The National Trust for Historic Preservation has listed Walden Pond and Walden Woods, the inspiration for Henry David Thoreau’s 1854 classic “Walden,” one of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.” Historian Douglas Brinkley reports on how the Concord, Mass., pond and its surrounding, spiritually-nourishing woods – a storied part of our national heritage – are under threat from nearby development.
THREATS TO WALDEN POND AND WALDEN WOODS
PLEASE HELP THE NONPROFIT WALDEN WOODS PROJECT PROTECT THOREAU’S WALDEN WOODS AND WALDEN POND. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY. HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP…
FIRST, YOU CAN MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION THAT WILL GENERATE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR OUR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. FUNDING WILL HELP US PRESERVE A CURRENTLY UNPROTECTED MUNICIPAL SITE NEXT TO WALDEN POND STATE RESERVATION. DONATIONS WILL ALSO SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS TO OPPOSE THE EXPANSION OF A NEARBY AIRPORT THAT WILL BRING THOUSANDS MORE LUXURY PRIVATE JET FLIGHTS DIRECTLY OVER WALDEN POND AND OTHER NEARBY HISTORIC SITES.
SECOND, YOU CAN SIGN TWO PETITIONS (SEE LINKS BELOW). THE FIRST CALLS FOR HALTING THE CLIMATE-IMPACTFUL AIRPORT EXPANSION. THE SECOND CALLS FOR PROTECTING THOREAU’S LAND AND LEGACY BY CALLING FOR THE PRESERVATION OF A 35 ACRE SITE NEAR WALDEN POND.
CONCORD LANDFILL:
The Walden Woods Project’s highest conservation priority is the 35-acre site of the former Concord landfill (pictured above).
Note its proximity to Thoreau’s Walden Pond. The landfill lies in the heart of historic Walden Woods – a National Historic Landmark and recently designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America’s Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places.
The landfill is located on the border of Walden Pond State Reservation (WPSR), a state park owned and managed by the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation. WPSR receives 600,000 visitors a year from throughout the world. It was recently chosen as Massachusetts’ favorite state park.
HISTORY: In 1958, amidst local controversy, the Concord landfill was built on land close to Walden Pond. At the time it was opened, it was expected to be a temporary landfill with the goal of restoring the area to its natural condition. Now, 66 years later, the landfill remains and has been expanded numerous times.
In 1994, the Walden Woods Project successfully advocated for the permanent closure of the landfill. However, it is still used for a variety of municipal purposes. While some of these purposes (such as solar panels) are essential, the fact that there are no restrictions in place limiting development of the site could lead to massive commercial development at some point in the future. Our goal is to prevent this from happening as it would have profound and permanent negative impacts on the ecological and historic integrity of Walden Pond and Walden Woods.
Here are a couple of examples of projects that have been proposed in recent years at the border of Walden Pond State Reservation:
Through the years, various heavy uses of the landfill have been proposed, including cellular towers and a major school bus depot. When a tall, cellular tower was slated to be built by AT&T in 2003, The Walden Woods Project convinced AT&T to shelve their plans, based on the visual impacts the tower would have on Walden Pond State Reservation. However, a new proposal for a cellular tower on the landfill recently emerged, which The Walden Woods Project is actively opposing.
In 2013, Concord voters resoundingly defeated a Warrant Article at Town Meeting that would clear the way for building a school bus depot on the closed landfill at the border of the Walden Pond State Reservation
Until the landfill is afforded permanent protection through a “Conservation Restriction,” it will remain vulnerable to development. A Conservation Restriction creates permanent, state-imposed limitations on land that restrict development. Funding will be required to secure a “Conservation Restriction” for this town-owned parcel.
Technologies will certainly advance for reusing and redeveloping closed landfills. It is imperative to ensure that the landfill site in the heart of Thoreau’s Walden Woods, next to Walden Pond State Reservation, is never sold or permitted for commercial development or for purposes that are inconsistent with the international environmental and historic significance of Walden and all it represents.
This is the threat that faced the historic Brister’s Hill site directly across from the landfill. Brister’s Hill was named for Brister Freeman who was enslaved in Concord for the first 30 or so years of his life until taking his freedom in the late 1770s. Brister’s Hill was a subject of Thoreau’s writings and scientific studies. Brister Freeman was also mentioned in Thoreau’s writings.
The Walden Woods Project preserves the land, literature and legacy of Henry David Thoreau to foster an ethic of environmental stewardship and social responsibility …
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Upcoming Events
***Thoreau, Landscape Scale Wildlands & Natural Democracy with Jamie Sayen
Join The Walden Woods Project and RESTORE: The North Woods for a special presentation from wilderness activist and author Jamie Sayen. About Jamie Sayen: Jamie Sayen is a long-time wilderness activist who lives in northern New Hampshire. He founded The Northern Forest Forum in 1992 and served as editor until... Read more
Followed By the Lark: Author Helen Humphreys in conversation with Jeffrey S. Cramer
About the event: Join The Thoreau Farm and The Walden Woods Project for a discussion on Helen Humphrey's Followed by the Lark. Inspired by the life, letters, and diaries of Henry David Thoreau, Followed by the Lark shows how strikingly similar the concerns of the early nineteenth century are to our... Read more
Vicki Croke: ELEPHANT COMPANY
Join us at The Walden Woods Project, as part of The Concord Festival of Authors, for a presentation from best-selling author Vicki Croke! About Vicki Croke: Vicki Croke is one of the country’s leading nature journalists, covering animal life—with a particular focus on the deep friendships between humans and other... Read more
