Posted by JeffSingleton - Tue, Sep 11, 2007, 10:06 A

HOORAY! Boston Globe Editorial supports protecting the Aquifer!!

Tina:

You may well be right but so far I have seen no evidence in this particular case to support your claims.

We do not have a concrete proposal from Nestles; we are not clear on the process for making the decision and what our protections are under state law; we do not know where the actual plant will be so you can not say who will get the economic benefits (my sense is that the plant itself would not be on state land so your claim that Fish and Wildlife would get the benefits is not proven); we don’t know exactly what those benefits are (the fact that someone says that in other places water bottling has not been worth it should be considered but is not very compelling. Why is water bottling any less viable than other economic activities? I can think of a lot worse! ) ; we don’t know whether leasing rights to a certain amount of water means "giving up local control" (or whether we in fact have much "local control" anyway!)

It would be nice if those who have been energized like this would take more time to research and explain these things, not just rely on generalized work by the advocacy community.

I suspect you may well be right, Tina, but it seems to me there are a lot of unanswered questions that should be asked of any economic development proposal, Nestles or no Nestles. And getting your fingernails dirty and answering these questions in specific cases, not just relying on generalized ant-corporate sentiment, is a better way to move the whole discussion of economic development forward. We coud learn a lot from this discussion, and not just about how bad Nestles is which we seem to already know.

And really I do not think there is anything fascist or communist about that, Bill.
 

Posted by Mark1 - Tue, Sep 11, 2007, 8:35 A

HOORAY! Boston Globe Editorial supports protecting the Aquifer!!

HI Tina,

I agree, holding out hope of economic ’benefit’ or quibbling over the number of potential jobs this early in the process is not terribly productive. There is enough objective evidence to confidently support opposition to this proposal. The bottled water industry is going to continue to be justifiably criticized for promoting a largely unnecessary product that has some very unsavory side effects.

Mark1
 

Posted by TinaC - Tue, Sep 11, 2007, 7:48 A

HOORAY! Boston Globe Editorial supports protecting the Aquifer!!

Bill, I ask you not to label or malign others for not sharing your point of view.

Jeff, I appreciate your concern for the economic well-being of everyone in Montague. It’s quite wonderful of you. Unfortunately, trying to latch on to Nestle as our sugar daddy doesn’t seem likely to work. Our society is not going to have an easy, single solution to our many economic troubles. Desperately selling off rights to our water and giving up local control over a resource critical to local citizens, business, recreation and ecosystems -- in the process violating public land protection -- are not good solutions.

Nestle is a powerful, global corporation with a track record of maximizing private, company profits at the expense of the general good. We would be naiive to assume otherwise, and we have testimonials from communities in the U.S. and around the world to warn us.

Furthermore, any money Nestle would pay would likely flow to MAss Fish and Wildlife, not Montague. The fishy smell in this whole thing is how a state agency appears to be preparing to financially benefit from selling off assets that belong to the public.

Finally, Kirt Mayland of Trout Unlimited reports that the financial burdens placed on a town that hosts a Nestle water bottling plant are too high to make the small number of jobs (in the dozens, not hundreds) worth the expenses, troubles and uncertainties.

To stop the rip-off of our local water to line the pockets of Nestle shareholders, we must quickly act. Please write to:

George L. Darey, Chairman / Western Wildlife District
Fax 413-298-3235
Mail c/o Director, MA Division of Fish & Wildlife, One Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough MA 01581

Wayne MacCallum Director wayne.maccallum@state.ma.us
MA Division of Fish & Wildlife, One Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough MA 01581
ph (508)389-6340 fax (508)389-7890

John Creedon, Vice Chairman / Southeast Wildlife District jfcreedon@gmail.com
Michael P. Roche, Secretary / CT Valley Wildlife District mike.roche3@verizon.net
Prof. Joseph S. Larson, Endangered Species Habitat larson@tei.umass.edu, 27 Arnold Road, Pelham, MA 01002
Ernest W. Foster, Jr., Central Wildlife District ewfosterjr@aol.com
Brandi VanRoo, Ph.D. vanroo@frc.mass.edu
Frederic Winthrop, Northeast Wildlife District / Agriculture fredericwinthrop@comcast.net

Sen. Stan Rosenberg-Hampshire & Franklin Cnties
State House, Room 320
Boston, MA 02133 LOCAL
Tel: (617) 722-1532 Tel: (413) 584-1649
Fax: (617) 722-1062 Fax: (413) 582-0113
Sen.StanRosenberg@senate.state.ma.us

Rep. Steve Kulik- Conway, Deerfield , Leverett, Montague,
New Salem, Shutesbury, Sunderland , Wendell, Whately
State House, Room 236
Boston, MA 02133 LOCAL:
Tel: 617-722-2430 413-665-7200
Fax: 617-722-2436 413-665-7101
Rep.StephenKulik@hou.state.ma.us
 

Posted by BillBry - Tue, Sep 11, 2007, 6:56 A

HOORAY! Boston Globe Editorial supports protecting the Aquifer!!

