Group Protests DCR Memorial Drive Plans

Canada geese and.... white farm geese?
Originally uploaded by varmazis

The Friends of the White Geese group's ongoing protest against DCR makes today's Globe:

This fall, the Department of Conservation and Recreation will be removing nine healthy trees in the so-called goose meadow, in the shadow of the Boston University Bridge, to make way for rehabilitation of the dilapidated 80-year-old structure.

The department also plans to cut down 157 dead, diseased, and damaged trees along Memorial Drive, from the BU Bridge to the Longfellow Bridge, as part of its historic parkways project, which seeks to return that stretch to its original 19th century landscaping.

The two plans have been sources of contention for a local environmental group that disputes the state’s figures, saying the projects would actually destroy 400 to 600 trees along the Cambridge side of the river that serve as shelter for humans and wildlife.

Check these links for more about DCR's Historic Parkways Preservation program and the Charles River Basin Master Plan, and the area plans for the BU Bridge and Magazine Beach. See the Friends of the White Geese blog for more of the criticism of the plans.