Medfield Green

Email from Medfield Green, with a full calendar of events and lots of of good information  -

We  hope you will join us for the next session which will be this Thursday January 24th from 1-2 pm in the Medfield Library Meeting Room.  Please feel free to come if you can, and bring a friend or not.  It is definitely a low-key casual discussion and you are welcome to come once or every time.

Last Thursday we talked about recycling and trash reduction.  Some notes and thoughts are below.

January 24th we will discuss Energy Conservation and etc.  We will share information about the Thermal Imaging done in Medfield by Sagewell, Home Energy Assessments, choosing your electrical energy supplier and other energy saving tips.

January 31st will focus on learning about chemicals in our enviroment and how to keep the bad ones out of our bodies.  Dana Ravech will speak about how to “Clean Green” and we will also talk about Personal Care Products and Lawn Care.

February 7.  to be determined.  What would you like to know?

 

Some notes and tips from our January 17th meeting on Recycling:

Take a few minutes to watch the videos:

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Bottled Water

www.storyofstuff.org

1. Reduce what you are consuming.

Opt out of unwanted catalogs & junk mail (www.catalogchoice.org)

Choose products with less packaging

Can you invest in a few items that will help you reduce waste?  My favorites are a seltzer/soda maker, dry cleaning bag, water bottle, coffee mug, cloth napkins & shopping bags (did you know you can buy a tag for $1 at CVS that will give you $.25 extra bucks everytime you use  your own shopping bag?).

How about sharing yard tools with a neighbor instead of getting  your own for use occasionally?

 

2. Reuse

Visit consignment and thrift shops first.

Get a library book or e-book instead of a new one

And when you are done with something, try to give it a new life.  See the Medfield Green Reuse/Recycle Guide for local places to donate items. http://www.medfieldgreen.org/uploads/M.Green2011_Reuse.3.17.11.pdf

 

Visit freecycle.org and sign up for the local Walpole or Millis groups.  Here you can give away items to folks looking for them.  No money is exchanged.  I’ve had great luck getting rid of latex paint I didn’t need (someone painting murals loved it!), also kids toys and some other household items I didn’t know what to do with.  I always try freecycle first.  It is usually very quick with someone coming to pick up the same or next day.   It’s worth a try to find a home for something that you’d otherwise send to the incinerator.

 

Use the Swap Area at the transfer station.  As the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another’s treasure.”

 

Participate in Medfield Green Day.  It is a one-stop reuse and recycle donation event. We bring together many charities so you can bring your items to a single spot. This year MGDay  will be held on Saturday May 4th from 9 – 12 at the American Legion.  Details for this year will follow but here is a link to the flyer from last year.  http://www.medfieldgreen.org/uploads/MGD_website_flyer_for_website.pdf  If you’d like to know more or to get involved you can contact Donna White at 508-359-0197.

 

3. Recycle

Recycle all you can, especially aluminum & paper.  Both of these are easy to recycle and mean so much to the enviroment if we can keep from deleting new resources.

Make sure you are familiar with the transfer station policies or those of your waste removal company.

Plastic Bags do not go in single stream recycling (even if they have a # on them) but can be recycled at the local grocery stores.  Here is a link to details about which bags can be recycled.  There are so many that can.  www.plasticbagrecycling.org

Textiles are never trash.  Who knew?  There is an afterlife for even the most dilapidated torn and tattered, stained and worn-out clothing, shoes, belts, purses, draperies, cloth shower curtains, pillows & stuffed animals etc.  They must be clean & dry but if they are, don’t throw them out.  Instead, donate them to an organization like Goodwill.    If they are clearly rags or worse (but clean & dry) put them in a bag and mark them rags.  They will get turned into rags or insulation or carpet padding.  And by the way, Goodwill gets paid for this!  If they have some life left, Goodwill will try and sell them at a thrift shop or will sell them to someone who will use them or turn them into rags.  I like donating to Goodwill because I know they start with the products having a chance at reuse locally and then have a complete stream where products can move down the chain but still have a life beyond the incinerator.

 

4. Repurchase

When you have the opportunity, choose something made of recycled materials to close the loop.  If there is more demand for these products, then the price paid for the recycled materials will be higher and more people will benefit.

 

5. Rot

Start a compost pile in your yard.  The Medfield Garden Club often sells bins at a great price. Watch for this!

 

Hope this is helpful.

