Announcement on Forums and additional time and format

[Bill Logue]

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. 

 

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).  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 and/or by completing an online survey.

*Location has been changed to accommodate a greater number of interested citizens.

**Additional forum was added to accommodate requests for an alternative forum format.

 

 

 

[Dave Gafney]

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

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[William VanDoren]

Dave,

Why is it an outrage?  Foresters aren’t members of the public?  We lose the ability to comment on forest policy?

Bill

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[Dicken Crane]

Bill

I think the continuing ed credits should be extended to licensed timber harvesters as well. They will be taking a day off from work to attend. 

Dicken 

[Michael Kellett]

Bill,

This has nothing to do with the ability of foresters to comment. Obviously, foresters have every right to attend the meetings and speak their minds. But this was a specific invitation to foresters by a state forestry official, urging them to attend and promising continuing education credits to benefit them professionally. No other interest group got a personal invitation with professional incentives, as far as I can see. Why not? The answer is obvious: this is an attempt by a state forestry official to pack the house with foresters. It is completely inappropriate and taints the whole process.

Michael

On Feb 3, 2010, at 7:26 AM, William VanDoren wrote:

Dave,

Why is it an outrage?  Foresters aren’t members of the public?  We lose the ability to comment on forest policy?

Bill

 

From: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com [mailto:forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com]On Behalf Of Dave Gafney
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 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

-- 

Greetings Foresters,

A continuing forester education opportunity for your information.  See attached announcement and certificate.  The draft recommendations have just been made available at the following website:
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/publicmeetings/tsc_draft_recommendations.htm

Forest management recommendations have been made for both public and private forestlands.

Credit will be given for attendance at more than one meeting.

If you attend a meeting and desire CFE credit please have the attached certificate signed and include with your next license renewal application.


Tom Ryan, Service Forester
Secretary, MA Forester Licensing Board
Department of Conservation and Recreation
PO Box 1433; Pittsfield MA 01201
phone: 413-784-1828 ext. 123
fax:  413-442-5860
Tom....@state.ma.us

[William VanDoren]

Michael,

Will comments given at the public forums be given more weight than comments submitted via other means?  I wasn’t under that impression.  What other interest group at the table has professional requirements for continuing education?  Do Massachusetts Licensed Wilderness Experts have to get continuing education?  What could be more important to foresters than hearing about the public’s forestry concerns so they can maintain their social license to practice forestry?

Bill

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[Ted Cady]

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 -----

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To post to this group, send email to forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to forest-futures-advisory-grou...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/forest-futures-advisory-group-of-stakeholders?hl=en.

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[Nan Finkenaur]

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

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> .  
 
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> ).  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.

       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.

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> .

[Michael Kellett]

Hi Bill,

You just made my point. Foresters have a vested, economic interest in coming to the hearings and supporting logging on public lands. That's their right. But it's all the more reason to avoid even the appearance of conflicts of interest from state officials. In this case, Tom Ryan stepped way over the line. If the situation were reversed, and a DCR staffer sent an invitation only to wilderness advocates, promising to give them special consideration in the future, I think you would be just as outraged as I am about this -- and rightfully so.

And yes, of course comments at public forums always have more political weight than written comments. It's like the difference between meeting with your state legislator and sending an email. Or attending town meeting versus calling your selectman. Which do you think he or she will pay the most attention to?

Best,

Michael

[Mike Ryan]

Bill VanDoren,

Surely you can appreciate the unsavoriness of DCR, the convener of the Forest Futures public process, $$ incentivizing professional loggers to come to the meetings to make sure their pro-logging viewpoint for continued private access to public forest lands dominates the public point of view?  

You don't think offering fiduciary inducements to those who profit from logging timber from public lands to turn up at the public meetings is wrong? 

Please give it some thought.

Mike

On Feb 3, 2010, at 7:26 AM, William VanDoren wrote:

[William VanDoren]

Michael,

Where is the vested economic interest?  Where is the promise of special consideration in the future to practicing foresters?  Noone is saying anything about supporting solely logging on public recommendations, rather, addressing the draft vision as a whole.  And I think Bill Logue would be the person better able to answer how the TSC will weight comments received through the different mechanisms.

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[Mike Ryan]

Bill,

Some of us non-loggers will be taking days off too, and have been throughout the Forest Futures process.

Perhaps DCR can provide us too with 'benefits' to boost our careers for time served?

Mike

[hri...@massaudubon.org]

Maybe a workshop in ethics is in order.

Government officials are not allowed to offer any financial inducements for individuals to influence state policy, and especially not when those policies have a direct relationship to those individuals' jobs and income.

