Floodplain Forest and Floodway Development: Implications for Nearby Residents, Communities and Wildlife

Alewife’s Natural Resources are threatened with development. Belmont Conservation Commission, Coalition to Preserve Belmont Uplands, and Friends of Alewife Reservation have appealed the DEP decision to displace a rare silver maple  forest for housing. Experts on the Case feel the forest and surrounding open space are essential for protection of the 500 acre floodplain covering Arlington, Cambridge and Belmont.

Participants

Charles Katuska:  Forty years of state and corporate experience in wetlands and forestry. Former Conservation Commissioner of Carver and Southborough. Board of Directors of Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions; wetlands and wildlife scientist witness for Plaintiffs at DEP Hearings on the silver maple forest.

Scott Horsley: Hydrologist – President and CEO of Horsley and Witten, Inc., Professor Environmental Engineering, Principle Instructor- U.S. EPA workshops on watershed management. US-EPA He received the Environmental Innovator Award from EPA for his work in constructed wetlands and storm water treatment; Hydrology specialist for DEP Hearings-Town of Belmont.

Thomas Bracken: Founding partner of first dedicated environmental law firm in Boston; clients are municipal boards and commissions, environmental organizations and citizens groups; formerly Regional General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (New England Region), Attorney-Advisor, Office of General Counsel, Agency for International Development and Chairman of Cambridge Conservation Commission. Represents Plaintiffs in Hearings and court proceedings for preservation of the silver maple forest.

EKOngKar Singh Khalsa: – Ex. Director Mystic River Watershed Association.25 years experience in environmental design, planning, engineering and environmental restoration, hazardous waste investigation. Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Northeastern University, Boston University and the University of Alaska. Former Ex. Dir. For Hallmark Companies.  Broad understanding of public land use policy.

Tino Lichauco: Attorney in intellectual property law for fifteen years. Research Engineer at MIT and Livermore National Laboratory. Member of the Belmont Conservation Commission for four years. Represents the Commission in appealing the DEP order in Adjudicatory Hearings and in Woburn Superior Court in behalf of the silver maple forest.

Sponsors: Friends of Alewife Reservation, Coalition to Preserve Belmont Uplands, Cambridge Tree Stewards, Sustainable Arlington, Mystic River Watershed Association, Sustainable Belmont, Cambridge Climate Emergency Group,