The People's Climate March: Making Waves as the Largest in History

By Shalen Lowell, Social Media Manager at Watershed Action Alliance. 

Reblogged from, and originally posted on, Shalen Lowell's official blog (Books, Brattle, and Environmental Banter) on September 26, 2014.

This week, hundreds of thousands of people across the globe participated in the People's Climate March, a worldwide civilian activist movement showing support to change UN climate policies, as the UN Climate Summit was held this week. Over 100 world leaders gathered in New York City for the summit, and over 166 countries participated in the People's Climate movement. I had the amazing fortune to be at the largest and most-attended rally of them all: the march right in the heart of NYC.

Me (Shalen) with the Wheaton College Outdoors Club

So, in order to make this all-important pilgrimage, I drove down to NYC with my sister and housemates from Outdoors Club at Wheaton College in Mass. The drive wasn't as long nor as tedious as I remembered (not like when my family and I went to pick up our Bernese Mountain Dog puppy in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York...). We stayed in Queens, thanks to the mom of one of our group who was amazing, hilarious, and very much a boisterous New Yorker. As much as I felt like outsider in the group initially, I adapted quickly, as I usually do, and chatted with one person or another about random topics like Green Shakespeare, job hunting, internships, and my hapless postgrad life.

We drove down Saturday, arriving at night, and decided to make the trek from Queens to the heart of Manhattan for a bit of exploring. While this may seem like a nonchalant journey, between the walking, bussing to the subway, and the long train ride in, it took us over an hour...But once in the city, I was mesmerized by the energy, pulsing out of various restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and concerts, not to mention the sparkling Empire State Building and the One World Trade Center off in the distance. Remembering the smoggy silhouette of NYC as we drove over one of the bridges to Queens, with the skyscrapers just hanging in a casual slump across the harbor, I was momentarily startled at how enormous they were in person. I had been to NYC once in 7th grade, but I didn't remember the city as looming and intimidating as it presented itself. Being in NYC even for two days made me miss the comforting streets and sites of Boston like no other. 

The One World Trade Center, in the distance

Anyway, we went for a quick bite at a Chinese restaurant and poked around Manhattan. Right nearby on this cute little side street, lined with apartments that led into a square-like area that reminded me of the neighborhoods of the sitcom Friends, there was a free jazz concert by a local band, Emefe. I must look into their music more, because their mix of jazz, rock, and pseudo Africana music was unforgettable. They had a cool vibe, and the concert was a nice (and free) way to unwindafter an exhausting and stressful day of travel. Splitting up afterwards, Steph, few friends, and I ate some gourmet berry crunch donuts, passed a Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, and poked around in a bookstore (What else would a recently graduated English major do?) before meeting with the group and trekking back to Queens for a much needed sleep,the ten of us piled on various beds, couches and floors.

The very next day, September 21st, was THE day: at last I was ready to step out for one of the most worthy causes I know, supporting the comprehensive revision of global climate change policies. The People's Climate March in NYC kicked off the Climate Summit this week, and in this participatory event, it was the US peoples' time to shine, to show our strength in numbers, and to reaffirm our commitment to environmental justice. The overcast and rainy day did not deter the 400,000 plus people amassing along the edge of Central Park, preparing for the march. I felt this magical and inexplicable moment as we exited the subway, seeing students, elders, activists, environmental organizations, and regular people alike with a plethora of signage, banners, shirts, hats, anything proclaiming their support of the march. I felt a sense of camaraderie immediately with these people I did not know, people I only saw in passing. An older woman came up to our group and asked where we were from (to which we answered Boston, Mass.), and she congratulated and praised us for coming out to support the climate march. She asked for our picture and told us she was "ecstatic these issues are reaching the younger generations. It makes me so happy to see young adults involved." Goosebumps passed all over me as I realized this was for sure not going to be my last march: I found my calling in environmental justice all over again, and I was meant to do this.

Packed together like sardines,
awaiting the start of the student march!

We were then off to stand in the student section of the march, so we walked 40 blocks up to 81st street where the student section of the march congregated. The walk there was a sublime and surreal experience, as the activity in the normally bustling New York City was halted--all for the sake of supporting this hopefully life-changing climate summit. We walked by Lincoln Center (Project Runway!), briefly Radio City Music Hall, and afterwards the edge of Central Park. We spent a draining amount of time standing around and waiting for the earlier portions of the march to spread out and reach us, so random and rambunctious chants broke out across the crowd as the anticipation mounted and I grew increasingly eager and anxious for the march to begin! Our group mingled with the crowd, and conversed with random strangers about the cause, why we were here, from where we came, etc. This one gentleman was marching with a wheelbarrow full of ice, an interactive prop to represent the melting ice caps of the North (as the day grew on and the ice itself melted). The whole drive and sleep-deprived weekend lead up to this moment and I wanted it to just start already! At 12:58pm exactly, the chatter and small talk ceased completely for a stark moment of silence, hands raised, for those people across the globe who have been affected and continue to be affected by the deleterious effects climate change.

