Quabbin: Hidden Agenda Supports Commercial Interests
I live in the city of Cambridge. Forty years ago, my neighbors fought off a massively misguided state plan to run an eight-lane highway through our houses. It is indeed true that governments can make mistakes and should be held accountable for them. And governments should also be recognized when they do something right, or act to correct the damage of the past. Often large projects begin with disruption and agony, but over time healing must occur, to benefit the land and the people.
Quabbin began as a very controversial presumption that urban interests should be served by damming up the Swift River, and intercepting the precipitation that fell on the watershed—to be diverted towards Boston. The enterprise involved wiping four towns off the map, moving graveyards, clearcutting woodlands, and creating much local bitterness. During the great drought of the 1960s, when Quabbin dropped to less than half full, it was possible to take a boat trip to the area of Enfield, and see the ghostly foundation of the town church through the waters of the reservoir.
History has given us a new perspective on Quabbin. Its system of dams, pipes, generators, and valves represents a phenomenal engineering achievement, one that has been enhanced by the success of the MWRA in water conservation, allowing more waters to be returned to the Swift and Nashua Rivers. Cleared lands have been regrown, and the area has become a model for modern environmental serenity, for landscape harmony and quiet recreation. It has been the model for any planner and preservationist seeking a place for refuge and solace from the pressures of city life. It is a remarkable achievement in itself, and an important achievement in healing.
Quabbin is more than mere parkland or forest serenity. It is a monument to the best balancing of engineering and environment, the proper melding of water, forest, sky, and subdued access. All these virtues have been combined with the superb engineering and social functionality of a high quality water supply. Quabbin has overcome its early agonies of construction, and has left us with a joint masterpiece of man and nature.
In terms of ultimate human achievement, Quabbin is everything that the Big Dig was supposed to be—and was not. The highest standards of respect, the status of true honor, and the protection of historical preservation should be granted to Quabbin. It is indeed sacred land.
Over the years, a program of care and respect was provided through decades of work by the MDC and people like veteran MDC/DCR forester Bruce Spencer. In a very understated manner, he commented on the recent clear-cutting at Quabbin: “I wouldn’t call it forestry.”
I was horrified to see the aerial photos of Quabbin with the patchwork of clear-cuts, making the landscape look like a diseased dog with its hair falling out in tufts. It was a desecration. An act of state vandalism. An abuse of extraordinary disrespect for the best that man and nature can achieve. I was horrified to find that officials at WSCAC, the MWRA Advisory Board, and various citizen advisory boards wished to see the Quabbin logging and clear-cuts continue.
Thankfully, state environmental officials heard the complaints and have placed a freeze on Quabbin logging. They have good reasons to worry about rogue employees who are not providing the necessary protection and respect for water supply lands.
In recent years, regular logging programs on DCR lands have generated much controversy and critical review. The former state forester proposed large scale commercial logging in Robinson State Park in Agawam. Thankfully the DCR Commissioner was persuaded by citizen protest to step in and stop the logging effort. Later, the forester was asked to comment on the Commissioner’s action, he replied: “Oh, that’s just politics.” Such a disrespectful response to the action of one’s superior is unfortunately indicative of a hidden agenda—one directed towards commercial logging interests, rather than the general public interest.
WSCAC is correct to point out that a special committee will be reporting on the issue of logging at Quabbin. But all those who seek to make a profit from logging on state lands should consider the guidance contained in the Declaration of Rights of our state Constitution, Article 7, that “Government in instituted for the Common good… and not for the profit, honor or private interest of any… class of men…” The loggers should stop the desecration at Quabbin. Let our peaceful forest lands retain their honorable symbolism, with no interference from the loggers.
Stephen H. Kaiser
Mechanical Engineer
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Advocate LGBT March Coverage Offensive
If Tom Sturm was a writer for The Onion or the Steven Colbert show, I may have understood his rant about Northampton’s annual LGBT march and rally to be satirical rather than offensive.
His overt objectification in the guise of being a self-congratulatory groovy guy was so filled with bigotry that I had to read the piece several times to be sure I was not seeing things.
Our communities can be very playful. The “We’re Here, We’re Queer, We’ve Got Beer” title was fun. It is too bad the text of the article got worse and worse.
“To find myself immersed in a three-ring circus” would be something I would expect from homophobes either 30 years ago or in other parts of the country today. Referring to not being sure “that the prom queen on that float is actually a girl” is equally ignorant.
Then the writer encourages people to pull up a lawn chair for high entertainment. Mr. Sturm is the reason why many of us still refer to our walking as a march rather than a parade. We are LGBT people and allies of all ages. We celebrate our advances and we work together to fight for socio-economic justices of all kinds. Mr. Sturm may be disappointed to learn that we do not prance about for his amusement.
Perhaps in living here for just 20 years, Mr. Sturm does not recognize that the economy, the vibe and the uniqueness of Northampton has developed to this point in large part due to (first) a large settling and growth of lesbian community and (next) large numbers of gay men, bisexual and transgender people who move here to feel safe and normative.
Language is powerful, and journalists have an obligation to know this. Our organization would be happy to provide LGBT cultural competence training for the Valley Advocate staff. It is possible to balance humor without objectification and overtly bigoted commentary.
J.M. Sorrell
Director
SAGE Western Massachusetts
