With chants of “Do the right thing — deny!” a large group of citizens gathered outside White Mountains Regional High School ahead of Wednesday’s hearing by the state Department of Environmental Services to protest Casella Waste Systems, Inc.’s proposed landfill in Dalton.
In nearly six hours of testimony, people repeated their message that the property, lying close to Forest Lake and a state park, is the wrong location for a landfill, especially after another landfill operated by Casella in nearby Bethlehem recently experienced the largest leachate spill in state history, with possible contamination of the Ammonoosuc River.
Lance Young, chief sachem of the Nemasket Nation, who said he was speaking with the blessings and on behalf of the Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire, told the Wetlands Board panel, “This is more than just about the wetlands around Forest Lake; this is about the survival of our planet, and we will be judged by the condition we leave the earth for those who come after us.”
Nesting Loons At Risk
Opponents of the landfill cited the nesting loons at Forest Lake as among the wildlife threatened by the landfill proposal. Yet loons are at risk throughout New Hampshire this time of year, when many loon pairs have been incubating their eggs. Historically, close to 40 percent of the nests fail, many due to human disturbance.
Harry Vogel, senior biologist and executive director of the Loon Preservation Committee in Moultonborough, said, “Loons are vulnerable when they’re on land because their bodies are designed for life in the water, making it difficult for them to move well on land. If humans closely approach loon nests, the loons feel threatened, and they will get into the water where they’re more mobile and therefore safer. That leaves their eggs exposed and vulnerable to predators or the elements.”
Boaters are urged to stay back at least 150 feet from nesting loons — more if the loon shows any signs of distress, such as craning its neck low over its nest. If boaters do accidentally get too close to a nesting loon and cause it to flush from its nest, they are advised to leave the area immediately.
Shark Warning System Established
With a number of great white shark sightings off the Atlantic coast this summer, the Cape Cod Ocean Community in Massachusetts has set up a warning system that uses flashing red and white lights and an audible alarm at LeCount Hollow Beach. The warning system is designed to go off whenever it receives phone notification that a tagged great white shark has pinged off a real-time receiver located on a buoy off the beach.
Currently, the five real-time receivers — located off LeCount Hollow and Newcomb Hollow beaches in Wellfleet, Nauset Beach in Orleans, Head of the Meadow in Truro, and North Beach in Chatham — notify lifeguards or other public safety officials when tagged sharks are detected. Lifeguards also watch the shallow waters where great white sharks spend nearly half their time visiting the Cape; but when no lifeguard is present, no one is receiving the information.
Roughly 70 sharks are being tracked in the Atlantic by small electronic transmitters. On July 11, they detected a 9’8” sub-adult great white named Cabot, swimming miles off Cape Cod.
Please Support Our Efforts
I have updated the story on the website to correct the information, and I'll put a correction in the newsletter as well.
Aquéne T.P. Caldwell - a slight correction - I am the chief sachem of the Nemasket Nation and was speaking with the blessings and on behalf of the Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire. Thank you for your coverage on this important issue, Kuttabotamish - Lance