June 27, 2018
The Honorable Jeffrey Sanchez, Chairman
House Committee on Ways & Means
State House, Room 243
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Chairman Sanchez and House Ways & Means Members,
We at Massachusetts Conservation Voters (MCV) wish to be on record as opposing passage of An Act Authorizing the Town of Westminster to Acquire State Forest Land (H-4677).
MCV is a newly re-named statewide conservation and environmental education non-profit, formerly called the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, (MLEV) dedicated to protecting and improving our state-held open spaces, primarily those administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
Converting this 85-acre parcel protected by Article 97 of the state Constitution from state forest land to expand a landfill would forever alter the forest and destroy a portion of the Ball Hill Trail, one of the more popular hiking trails in the forest, a large gem acquired by the state over a 30-plus-year period beginning in the 1920s.
We respectfully request that the House Committee on Ways and Means reject H-4677, so that the citizens of the Commonwealth may continue to enjoy this trail and the rest of the forest in perpetuity. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Very truly yours,
Chuck Anastas, Chairman
Mass Conservation Voters