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Make your voice heard by the local decision makers, a squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Thank you
To everyone who has leant a hand. And an ear.
Your voice needs to be heard.
The 60 acres wedged between Meadowbrook Farm and Chebacco Woods in South Hamilton could change forever. A developer has plans to build 59 luxury condos, including 40B affordable units, in a gated community for residents 55 and older. This project will destroy this land as we know it, close century old trails and threaten the surrounding watershed. 100 foot white pines and oaks will be cut to the ground. The existing wildlife will be displaced. The existing birdlife will be evicted. Wetlands will be impacted and local ecology disrupted. The granite outcroppings will be dynamited to level the top of the hill for these proposed condos to be built. Heavy trucks will haul off loads of rock, compromising the safety and quality of Chebacco Road and other local roads. The noise of the blasting and heavy equipment will be deafening. And for what, 59 luxury condos? What local need do they meet? Are we going to eliminate this beautiful sanctuary known and enjoyed by many, this last significant piece of open space, this critical watershed that connects three town’s water sources? Are we willing to jeopardize or even contaminate our available water resources? Are we going to destroy the very essence of what makes Hamilton, Hamilton? And like all nearby towns that have been subjected to similar developments, the ‘phases’ continue for years as a construction zone—disturbing the peace that drew us to live here.
This is the last remaining unprotected, undeveloped parcel of this scale in Hamilton and must be protected. Can you support our efforts to protect this parcel from development and to enable a conservation alternative?
Changing our world is possible. We’ve done it before.
The trails, woods, and water in the surrounding Chebacco Woods Trails area is home to rich coniferous woodland, a multitude of bird life, flora, fauna and a delicate watershed, which supports our local groundwater supplies and ecosystems. The entire area is part of the Chebacco Lake watershed which consists of 3,600 acres. The quintessential beauty of these woods has remained undisturbed for over 100 years; enjoyed by many who venture out seasonally to enjoy the area’s silence and beauty. It is part of a wildlife corridor that extends from Gloucester to Beverly and is buffered from road noise, which makes it seem as though one was hiking through the forests of northern New Hampshire, Vermont or Maine. The exemplary trail network that has existed for well over 100 years and includes historic carriage roads. This location is the only significant remaining piece of open space available to the public in the eastern part of Hamilton. Why destroy that which cannot be replaced?
Why save Chebacco Trails? Simple.
Why do the woods matter to the wildlife?
It may be intuitive: it’s their home! But if this area gets torn down they’ll just move elsewhere, right? Does it matter that much? Unfortunately, it does. In ecology, one of the detrimental consequences of habitat loss is known as ‘edge effects’. When tracts of forest such as Chebacco are broken up, it increases the perimeter of the habitat. If the area on the human side of the border is unnatural and manmade, it compromises the entire ecosystem. When the intrusion is as large and damaging as this one intends to be, wildlife that depend on the depth of the woods can easily be eradicated from the area. From the owls in their deep forest haunts to the salamanders that rely on untouched damp logs decades old, there would be simply nowhere to go.
Why do the woods matter to you?
The evidence is in, and the verdict is conclusive: communities need protected accessible green spaces to thrive. Chebacco provides this essential commodity which, when taken away, can never be replaced. A 2008 Lancet study of 40 million subjects in Britain discovered a powerful link between access to green spaces, income inequality, and life expectancy. Moving along an axis of decreasing access to green space, the difference in life expectancy jumps; a full ten years in the most extreme cases. This is in part due to the variable affordability of these natural spaces (Mair, NHM). The beauty of Chebacco is that it is always open, and open for everyone. Other reservations on the North Shore which have entrance fees or passes just don’t serve the same purpose. Additionally, the implications of green spaces on community mental health are striking. A 2019 Danish study analyzed nearly 35 years of data for a million people, and found that “children who grew up with the lowest levels of green space had up to 55% higher risk of developing a psychiatric disorder independent from effects of other known risk factors. Stronger association between accumulated green space and risk during childhood constitutes evidence that prolonged presence of green space is important” (Engemann, et al., 2019).
The Chebacco trails and woodlands are so much more than another recreational area. They are a unique home to countless flora and fauna, and a gem of the greater Boston area loved and utilized by countless residents and visitors. The wood’s benefits for health and wellbeing are as incalculable as the loss of its would-be destruction.
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