Jeff, how do you plow forward in life ignoring the fraud and corruption in government/corporations while always siding for them? You see, there is no "financial crisis"! All the money is there (1) and fraudulently diverted to the bankers! It’s a tough pill to swallow buddy, but eventually I hope you will come to your senses and support the people in this town and this great nation. Below is the CAFR report for 2006. Inside you will see a full disclosure of the fraud being committed against us. To ignore this, 911 being an inside job (2), regional government created by United Nations (3), your true communist/fascist colors are shining through.

With this being said, I will still, against your will, defend your Right to your individual Liberties!

Bill Bry
My Patriot act is THE BILL OF RIGHTS

(1) http://www.mass.gov/...s/CAFR/CAFR_2006.pdf
(2) http://www.patriotsq...essors.html#Margulis
(3) http://nord.twu.net/acl/agenda21.html
 

Posted by JeffSingleton - Tue, Sep 11, 2007, 5:16 A

HOORAY! Boston Globe Editorial supports protecting the Aquifer!!

For those who did not see the Globe editorial on Nestles and the Aquifer, it is printed below. At the meeting at the Gange a few weeks ago it appeared there was a lot of interest and concern about the issue.

People were going to find out more about the state laws etc governing this issue and the process Nestles has to go through etc. Has this happemed? Is it somewhere on this website? The editorial mentions the state law governing this issue (Article 97). What does the law say and how is it applied?

It would be nice to learn something from this whole process rather than just being subjected to a lot of ideology and anti-corporate rhetoric.

Also at the meeting a few weeks ago I mentioned that the town has financial problems and needs new sources of revenue. After all, that is why communities consider "proposals" like this (I put "proposals" in quotes because actually there has not been one as far as I know). When I mentioned the town’s fiscal problems there was the predictable response that yes this is a concern and we have to find ways to generate revenue without caving in to corporations like Nestles. I agree but so far no one has come forward with a concrete proposal (or even a vague proposal).


Nestle’s Montague plan all wet [What "Plan"? - JS]
September 9, 2007

THE NESTLE COMPANY has its eye on an aquifer under a state wildlife management area in Western Massachusetts as a source for bottled drinking water. The same aquifer is now supplying a state trout hatchery, several private wells, and potentially in the future, parts of the town of Montague. Especially with global warming casting doubt on future precipitation patterns, state officials should keep Nestle’s straw out of this natural resource.

By locating its well close to the spring already supplying the Bitzer Fish Hatchery, Nestle Waters North America could classify its product as "spring water" under Food and Drug Administration rules - unlike the 25 percent of bottled water that actually comes from municipal taps. The company has also suggested it might build a bottling plant nearby, with 60 to 200 jobs. Nestle already produces Poland Spring bottled water in Maine and Deer Park water in Pennsylvania.
As much as the upper Pioneer Valley could use the jobs, the state has to be concerned about the effect the Nestle operation would have on other users of the aquifer and on the 1,500-acre wildlife management area itself. The area is part of the Montague Plains, a rare pine barren on a sandy glacial delta. According to the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife policy on state-protected land, "Requests for land, land interests, or resources shall not be considered until all reasonable efforts to obtain said amenity from other sources have been exhausted." Article 97 of the state constitution also strictly limits private use of state land.
Nestle will be hard put to prove that it has exhausted "all reasonable efforts" to get spring water from other sources. If it were willing to dispense with the "spring water" cachet, it could easily locate in a Massachusetts Water Resources Authority community that uses the highly drinkable water from the Quabbin Reservoir.
Even if the company offers to pay Fisheries and Wildlife generously for the right to draw the Montague water, the Patrick administration, which is making much of its green credentials, should think twice about encouraging this industry. Not only are plastic bottles made from petrochemicals, but pumping the water, filling the bottles, and then shipping them to retailers consumes energy that emits greenhouse gases. Eighteen tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere for every million bottles of water that are produced and shipped to customers. A plastic bottle of water might not look like an SUV, but its carbon footprint does.
So far, the state has only granted Nestle permission to go on hatchery property for initial explorations. Before accommodating Nestle any further, environmental secretary Ian Bowles should send it copies of the relevant state policies, including Article 97. Nestle’s idea should sleep with the fishes.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.



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Posted by MikeNaughton - Sun, Sep 9, 2007, 7:16 P

HOORAY! Boston Globe Editorial supports protecting the Aquifer!!

