Newsletters

March 2011 - LNG, Photo Contest, Edible Weeds

WELCOME TO GREEN FUTURES!
MARCH. 2011

"Perhaps reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are also scars which mark the surface of our Earth—erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world's mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption."
— Pope Benedict XVI

"Humanity, in the desperate attempt to fit 8 billion or more people on the planet and give them a higher standard of living, is at risk of pushing the rest of life off the globe."
— E.O. Wilson

DAVE’S LOT WITH A VIEW -

Hess LNG slithered into town almost a decade ago with unbridled arrogance, overt condescension and total disdain for the folks living in Fall River and the surrounding area.

The Coalition for Responsible Siting of LNG Facilities; Save the Bay; all other area environmental organizations; neighborhood associations; local, state, and federal political leaders; and concerned individuals have slowed, so far, but been unable to completely stop the BIG OIL AND GAS driven Hess juggernaut.

One of those concerned individuals very actively engaged in stopping the Hess advance and saving his community, is Fall River resident David Frederick.

Dave has focused in on the “Wedge Lot” issue and has been researching that now important parcel since just about day one of the Hess proposal when few even knew of the existence of that property.

The “Wedge Lot” is adjacent to and critical to the advancement of the Hess project. Hess must show the feds it owns or has “control” of the Wedge Lot since that property is within their project’s “thermal exclusion zone.”

To date, Hess has been unable to do that.

The State of Massachusetts and the City of Fall River recently won an important victory when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted a rehearing on the Wedge Lot issue.

Read all about Dave and the Wedge Lot in this informative article by Ric Oliveira in the March 9th edition of “O Jornal.”

http://my.ojornal.com/news/ferc-ruling-stalls-weavers-cove-project-again-over-control-land-hess-doesnt-own-claims-control

Coalition for Responsible Siting of LNG Facilities’ President Joe Carvalho, left, visits Dave Frederick at his home on the Wedge Lot.

View from Dave Frederick’s backyard toward Hess property.

HISTORY AND MYSTERY CONTEST -

Many of our e-newsletter subscribers are not from our local area so are not familiar with the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve (SMB). We did not expect them to know the history and mystery located within the SMB …BUT …we did expect some response from all our local readers, arm-chair historians, and outdoor ramblers.

Although no one “officially” emailed in their guesses, while out and about we have been approached by a few SMB familiar folks telling us their historical interpretation of the scenes in the contest photos.

Nice, but not official.

Since we have a few days left in the contest and since we know everyone would love to win the prize for the most correct answers, we’re going to run the photos again with a clue under each one.

Photo#1

Clue: Back in the eighteenth century this was powered by Rattlesnake Brook.

Photo#2

Clue: There’s one of these commemorative statues in each state that hosted a camp.

Photo#3

Clue: King Philip, Weetamoe and their warriors used this to get to Winslow’s Point and the Indian ferry.

Photo#4

Clue: One of three in the SMB. Many men slept here.

Photo#5

Clue: “Martha, I hope you packed the industrial strength mosquito repellent and a couple of gallons of sunscreen.”

Photo#6

Clue: Kept his wagons here. Local road bears family name.

Photo#7

Clue: Ding-dong!

Photo#8

Clue: Source of the East Branch of the Westport River

Photo#9

Clue: R.I.P.

Photo#10

Clue: Stone quarried here built a nearby mill.

Photo#11

Clue: Non-native tree planted at front door. What family enjoyed its shade?

Photo#12

Clue: “How come everyone here has a chip on their shoulder?”

MOTHER NATURE SPEEDS UP RECYCLING -

Little remains of the remains of the road-killed deer and coyote. Compare the following with the photos from our February Newsletter. If you don’t have the February edition, you can find it here – gf.gareworks.com.

Deer

Coyote

EAT YOUR WEEDS –

We’ve had a few wild food foraging inquiries recently. Here are three of the first wild green edibles available now.

If this is an activity that interests you, spring is a good season to begin. Buy a wild foods field guide and you’re good to go. Just be sure of your identifications.

Chickweed. Pops up in early spring and as you can see from the photo it is just starting to grow. May grow in huge clumps right through the winter if the weather is not too severe. Mild taste with no bitterness. Makes a great salad base when combined with sharper tasting dandelion leaves, chicory, winter cress and other spring greens.

Dandelion. Dandelions are also just beginning to grow. They’ll be all over the place in April. Notice the expensive dandelion greens in your local supermarket? Why buy them when you can pick them for free?

Dandelions are very rich in vitamin A. Leaves must be gathered early before the flower buds appear. Once dandelions flower they become too bitter to include in a salad although one can gather up the yellow blossoms and make dandelion wine.

Day Lily. Day lilies may be growing in your garden. They have escaped in many places and are found across the countryside. A fantastic edible with multiple uses.

Add new shoots, as in photo, to a salad. Later in the season one can boil the unopened flower buds which make an excellent cooked vegetable. Flowers can also be eaten and add variety and color to soups, stews and other dishes.

Dig up some day lilies. They grow from small yellow tubers, white inside, which can be gathered year round. Good crisp addition to a salad or boiled as one would potatoes.

There are dozens of wild edibles all around. Spring is a great time to get to know them.
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Yes, spring is here and along with snacking on your local weeds there are loads of fun and educational opportunities …some might say, “sprouting up like weeds” …for inquisitive outdoor types to engage in. Click on ”Calendar” and take your pick.