NEW ENGLAND DISTRICT

News Stories

New England District Recreation Areas Celebrate Earth Day

USACE, New England District
Published June 19, 2017
Volunteers from AmeriCorps, Cape Cod pick up trash along the banks of the Cape Cod Canal during the Cape Cod Canal Clean up event, April 22, 2017.

Volunteers from AmeriCorps, Cape Cod pick up trash along the banks of the Cape Cod Canal during the Cape Cod Canal Clean up event, April 22, 2017.

The Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts, in partnership with AmeriCorps, Cape Cod, the town of Barnstable, and the Massachusetts Service Alliance, held their annual event, April 22, 2017. Although overcast and raining, over 149 pairs of hands performed trash clean up along the canal and expanded the pollinator garden.  At the end of the event, volunteers were able to fill 164, 50-pound trash bags, making the canal a much cleaner place.

The Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts, in partnership with AmeriCorps, Cape Cod, the town of Barnstable, and the Massachusetts Service Alliance, held their annual event, April 22, 2017. Although overcast and raining, over 149 pairs of hands performed trash clean up along the canal and expanded the pollinator garden. At the end of the event, volunteers were able to fill 164, 50-pound trash bags, making the canal a much cleaner place.

West Hill Dam in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, in partnership with the Bay State Trail Riders, Inc., organized a cleanup event of their own.  West Hill and the Bay State Trail Riders have been partnering on the project’s Earth Day events for the last 26 years.

An estimated 22 volunteers donned gloves and other cleanup equipment to clear five miles of brush removal, pick up debris caused by wind and rain storm damage, clean and clear over 15 water bars and picked up about 25 pounds of litter from the project.

West Hill Dam in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, in partnership with the Bay State Trail Riders, Inc., organized a cleanup event of their own. West Hill and the Bay State Trail Riders have been partnering on the project’s Earth Day events for the last 26 years. An estimated 22 volunteers donned gloves and other cleanup equipment to clear five miles of brush removal, pick up debris caused by wind and rain storm damage, clean and clear over 15 water bars and picked up about 25 pounds of litter from the project.

The 47th annual world wide celebration of Earth Day to commemorate the beginning of the environmental movement was held at three New England District projects where volunteers worked to clean up the recreation areas and improve the environment, April 22.

The Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts, in partnership with AmeriCorps, Cape Cod, the town of Barnstable, and the Massachusetts Service Alliance, held their annual event.  Although overcast and raining, over 149 pairs of hands performed trash clean up along the canal and expanded the pollinator garden.  At the end of the event, volunteers were able to fill 164, 50-pound trash bags, making the canal a much cleaner place.  Mashpee National Junior Honors Society members created a marine debris Biodegradation Time Line for one of our recreation area display cases.

In addition, several local environmental groups took advantage of the event and its theme.  Groups had displays and activities for cleanup volunteers as well as the public.  Exhibitors who braved the bad weather to spread their environmental messages were the International Fund for Animal Welfare; the National Marine Life Center; Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve; Sustainable Cape; AmeriCorps, Cape Cod; Red Cross; the Barnstable Country Bee Keepers Association and the Mashpee National Junior Honors Society.  Cape Cod Canal Team members who ran the District portion of the event were Samantha Gray, Michele Breen and Kyle Henderson.

West Hill Dam in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, in partnership with the Bay State Trail Riders, Inc., organized a cleanup event of their own.  West Hill and the Bay State Trail Riders have been partnering on the project’s Earth Day events for the last 26 years.

An estimated 22 volunteers donned gloves and other cleanup equipment to clear five miles of brush removal, pick up debris caused by wind and rain storm damage, clean and clear over 15 water bars and picked up about 25 pounds of litter from the project.  Viola Bramel served as New England District’s coordinator for the event this year.

The team at West Thompson Lake in Connecticut held three small events during April and May.  Approximately 25 volunteers came out to help.  During those events, local Boy Scouts picked up litter and performed trail maintenance; local group The Yankee Flyers split wood for the campground and the Connecticut Outboard Association, a local hydroplane boat group, used their boats to pick up litter and debris along the shoreline of West Thompson Lake.  Team members that hosted the events were Catherine St. Andre, Michelle Cucchi and Mark D’Amato.

According to the Earth Day Network, an environmental nonprofit organization, the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other ground breaking environmental laws soon followed. Twenty years later, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.


The Pawcatuck River Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study

   This proposed plan is presented  to facilitate public involvement in the review and commenting on the remedy selection process for the Nantucket Memorial Airport (NMA) Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS.) 
    The Army Corps of Engineers is proposing a No Action under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act for the Munitions Response Site-1, Project Number D01MA049901 at NMA located on Nantucket Island, MA.  The proposal was prepared using the Guide to Preparing Superfund Proposed Plans, Records of Decision, and Other Remedy Selection Decision Documents (USEPA, 1999).
    The final decision for NMA Site-1 site will be made after reviewing and considering all information submitted during the public comment period. The proposed decision may be modified based on new information or public comments. The public is encouraged to review and comment on the proposed plan.
    The FUDS program addresses the potential explosives safety, health, and environmental issues resulting from past munitions use at former defense sites under the Department of Defense (DoD) Military Munitions Response Program, established by the U.S. Congress under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program.  
    FUDS only applies to properties that transferred from DoD before October 17, 1986 and the first priority of USACE is the protection of human health, safety, and the environment. 
    The Army is the executive agent for the FUDS Program, and USACE is the lead agency for investigation/reporting and remedial decision-making at this munitions site with regulatory support provided by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).


Updated: 05 December 2016