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Email us directly at outreach@nemtforest.org
NEMT Forest
Save the NEMT Forest. The core of about 15 acres of this beloved irreplaceable, and pristine native forest in Wakefield, MA, has been clear-cut and blasted for a Northeast Metro Tech vocational school building despite there being alternative options. An untold number of animals have been killed and wildlife and biodiversity decimated. Help us stop the senseless destruction of this historic hilltop forest.
Sign and share the Petition.
Watch video: The NEMT Forest Ecosystem and March for the Forest.
Publicly-funded projects should take environmental impacts into account
Our best chance of saving this irreplaceable forest is by contacting state agencies and raising public awareness. Please reach out to MA School Building Authority (MSBA), Natural Heritage and Endangered Species (NHESP), and your elected representatives and ask them if the destruction of this critical habitat is a rational use of tax dollars in the face of climate change and the pressing need to preserve habitat for Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
“Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead
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Take Action
Here is how you can help:
Action Alert: TONIGHT!
NEMT School Virtual Meeting on Blasting plans, Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 7:00 PM
Zoom Link: https://northeastmetrotech.zoom.us/j/81813603814
Dear Friends of the Forest,
Though the MASSDEP site permit is pending, the NEMT School project plans to begin blasting at the Forest site in early October. In our appeal to MassDEP, we have highlighted scientific evidence that blasting in the upland areas, the buffer zones, and near the wetlands, will have serious and irreversible consequences on the ability of the wetland-buffer zone complex to function as habitats.
The blasting permits were granted without due diligence and a public process. Multiple citizens wrote to the Wakefield Fire Department and town officials about their concerns and questioned the lack of a public forum to review the blasting plans. The NEMT project has now scheduled the first public meeting on their blasting plans.
Please attend the NEMT School virtual meeting on blasting plans, ask questions, comment and voice your concerns.
Action. Sign or write a letter to MassDEP ( Link)
Spread the word!
Dear Friends of the Forest,
Please take a few minutes to read Our Letter to MassDEP , asking that they affirm the Commission’s denial of the permit to construct the new vocational school on the forested hilltop, and sign it using the form below. We will collect signatures in batches every Wednesday, starting from July 26th, and send each batch with the letter to MassDEP officials every week until they issue their ruling. Please sign-on NOW! You could also write your own letter and email it to the recipients listed in our letter below.
Voices from the Community
“Just as we are becoming aware of all the destruction we humans do regarding habitat leading to loss of species, we have a chance to keep a remaining important area intact to support birds and insects and a myriad of species. We are running out of time- once gone- these areas are lost forever!”
“We need to preserve as much woodland as possible for many reasons. One is to preserve rainwater sinks for flooding mitigation that's predicted as part of climate change. Another is to keep as many trees as possible (and, indeed, to add more) to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, again to cope with climate change. Further, animals live in this woodland -- it's their home, and we don't have the moral right to deprive them of that. Finally, many people enjoy and love that area; why should that be taken from them?”
'“I want to see the natural, wooded area preserved. It makes no sense to destroy this beautiful outdoor site when there are viable options. To lose these trees and the habitat they provide for birds and wildlife would be a huge loss for our community.”
“It makes more sense to build on previously cleared land, not on an ancient forest that offers habitat for endangered species, access to nature for people, indigenous culture heritage, and a precious carbon sink!”
“Forests are the lifeline to survival in this planet facing catastrophic climate change. Forests support biodiversity that includes humans. Forests maintain the hydrological cycle making it possible for streams to flow, recharge groundwater. It is unthinkable that a school would cut down a forest, undermining the futures of the very students, it claims will educate.”
Contact
Friends of Wakefield’s NEMT Forest
PO Box 3129
Wakefield, MA
Email: outreach@nemtforest.org