 

Megan

Megan B. Sullivan
508-359-8274

Medfield Green
http://www.medfieldgreen.org

Single stream recycling contract

Solid Waste Committee is recommending that the Board of Selectmen award the new three year single stream recycling contract to Harvey, replacing Cassella who has provided the services to the town for the last three years.  Mike reports that Harvey came in with a lower price, and that they operate a good looking facility in Westboro.  Cassella apparently offered to match the lower price, once they became aware that they had been out bid.

I reminded Mike that the DEP constantly tells us that we can only achieve the highest recycling rates if we go to a Pay As You Throw (PAYT) system.  PAYT represents a choice of how much inconvenience and cost residents want to accept in order to have the town recycle more, and as a result therefore save more on its solid waste tipping fees (i.e. – the cost to get rid of recyclables is lower that cost to get rid of solid waste).  I have never seen any numbers generated by the Solid Waste Committee on how much we could save by implementing a PAYT system – hopefully they will put those numbers together for the town to consider, now that we have almost completed three years of single stream recycling.

Sustainable Medfield

Check out David Stephenson’s website Sustainable Medfield – useful links and information.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis

From the state website http://www.mass.gov/agr/mosquito/geir_docs/GEIR_MOSQUITO_SPECIES.pdf

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1. Eastern Equine Encephalitis
MCP’s in Southeastern Massachusetts, i.e., Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth Counties, face the greatest threat
from this disease. During major epidemic years, virus activity extends northward from this enzootic focus into
southern New Hampshire and westward into Rhode Island, Connecticut and Central Massachusetts. All projects
except Berkshire County give considerable continuing attention to this potential problem. Upon occasion, projects
may submit mosquitoes to the SLI for EEE virus analysis.
The enzootic foci of EEE are red maple/white cedar swamps. The largest adult populations of the enzootic
vector, Cs. melanura, occurs in or near the localized swamps where this species develops. Most human and horse
cases also occur in the immediate vicinity of these same swamp habitats. Still, at times this mosquito may disperse
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several miles from its larval habitat (Morris et al. 1980. Nasci 1980. Nasci & Edman 1984) and human/horse cases
occasionally occur in upland areas. This mosquito is unusual in that it overwinters in the larval stage (4th or 3rd
instar). Adults from this generation emerge in late spring (i.e., mid to late May). Two to three summer generations
occur about one month apart, e.g., in late June, July and August, depending on water levels and temperature (Nasci
1980). EEE virus is generally not isolated from this mosquito until late summer. During epidemic years it tends to
be isolated earlier, i.e., beginning in early July, but apparently never from the overwintering generation. The
location of the virus from November to July remains a mystery. Culiseta melanura feeds only after dark and the
vast majority of blood meals are obtained from passerine birds (Nasci & Edman 1981a). This sylvan mosquito
feeds equally at ground level and at higher elevations in the tree canopy. Activity is concentrated just after dark and
just before sunrise (Nasci & Edman 1981b). The morning flight activity peak does not seem to involve
blood-feeding but rather the return to suitable daytime resting sites.
The isolation of EEE virus from the cattail mosquito Cq. perturbans during disease outbreaks (Crans,
personal communication) has focused suspicion on this species at the most likely epidemic vector to horses and
humans. Ae. vexans and Ae. canadensis are two other prime suspects for EEE virus transmission to humans and
horses in Massachusetts. Like Cq. perturbans, they are major pests. Their biologies will be described along with
the other pest species.
A new EEE threat may be developing in New England as Ae. sollicitans, long a known vector in New
Jersey (Crans et al. 1991), was, for the first time, found to be EEE-positive in Connecticut in 1996 (Andreadis
1996). Crans (1991) gave a suggested cycle for EEE transmission to Aedes sollicitans in which Cs. melanura
infected night-roosting glossy ibis, which were then fed upon by Ae. sollicitans while feeding in the salt marsh.
Though the link between glossy ibis and Ae. sollicitans is tentative, there can be no question that Ae. sollicitans is a
potent vector in New Jersey and could be an important vector in Massachusetts as well.

Mosquitoes and beaver ponds

Emails from Stagecoach Road resident to Norfolk County Mosquito Control, their reply, and Mike Sullivan’s cover email to selectmen re same, all about the different types of mosquitoes at the beaver’s pond.  There is really detailed information available at the state website link provided  -

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8/16/2012  7:49PM
fw: RE: Mosquitoes that inhabit beaver ponds
Sullivan, Michael J.
===========================================================
Below is a response from Caroline Haviland regarding species of mosquitos and habitats. Norfolk County started breeching the dam today and will continue for as long as it takes. Hope no one misses Lake Beaver. On the other hand, if they’re really “eager beavers” they may put the lake back next week. Mike Sullivan
—————————————-
From: “Caroline E. Haviland”

Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2012 2:05 PM
To:

Subject: RE: Mosquitoes that inhabit beaver ponds

I apologize for the delay in responding to your e-mail..  My comments during the site visit revolved around habitat changes.  Different species of mosquitoes have certain habitat preferences, i.e. temporary pools, flood plains, plastic containers, permanent water, etc.  In past seasons we’ve treated the flood plains of the Stop River that now seem to be effected by the beaver activity.  Our target species during those applications would be Aedes vexans & other “temporary” or “flood” water species of mosquitoes.  The area upstream of the dam has been converted to “permanent” water habitat and over time, could support permanent water vegetation (ex. Cattails) and attract permanent water species of mosquitoes such as Coquillettidia perturbans.  I’ve included a link below that may better explain this.

http://www.mass.gov/agr/mosquito/geir_docs/GEIR_MOSQUITO_SPECIES.pdf

I apologize for such a short response and am happy to try to provide you with additional information if you wish, mid week next week.  We are working with the Town of Medfield to attempt to lower the water level through a controlled breach of the dam.  We are unsure how active the beaver are and will soon find out how quickly they may rebuild the dam.  We currently do not install water level control devices through dams, but are very interested in learning more about that and may be able to in the future.  Trapping may be employed during the official trapping season.

Sincerely,

Caroline E. Haviland
Field Operations Manager
Norfolk County Mosquito Control District
phone: (781) 762-3681
fax: (781) 769-6436
http://www.norfolkcountymosquito.org
================
From:

Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2012 10:16 AM
To:

Subject: Mosquitoes that inhabit beaver ponds

I was out of town last week when the Medfield board of selectman had a meeting about beaver dams in Medfield.  I heard that Caroline Haviland from the Norfolk Country Mosquito Control made a comment about a different species of mosquito inhabiting the beaver pond now that the water level has risen.

I’d like to inquire about document or information about this mosquito, or at least its scientific name so that I may research and learn more about it.

Would you be able to send me any information or at least the name of the species.

Thanks,

Clean energy webinar

Webinar this morning on municipal clean energy.

MASSCEC Webinar – Clean Energy Generation and Energy Efficiency – Local Benefits and Realities

Municipal official from Pittsfield told of its 5 acre PV solar array they installed at its waste water treatment plant (WWTP) paid for with Federal ARRA stimulus monies.  That PV array produces 30% of the electrical needs of the WWTP ($220,000/year) and they also sell green energy credits for $450,000/year to cover 90% of the electric needs of their WWTP.

Pittsfield also got a state Green Communities grant of $93,000 which they used to convert the electric heat to gas heat in a city owned art center, which saves them $9,000/year.   Pittsfield converted its traffic lights to LED’s, mainly paid for by a grant from its utility.

Pittsfield converted its traffic signals to LED’s by means of grant money from its utility, also providing big savings.

Speaker said biggest issue when the Green Communities Act (GCA) was discussed was the adoption of the stretch build code, but that after its adoption it has not been an issue at all.

The Medfield Energy Committee has looked into the our becoming a Green Community, and has recently written to ask the Board of Selectmen whether the selectmen want them to pursue Medfield becoming a green community.  Ann and Mark wanted to hear from the MEC in person before deciding, and that decision should be made soon.  The biggest benefit of Medfield becoming a green community is our shoeing leadership to do what is right for the environment, and as a side benefit we get access to the state GCA grants.

Medfield becoming greener under the leadership of the MEC has so far saved the town 30% of its former energy spending.  Medfield becoming a green community can save us even more money, and also save our environment.

Solar at the closed landfill

Marie Zack Nolan,  chair of the Energy Committee, circulated a DOER email promoting its seminar to encourage towns to build solar and/or wind facilities at old landfills.  From DOER -

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Friendly reminder that the renewable on landfills workshop is two weeks away and that registrations are still being accepted.

The third “Renewable Energy at Closed Landfills” workshop will take place on Thursday, July 26, at the Holiday Inn Boxborough. For additional information and to register, please visit:

http://www.mass.gov/dep/energy/lfwkshop3.htm

Municipal Representatives: Please note that DOER Green Communities Scholarships are available for up to two municipal employees and/or officials per city or town. To obtain a registration code you can enter online to attend this workshop at no cost, contact me before you register at: 978-694-3315 or joanne.bissetta@state.ma.us

The workshop is sponsored by the Massachusetts Departments of Energy Resources (DOER) and Environmental Protection (MassDEP), with support from the Environmental Business Council of New England.

