks and forests, and should be treated with more respect and value.
Sincerely,
Friends of Georgetown Rowley State Forest
Nan Finkenaur (Volunteer, Park Serve Day 2009)
John and Amy Puffer
Boxford, MA 01921
n...@adrenaline-design.com
“The trail looks terrible. No sense in having a trail day if the trail will be ripped apart by logging.”
Greg Meyer (Volunteer, Trail work in Georgetown Rowley)
South Hamilton, MA 01982
gmm...@hotmail.com
“Wow! That looks awful!”
Matt Ulrich (Volunteer, Park Serve Day 2009)
Georgetown, MA 01833
ma...@matthewulrichdesign.com
“That is quite disappointing.”
Tom Beard (Volunteer, Park Serve Day 2009)
Topsfield, MA
tsb...@verizon.net
“I know quite a few people, some right in my immediate neighborhood, who like that trail in particular because of it's pristine, winding nature.“
Bob Gibb
(Volunteer, finished Park Serve Day 2009 Trail on subsequent weekend)
Georgetown, MA 01833
sta...@verizon.net
“The logging is unbelievably ugly. With a thousand-plus acre park, why our new trail?”
Steve Krupsky (Volunteer, Park Serve Day 2009)
Beverly, MA
stevek...@yahoo.com
“Very ugly. I really don't think they have a clue how to manage the cutting of the trees including which ones and where. I still avoid the area to the right after crossing 95 because it's so bad - and, this was logged a few years ago. I think they've done enough damage and should stay out of the forest for 10 years!”
Paul Loomis
Georgetown, MA 01833
paul....@gmail.com
“Quite upsetting.”
Susan and Tom Budrewicz
Boxford, MA 01921
susa...@gmail.com
“It seems like a travesty to cut trees along a brand new trail when there are so many less pristine areas that are easily accessible. Someone needs to answer for this!”
Lynne Balcom Smith
West Newbury, MA
plove...@verizon.net
William T. LeRoyer (Volunteer, Trail work in Georgetown Rowley)
and Jennifer Junkins
Georgetown, MA 01833
wtle...@wtleroyer.com
Bob Goodwin
Georgetown, MA. 01833
Bob...@aol.com
Mary Ellen Iorio
Boxford, MA 01921
kmc....@mindspring.com
Mary Beth Stevens
Boxford, MA 01921
marybeth...@comcast.net
Andy Hanneman
Cambridge, MA
andyjsh...@yahoo.com
CC: Forest Futures Technical Steering Committee and Advisory Group of Stakeholders
Joseph Zorzin
Nan Finkenaur
This email is to follow up on the concern I expressed about the Friends of Harold Parker. Here is what I have heard: Nancy Merrill, founder of BTA/BOLT and highly respected trails steward in Boxford, received an email from someone from Friends of Harold Parker asking for help from our community. Nancy edited the email she received before sending it along, and it is unclear where the message of an expanded agenda for Friends of Harold Parker originated. However, Friends of Georgetown Rowley leaders, Charlie and Carolee Miller attended the recent meeting and they assure me that the scope of the group is limited to Harold Parker.
Whether citizen grassroots-inspired or DCR convened, Friends groups are critical to the DCR mission. I am confident that the new group at Harold Parker will make valuable contributions to the park.
Sincerely,
Nan Finkenaur
Friends of Georgetown Rowley State Forest
work: 978-525-4800
home: 978-887-3294
fax: 978-525-2405