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4.20.07
The State of Green
With Earth Day upon us, we decided to take the pulse of the
New England environment. We contacted environmental groups and outdoor
recreation clubs around New England to get their opinions on what are the
biggest threats facing the region, what specific places are most at risk, and
what are some of the best environmental success stories in recent years. The
following results aren’t scientific by any means. But they give us an idea of
where the region stands, and, hopefully, they will get people thinking about New
England's environment. If you have any thoughts about the results, opinions
you’d like to add, disagreements, or anything else, drop us an e-mail about it
at editors@sixstates.net.
The Threats
Endangered Places
Sweet Success
THE
THREATS
1. Sprawl/Development – Most respondents said they were
concerned about New England’s woodlands and waterways being
overdeveloped, robbing the region of great natural places and
recreational opportunities. But the impact of sprawl runs deeper
than taking away scenic places to hike or paddle. It can harm
water quality, plant habitat, increase congestion, and endanger
wildlife by taking away habitats. Taber Allison, Vice President
of Conservation Science and Ecological Management for the
Massachusetts Audubon Society, says habitat loss leads to
smaller wildlife population sizes and increased risk of local
extinction. And, Allison says, habitat fragmentation takes away
migration corridors and interior habitats necessary for many
forest species.
The numbers behind the region’s sprawl are jarring. Daniel Kern,
Executive Director of New Hampshire’s
Bear-Paw Regional
Greenways, says New Hampshire’s population has more than doubled
since 1950, and its population is expected to grow another 28
percent by 2025. The state renowned for its White Mountain
National Forest is losing 14,000 to 17,000 acres of forest each
year, says Kern, and within 50 to 100 years, most parts of
southeastern and central New Hampshire will be developed.
The story is much the same throughout the region. Matthew Davis,
Organizational Development Director for
Environment Maine, says
Massachusetts loses 40 acres a day to sprawling development —
that’s the size of Boston Common. He says New Hampshire may lose
144,000 acres of forest in the next 20 years. And in Maine, the
amount of farmland and forestland developed into house lots,
roads and stores between 1982 and 1997 increased by 108 percent
in the greater Portland area. During that same period, says
Davis, the population grew a mere 17 percent. People are also
willing to commute farther to work now, Davis says, which
increases development in places once considered far away from
cities.
In March, the Portland Press Herald reported that the population
in the unorganized territories of Maine’s wilderness was growing
faster than the rest of the state. And the growth isn’t just
next to organized towns, but also deep in the North Woods and
western mountains. Also in March, the Burlington Free Press
reported that the Lake Champlain basin lost 5 percent of its
farmland during the 1990s. The story said that might be the
cause of increased pollution in the lake, as significantly more
phosphorus is likely reaching the lake from parking lots and
suburban lawns. Which leads us to the second biggest concern . .
.
2. Pollution/Runoff – The second threat most frequently
voiced by respondents was pollution poisoning the area’s
waterways and killing aquatic wildlife. Among the common
villains were pesticides and fertilizers that eventually seep
into the region’s water. Late last year, the Burlington Free
Press reported stormwater runoff was responsible for one-third
of the phosphorus that reaches Lake Champlain, along with other
pollutants such as bacteria, oil and pesticides. In Connecticut,
fertilizer runoff is creating algae blooms in Long Island Sound,
suffocating sealife. And Mary Cerullo, of Maine’s
Friends of
Casco Bay, says she worries about nutrient pollution from
excessive nitrogen flowing into the ocean from sewage treatment
wastewater, fertilizers, car exhausts and more.
3. Climate Change – The third threat respondents cited
was climate change and global warming, which could have
significant implications for every area of New England. And, in
the opinion of some, the changes have already begun. New
Hampshire officials are already working to find out how climate
change is hurting the state’s businesses. The state’s Department
of Resources and Economic Development distributed surveys to
understand the losses businesses have suffered as a result of
weather. A story in the Portsmouth Herald recently reported that
despite heavy snow late this winter, weather-dependent
businesses catering to skiers and snowmobilers wouldn’t be able
to make up for losses caused by a lack of snow and warm
temperatures early in the season. Meanwhile, one report says
many coastal businesses, homes and roads in Maine will be
submerged by rising sea levels within the next three to five
decades. Another report says that by mid-century, New England
summers will be like those currently in the deep
South — which means they’ll be hot . . . damn hot. And global
warming will have a significant impact on recreation. One
Burlington Free Press editorial pointed out areas of Vermont’s
Long Trail used to have snow at the start of fall; now autumn
just ushers in a mud season. Also, the editorial pointed out
between 1816 and 1949 there were just six years Lake Champlain
didn’t freeze over. Now no ice is the norm.
Andrew Krupa, who runs the
Connecticut Chapter of Surfrider,
says climate change will lead to irreparable damage. Sugar
maples, cranberries, and local plants and animals that define
New England will be decimated, he says. Rising sea levels could
submerge whole towns on Cape Cod. Eric Aldrich, of
The Nature
Conservancy of New Hampshire, says climate change will be felt
by every species and habitat throughout New England. “Impacts
could be enormous along the coastal Northeast,” he says.
NEXT
The Threats
Endangered Places
Sweet Success
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