Should you have any questions, please let me know. We hope you will be able to join us!

Kelly Brown, Regional Coordinator

Green Communities Division

Central Region

Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources

Sen. Timilty seeks full clean up of MSH & state funds

Senator Timilty’s (1) email to Shawn Colins today and (2) letter to Governor Patrick about the proper clean up of the Medfield State Hospital -

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Dear Mr. Collins,

Thank you for your email.  I have attached a letter I recently sent to Governor Patrick outlining my serious objections  to the current plant for a partial cleanup of the Medfield State Hospital site.  Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or require more information.

With every good wish,

State Senator Jim Timilty

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MASSACHUSETTS SENATE
SENATOR JAMES E. TIMILTY
Bristol and Norfolk
STATE HOUSE, ROOM 507
BOSTON, MA 02133-1053
TEL. (617) 722-1222
FAX (617) 722-1056

April 28, 2012

His Excellency Deval Patrick
Governor of the Commonwealth
State House, Room 360
Boston, MA 02133

Dear Governor Patrick:

I write today regarding the disposition of the site of the former Medfield State Hospital. After years of involvement with this issue, I remain outraged and extremely concerned about the Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance’s current Phase IV remediation plan for the site. Under the plan, DCAM would not fully remove all of the hazardous materials (including, among other toxic substances, construction and demolition debris and hospital waste) from the land on the banks of the Charles River.

First and foremost, as a Commonwealth we share a moral imperative to ensure that residents are able to live and raise their families in a safe, clean  environment. Massachusetts has long been a leader in environmental stewardship, and I believe the incomplete cleanup planned for Medfield State Hospital site is inconsistent with the stated goals of the Administration to move toward a greener future.

Specifically, the Climate Change Adaptation Report, required under the Global Warming Solutions Act of2008 and issued in September 2011, identifies restoring  and managing flood plains as a priority in protecting the Commonwealth from impacts of climate change. The Report notes the risks posed by former landfills and other contaminated sites with respect to flooding, recommending that the health of flood plains be preserved and restored in preparation for rising water levels in order to limit the potential economic and environmental damage flooding may cause. The Medfield State Hospital site sits on 3.2 acres of flood plain along the Charles River, putting the watershed and community at risk under DCAM’s current plan. This has implications not only for Medfield but also for homes and businesses in municipalities all along the Charles.

In terms of cost, the expense of a total removal of hazardous materials from the site would be a comparatively modest increase over the current remediation plan. The Fiscal Year 2013 budget engrossed this week by the House of Representatives is over $32 billion; the estimated difference between DCAM’s current Phase IV remediation plan and the cost of a total cleanup is $5 million. Certainly, $5 million is no small amount in this economy, but given the grave implications of leaving toxic materials at the site and in comparison to the overall budget, it is absolutely our duty to protect the well-being of those who choose to make Medfield their home.

Most importantly, nothing short of complete removal of all toxic material will guarantee the safety of current and future residents. Labeling town land in close proximity to residences and water resources labeled as limited use, with the potential for severe environmental problems 10, 20, or even 50 years down the road, is simply unacceptable, particularly given the site’s location in Zone II of the town well. And, as you might imagine, it is incredibly frustrating to have the same entity responsible for polluting the site make the decisions as to how to address the problem. If a private company were in the same position, I would argue any cleanup plan addressing less than 100% of the waste left behind would not be approved by state regulators charged with upholding strict environmental protection standards.

Many town residents with professional expertise in environmental matters strongly disagree with DCAM’s current plan and with the rationale behind the plan, and I wholeheartedly share their concerns. I do intend to seek funding for this project during the Senate budget debate next month, and I am hopeful I will receive support from my colleagues in the Legislature and from the Administration in doing so. We must put our words into action and affirm our commitment to a clean and healthy environment by restoring the Medfield State Hospital site to a fully accessible, useful, and beautiful property.

Thank you for your attention to this extremely important matter, and I look forward to working with you to resolve this problem in a way that appropriately protects the citizens of Medfield and surrounding communities.

With every good wish,

James E. Timilty
State Senator
Bristol & Norfolk District

Town’s MSH clean up supported by State’s s own flood storage initiatives

The town’s newly hired attorney for the environmental issues at the Medfield State Hospital site sent the following email to Senator Timilty explaining why the state should follow the state’s own report on climate change, to remove all the waste so as to recreate the flood storage misplaced by that dumped waste.