Interesting that the editorial states, "[Nestle] could easily locate in a Massachusetts Water Resources Authority community that uses the highly drinkable water from the Quabbin Reservoir".

Is there really an extra 150 million gallons a year of water to pull from the Quabbin?
 

Posted by TinaC - Sun, Sep 9, 2007, 6:53 P

HOORAY! Boston Globe Editorial supports protecting the Aquifer!!

Great news!!! The Boston Globe wrote an editorial supporting our call for protection of the Montague aquifer!!!

It’s the top editorial in today’s (Sunday) edition! Go to: http://www.boston.co...ntague_plan_all_wet/

Thanks to Doug Stephens for all his work to make this possible.

And thanks to MA Clean Water Action, Kirt Mayland of Trout Unlimited, Amy Vickers, and Corporate Accountability International for your support.

Tina Clarke
Clean Water Action
413-549-6834
tclarke@cleanwater.org
 

Posted by TinaC - Mon, Sep 3, 2007, 5:43 P

Contacts for poster & for all of you who want to take action!

Hi - Yes, everyone, please do contact me if you have any questions, ideas, want to know what’s going on, and can take a couple of simple actions to help stop the appropriation of the Montague aquifer for private profit. I am Tina Clarke: (413) 549-6834, tclarke@cleanwater.org. Please list my name whenever you want to give a contact person for this work.

Thank you to Joanne for all her work to get some much excellent information out. Thank you, Suzanne, for helping lead some key new organizing.

And THANK YOU to you all who created that FABULOUS poster!! Right on!

Tina
 

Posted by sunshower - Mon, Sep 3, 2007, 3:37 A

Contacts for poster

Suzanne:
Sorry about that. Tina Clarke also wants to be be listed as a contact on the poster.
tclarke@cleanwater.org Joanne
 

Posted by BrooksBend - Sun, Sep 2, 2007, 8:01 P

RE: POSTER

Joanne,

I appreciate the enthusiasm with which you are initiating good actions and sharing great information with the corkboard, however, I would very much like to be asked before I see my name offered as THE contact on the poster.

I suggested a series of educational forums in each village to help educate Montague citizens about the issues and to hear the thoughts of residents in each village. I, and others, will work to bring those about.

I have volunteered to help in other ways too, but I do not want my name to be the only contact listed on the poster. I have neither the time nor the inclination to be a clearinghouse of information.

Perhaps you would like your name to be on the poster. Or perhaps we could refer people to the corkboard. Or perhaps someone else will volunteer. I do not want my name to be the one one it. I hope that is clear.

Again, I appreciate your enthusiasm and good work, and hope this is taken in a good way.

Suzanne
 

Posted by sunshower - Sat, Sep 1, 2007, 10:33 A

RE: POSTER

Thank you to Ruth for the great attention-getting poster!
If you are going to make more copies to put up, you can list Suzanne Webber suzanne@brooksbendfarm.com as contact. She will be organizing the 5-town
initiatives.
 

Posted by mik - Fri, Aug 31, 2007, 11:11 A

RE: Poster

I agree, but we don’t want the wrong contact info on the bottom. Is the person currently listed on the bottom of the poster the best person for everyone to call and express an opinion?
 

Posted by westking1956 - Fri, Aug 31, 2007, 8:55 A

RE: Poster

Ok- still have no idea on the poster-
a couple yes- one no.

This is just an informational poster to get people fired up!
Ruth
 

Posted by sunshower - Fri, Aug 31, 2007, 8:36 A

RE: Notes from 1st Meeting

Mik-to answer your question:

The coordinators decided not to put up notes from the meeting, which I or Tina would be happy to discuss with you. The notes written on the newsprint by Chris were not minutes, but topics and questions. Instead, we thought it more useful to make documents available in the Notes & Minutes that contain most of the information given in the meeting, and answers to many of the questions raised. This allows people to inform themselves and take action by writing letters to MAFW & Legislators. Joanne
 

Posted by sunshower - Fri, Aug 31, 2007, 8:19 A

Clarification & What Nestle has done similar

Dear Mik:

Thanks again for all your competence in handling the many tech needs and personal energy for organizing and thinking. I agree with you 100%, and did not mean "wa"it til the meachine gets going. It’s already going!

I mean I think it is wiser for the core group to be ready--to have a certain amount of structure, as I specified, and as you repeated.

By the way, see this example of what Nestle "Corpse" did in Maine to intrude into water on 500+ acres surrounding a fish hatchery: http://www.sprucespring.com/pdf/LURCpermit.pdf

And for the second time, my last name is Sunshower (as in my user id), not sunshine. However, I much prefer to be addressed by my first name, which is Joanne.

Thank you. Have fun over the weekend!
 

