Friday, April 28, 2000

To:  Don Guidoboni
       MDC Permitting Office
       20 Somerset Street

Sir,

I am requesting permission from the MDC to remove Water Chestnut plants from Alewife Brook, Blair Pond, and the Alewife Reservation.  In an attempt to eradicate this invasive plant from the entire Alewife Brook Watershed, harvesting will take place from May thru October of  2000, 2001, and 2002.

 A three-year permit is requested for myself and up to five additional volunteers (if needed) to use non-mechanized hand-harvesting methods in these MDC waterways.

Disposal will be through the Cambridge yard-waste curbside recycling system (letter attached).

I have met with Conservation Commissions in Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, and Somerville.   The attached proposal covers the details of both harvesting and reports requested by the commissions. 

Access to docks on Little Pond and Mystic River ensure no impacts to the riverbanks.  Blair Pond has no dock, so stable sections of bank will be chosen to access the water, and all equipment and harvested plants will be carefully lifted across the waterline.  Removal of these plants from Blair Pond is consistent with recommendations in the recently released MDC master plan.

If any additional information is required, please contact me at:

Roger Frymire
22 Fairmont Avenue
Cambridge 02139-4423
617-492-0180
ramjet@alum.mit.edu

Thank you for your time,