Continuing education credits that help a forester qualify for license renewal are financial incentives.

There seems to be confusion between educational workshops and public meetings where potential changes in public policy and regulations are discussed, debated, and comments submitted for consideration in the final outcome. Of course anyone, including foresters have the right to come and have their say at the forums. What is improper is state incentives encouraging them to do that.

I would have no objection to a workshop educating foresters about what is in the final vision after it is approved. I hope DCR publicizes to many audiences the final report and any changes in policy or regulations they will implement in response to it..

Public forums should be advertised by agencies with standard notices distributed to all types of people. There should be no particular incentive for any category of people to participate other than their own interest in the topic under review.

Heidi

E. Heidi Ricci
Senior Policy Analyst
Massachusetts Audubon Society
208 South Great Road
Lincoln, MA 01773
781-259-2172
FAX 781-259-1089
hri...@massaudubon.org
If you support our public policy initiatives, advocacy positions & environmental projects,
join over 100,000 other people as a Mass Audubon member at:
www.massaudubon.org <http://www.massaudubon.org>

---

From: Michael Kellett <kel...@restore.org>

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 09:29:16 -0500

[Michael Kellett]

Bill,

Of course foresters have a vested economic interest in the outcome of the Forest Futures process. They make a living cutting down trees. The issue of cutting down trees -- how much, where, in what way -- is the whole reason for the Forest Futures process.

Of course Bill Logue wants things to be fairly considered. But I'm talking about human nature -- a bunch of guys at a meeting has a lot more weight than some disembodied comment. That's just the way it is. The outrage is that a DCR official specifically invited them to attend the meetings, knowing that this is the case.

Michael

[Jane Berkshire Environmental Action Team]

Perhaps taking the online training at www.mass.gov/ethics on the new Conflict of Interest Law Requirements is in order?

Jane
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hri...@massaudubon.org wrote:

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[Fred Heyes]

lets cut to the facts and ask for an advisory ruling from ethics commission....

i am not seeing that tom ryan was giving them, only approving them...

 

but it tom applies for a advisory opinion then, the issue will be factual...

this is not really a suitable use of our time...

 

fred

 

---

From: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com [mailto:forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jane Berkshire Environmental Action Team
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 12:12 PM
To: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com

Subject: Re: DCR giving foresters credit to attend Forest Futures meetings

Perhaps taking the online training at    on the new Conflict of Interest Law Requirements is in order?

[Alexandra]

ethics office will advise only those persons directly involved. alexandra

[Fred Heyes]

Alexandra, which is exactly  why i suggested below that tom should apply, since he is directly involved

---

From: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com [mailto:forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Alexandra
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 2:19 PM

[Ted Cady]

Jane, et al,

I have not attended forester certified training, but I have put on workshops for other certifications.  You sign in and you sign out.  To get credit you have to stay for the whole thing.  We have been discussing a new paridim w\hich is foreign to many foresters.  Why not let them hear how people feel?  It will be a wonderful education.  In my experience most foresters are not interested in public speaking.  Most foresters, and that includes some DCR foresters, work in their own little world.  I should think you would want people, especially foresters, to hear the issues.   Several AGS members have said that foresters have "old think" and need to go to "new think" about ecology, carbon sequestration, and so forth.  Not only should foresters attend, but forestry students should also attend.  Foresters have much to learn at the public forum.   

-----Original Message-----
From: Jane Berkshire Environmental Action Team
Sent: Feb 3, 2010 12:12 PM
To: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: DCR giving foresters credit to attend Forest Futures meetings

Perhaps taking the online training at www.mass.gov/ethics on the new Conflict of Interest Law Requirements is in order?

________________________________________
PeoplePC Online
A better way to Internet
http://www.peoplepc.com

[Mike Ryan]

Ted,

All good points you make, Foresters have much to learn at the public forum.   

But you skipped over one little thing.

It is not ethical that a particular class of person with financial stakes in keeping the old public forest logging paradigm ('old think' as you call it) alive and well should be career based incentivized by the conveners of the Forest Futures process to show up at the public meetings

Mike

[fred heyes]

i am not sure if it is ethical or not

but it sure was out of place and illfounded...

 

fred

---

From: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com [mailto:forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Mike Ryan
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 4:41 PM
To: forest-futures-advisor...@googlegroups.com; ForestFutur...@googlegroups.com

[Jane Berkshire Environmental Action Team]

Ted et al.,
I have no objection to them attending, but see Heidi's email in regard to the new Conflict of Interest law Requirements.