Posted by mik - Fri, Aug 31, 2007, 7:49 A

RE: Poster

Sunshine, I agree that we should have the correct contact info on any posters we put up, but I don’t think we should wait until the Nestle machine has started up. I think we want to show as much opposition as possible as early as possible to show them the hornet’s nest they’d be walking into if they even tried.

As for action options, we need to put that together too. Talking points, and a list of three things people can do, ie; call person A, write person B, email person C, etc.

BTW, the meeting that was held at the Grange last month is going to air on MCTV on Sunday, Sept 2 at 7:30pm. Channel 17 in Gill and Montague. If you don’t get MCTV in your area DVDs can be purchased for $10 (to cover costs and time) from the station. Call (413) 863-9200. Eventually a thumbnail version of the video will be uploaded to this website for those with high speed web access.

Still waiting for the minutes from that meeting. Has Chris emailed them to you and/or Tina? If not... hey Chris, get ’em out!
 

Posted by TinaC - Fri, Aug 31, 2007, 6:21 A

Please contact me if you want to be involved

Hello, Friends -

I hope everyone will take action in whatever ways feel right to you!

If you are interested in helping in any way, please contact me. Good stuff is being planned, and new groups are forming. There are lots of different, terrific options for participating or leading. YOU ARE NEEDED!

Let’s chat and figure out what you would most like to do.

Tina Clarke: tclarke@cleanwater.org, H/W: call anytime 8 a.m.-8 p.m. 413-549-6834

Except today I’m swamped! ;- )

Yours in Water Protection,
Tina
 

Posted by sunshower - Fri, Aug 31, 2007, 6:05 A

RE: Poster

I think we should wait on the poster until we know for sure that Nestle corp is going to pursue this, and until we have agreed contact info we can put on the poster to refer people who want more info, and a menu of actions we can offer people who want to do soomething. Read, Aim, Fire, not Fire, Aim, Ready.

Thank you.
 

Posted by DonOgden - Fri, Aug 31, 2007, 5:33 A

Poster should I amke a bunch?

The poster rocks! I’ll post Leverett, Sunderland and Wendell.
 

Posted by BrooksBend - Fri, Aug 31, 2007, 4:43 A

Mini-comittee meeting

Thanks for the updates on the meeting, Mik. Sounds like very good ideas were generated.

Great poster Ruth! Thanks for putting it together so fast. I like both versions.

A sheet of talking points is a good idea. I’d love to see people start writing letters to the editors and also for there to be a lot of public educating on this. Thanks for the corkboard. It’s an important way to communicate. Could also be a way for Nestle to see our strategies as our plans develop. How about creating affinity groups, or phone trees so we can keep Nestle out of some of our conversation?

Suzanne
 

Posted by BillBry - Wed, Aug 29, 2007, 5:17 P

Aquifer Poster -- should I make a bunch?

That water poster is fine, but it is missing a Nestle paramilitary gunman holding an assault rifle!

-Nestle, the world’s largest food and beverage company, has been sued for complicity in. the murder of a Colombian trade union leader by paramilitary forces....

WHY is our town even considering doing treason with these criminals! What is wrong with people! Why would you invite them in to consider stealing your water and ruining your roads! How do people shut off their critical thinking? Have people never left town and think the world is like Montague Center and everyone is nice? Is common sense outlawed or something!


http://www.google.co...stle%2C+paramilitary

http://www.google.co...rick%2C+paramilitary

Read and defend the Bill Of Rights people, it’s all we got!

If the coroner lists my death as suicide, don’t believe it, I would never want to miss the treason trials on C-SPAN and bounce my grandchild on my knee!

Bill.
 

Posted by mik - Wed, Aug 29, 2007, 2:20 P

Aquifer Poster -- should I make a bunch?

I think Ruth is asking for feedback on the poster. Any comments? Should she print up some copies and post them up around the villages?

http://www.montaguem...quifer-vs-nestle.pdf
 

Posted by mik - Wed, Aug 29, 2007, 2:19 P

Must-See Strong Letter

Eileen,

The letter has been un-published until you give the word that it can be published again.

Mik
 

Posted by EileenS - Wed, Aug 29, 2007, 1:51 P

Must-See Strong Letter

Delete this entire letter immediately from the Corkboard. It has not been received by the Secretary yet and is therefore not a public letter. I will not continue to particpate in this group if our trust continues to be violated. Eileen Simonson Water Supply Citizens Advisory Committee
 

Posted by westking1956 - Wed, Aug 29, 2007, 1:14 P

Poster should I amke a bunch?

hi guys- made the poster (aquifer vs nestle pdf) and would like to print up some and distribute to Leverett, shutesbury, wendell, new salen.
is that ok?
did I tell them to look at the right places?
ruth