Saturday, December 18, 2010

Want to save the Fyfeshire Ponds? Sign our petitions.

Did you know that the Conservation Commission has voted to remove the dam at the far end of the Fyfeshire Pond on Wattaquadock Hill Rd. in Bolton? To learn more, see our November 28 blog or check out our In the News page.

A group of us has drafted two petitions, one to the Conservation Commission, the other to the Board of Selectmen. We are now collecting signatures. They have to be signed in person, not electronically. If you agree we should save the dam, please send an email to fyfeshire@yahoo.com, and we will find a way to get the petition to you for signature. Below is the content of the two petitions.

The petition to the Bolton Conservation Commission:


PETITION AGAINST DECISION TO REMOVE DAM AT FYFESHIRE

We, the undersigned, petition the Conservation Commission to reverse its vote to have the lower dam at Fyfeshire Conservation land dismantled. The Town of Bolton has very few conservation areas with a small pond and waterfall plus a larger pond which is a sanctuary for amphibians. Further, this site is home to a young Bald Eagle, an endangered species, as well as Blandings turtles, a threatened species. Bolton is fortunate that Helen Plummer donated this land for people to enjoy. This is a beautiful and historical parcel, which was the site of a button factory around the turn of the 20th century and earlier a comb factory in the first half of the 19th century. Sometime in the 1800s this was a cranberry bog according to legend. Mink were farmed here and there were many great Fish and Game clambakes and outings up to the late 1930s. Many ice skating parties were held here up to the early 1980s. Ms Plummer had a little cabin by the small pond which burned down in that era.

The long term environmental impact far outweighs the projected cost of this dam removal.

NAME---PRINT NAME---- ADDRESS----TOWN
The petition to the Board of Selectmen:
PETITION TO THE SELECTMEN, TOWN OF BOLTON
We, the undersigned petition the Selectmen of the Town of Bolton to abstain from voting in agreement with the Conservation Commission with regard to dismantling the dam at the Fyfeshire Conservation area, which will result in drying up the existing ponds. The environmental impact will be a detriment to the wildlife and amphibians that live and thrive in this sanctuary. Fyfeshire is home to Blandings turtles, a threatened species and a young Bald Eagle – an endangered species. The Group for the Preservation of Fyfeshire is working to bring the lower dam up to safe standards through restoration while reducing the current estimated cost to the taxpayers.
NAME---PRINT NAME---- ADDRESS----TOWN
Want to sign? Send an email to fyfeshire@yahoo.com and let us know. Thanks.