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From: Margaret Stolfa
Date: Apr 27, 2012 9:09:59 AM
Subject: Medfield State Hospital
To: James.Timilty

Senator Timilty

As mentioned at Tuesday’s meeting of Medfield’s State Hospital Environmental Review Committee, below is a short description of the Commonwealth’s Climate Change Adaptation Report and how it supports Medfield’s position that DCAM should commit to a more thorough cleanup at the landfill/dump on the State Hospital property.  The Administration’s Climate Change Adaptation Report includes specific suggestions on how best to manage just such a situation as this one. DCAM should embrace the recommendations in this report.  The Commonwealth has the opportunity to restore needed flood plain, protect the water supply and prevent future flood damage by cleaning up this property. (See http://www.mass.gov/eea/air-water-climate-change/climate-change/climate-change-adaptation-report.html)

The Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, the Global Warming Solutions Act in August of 2008.  Section 9 of that Act directed the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and an advisory committee, to analyze strategies for adapting to predicted impacts of climate change.  The resulting Climate Change Adaptation Report was issued in September 2011.  This comprehensive Report provides both short term and long term suggestions on how to prepare for and how to adapt to, the effects of climate change.  The Report details the climate change impacts already observed and documented and includes specific examples of the impacts these changes have had on the Commonwealth’s economic, transportation and local infrastructure as well as on natural resources.  The strategies recommended include cost-effective and risk based approaches to address known risks and vulnerabilities.  Included in the identified risks and vulnerabilities are increased damage due to lost flood storage, the location of “old” landfills/dumps near rivers or in wetlands, and flood impacts to water supplies, transportation infrastructure and businesses.

The Report specifically identifies the need to restore flood plains in order to better manage floods that impact the Commonwealth’s economy.    The Report notes the risk posed by landfills/dumps that sit in flood plains in terms of lost flood-storage capacity as well as the risk they pose in releasing debris during floods.  The Report references successful storm management projects that manage flooding by maintaining (and restoring) the health of wetlands and flood plains and that are credited with saving millions in flood damages.   One of these projects includes portions of the Charles River.

Here, the State Hospital’s landfill/dump is located on 3.2 acres of flood plain along the Charles River.  It consists of approximately 12-15 feet of mixed wastes that include incinerator ash, construction and demolition debris, and hospital wastes.  It sits not only in the flood plain but also in groundwater within the zone II, the area of contribution for Medfield’s water supply. The landfill inhibits 12.5 million gallons of flood storage – meaning that 12.5 million gallons of flood waters that would normally occupy that space end up somewhere else.

The current DCAM proposal does not restore this flood plain and leaves the majority of the landfill/dump in place.   Instead, DCAM should implement the recommendations in the Administration’s own Report and remove the landfill/dump from the flood plain.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like additional information.

Thank you, Margaret R. Stolfa, Esq.

No mosquito spraying this year, for now

Notice from Norfolk County Mosquito Control says it is too dry to make aerial larvacide spraying logical -

The State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board
NORFOLK COUNTY MOSQUITO CONTROL DISTRICT
61 Endicott Street, Building #34, Norwood, MA 02062
(781) 762-3681 fax: (781) 769-6436
http://www.norfolkcountymosquito.org
DAVID A. LAWSON
Acting Director

To: Boards of Health
From: David A. Lawson, Acting Director
Date: April 3, 2012

RE: Aerial Application 2012

The Norfolk County Mosquito Control District has utilized aerial larvicide as a strategic tool in helping to control mosquitoes for many decades. Specifically, we have consistently conducted a county-wide aerial larvicide for the last 11 years. This year, we have been presented with a unique situation.  Southeastern Massachusetts has experienced the driest first 3 months since records have been kept.  This situation has caused many of the wetlands of our district to dry up completely and some to have very low water levels.

We have conducted larval mosquito surveys and have concluded that it would be irresponsible for us to conduct an aerial larvicide at this point. We believe that the natural conditions alone will control more mosquitoes than we could hope to in a ‘normal’ year, and to expend the funds we normally use for this application would not be the best use of the funds the towns contribute for the operation of the District.

We will continue to monitor the environment and if any significant rains arrive we may have to respond with aerial larvicide at a later date. If significant rains do not arrive in the next few weeks, we may have one of the lightest mosquito emergences in a long time. Due to some very warm early weather in March, the mosquito larvae that are present are more advanced than in most years. With some warm weather, we may see adult mosquitoes out earlier than normal possibly in late April or early May, when we normally see them in mid to late May.

In the meantime, we are currently hand larviciding smaller sites. Be reminded that our truck mounted ULV spray program is temperature dependent and will likely still begin around Memorial Day as night-time temperatures are high enough. If you have any questions, please do contact us.