With sore feet and our moods beginning to sour with anxious waiting, our group decided to cut around to the sidewalk and start marching ahead to where the crowds were moving. We huddled on the edge of a short trail off of Central Park until we FINALLY saw the crowds moving! This was our cue to jump in and begin to march. 

The next couple hours were a complete blur of color, chanting, chatting with random people, and dancing to a fantastic marching band a vets group had as a feature in their group march. One of the aspects I was most struck by was the diversity of groups: you have the vets, members of Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, a crowd of particularly vocal Socialists (in which group we accidentally got caught up...), a Free Palestine movement group, various college students from across the country, church congregations, grandparents, parents, and children, anyone and everyone you could imagine. That's the wonderful and sobering fact about the Climate March: people of all ages, generations, ethic, social, political, and religious backgrounds came together, united, in one significant and unifying cause. Events such as this actually give me hope for the future, one which before I was convinced was very bleak. 

The chaos and color of the march

Popping in and out of the march consumed most of our afternoon, resting here and there on the sidelines. Out of the corner of my eye in the latter half of the afternoon, I saw a splash of purple stick out among the crowd, and my immediate reaction was, "Stonehill!" At first I thought I was hallucinating, immediately associating any color of deep purple with my own alma mater, but sure enough a bit farther along in the march, I saw it again, and yes! there were students with Stonehill shirts and sweatshirts! The realization was enough to perk me out of my stupor, but then I caught a glimpse of Professor Mooney, my Stonehill Environmental Studies adviser, and for whose LC I TAed last semester! I felt such a comforting wave of palpable relief, recognizing such a familiar face among a crowd of strangers on this exhausting trip. I was SUPER happy, what are the chances out of 400,000+ people in that march that day, that I would see the Stonehill group? Unreal and amazing. She was certainly ecstatic and surprised to see me there too as we embraced; it was an unforgettable and incredible coincidence. I'm so glad I saw Corina there too, I really miss her. I miss Stonehill very much: not the nearly unbearable stress that academic life demands, but the experiences, friends, casual chats about environmental policy and literary criticism which consumed my undergrad days.

What were my motivations for attending the march? I walked for my future, for my children's future, for us all, but most importantly, for the global ecosystem. I walked to recommit myself to preserving and protecting the Earth, preventing further harm from befalling it. Finally, I walked to demonstrate my commitment to the watersheds of Southeastern Massachusetts, and the Watershed Action Alliance, the watershed nonprofit for which I work. I cannot wait to march in more movements in the future, and this one in particular was such an incredible opportunity. How does it feel to be a part of history made, to be a part of something bigger than myself? Indescribable.

To find out more about the People's Climate March, you can visit their site here: http://peoplesclimate.org/.

Don't forget to follow me (Shalen Lowell) as well as WAA on Twitter, and as always please feel free to like, share, and reblog my post!

The Bioreserve, Westport River and Rattlesnake Brook

By Everett Castro of Green Futures

The original post can be found in the Westport River Watershed Alliance February 2014 River News issue.

Not all those that wander are lost ...so bear with me.

I often meander about, like our coastal rivers do, when I'm asked to write "a few words" about the remarkable Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve. Be warned, I might meander even further afield since I'm going to write a few words not only about our Bioreserve but also about the far reaches of the Westport River watershed, an impaired Rattlesnake Brook and the support and advocacy from your Westport River Watershed Alliance. Ready? Have your trusty compass or GPS with you? Okay, let's go.

If you're not familiar with the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve ...you should be! Our Bioreserve consists of a large, contiguous forest with diverse habitats and natural communities with the largest portion, owned by all of us, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife. Also included are the Watuppa Watershed lands of the Fall River Water Department as well as land owned and managed by The Trustees of Reservations.

The purpose of our Bioreserve is to protect, restore and enhance the biological diversity and ecological integrity of a large scale ecosystem representative of southeastern Massachusetts. Neat, that's right where we live!

The Bioreserve also permanently protects water supplies, such as North Watuppa Pond, Copicut Reservoir and wetlands that drain to coastal rivers. In addition, the Bioreserve protects early cultural resources and allows for interpretive educational programs on natural and human history. In this densely populated southeastern corner of the state, the Bioreserve also provides opportunities for passive outdoor recreation and enjoyment of our natural environment.

Within the Bioreserve is the second highest natural hill in Bristol County. Let's meander over there.  Copicut Hill is 354 feet high with a DCR forest fire lookout tower at its summit. For those who may now be wondering about the highest hill in Bristol County, it is Sunrise Hill, 389 feet, in North Attleborough ...but we won't acknowledge that slight height advantage over Copicut since Sunrise Hill is about as far away as a hill can get and still be in Bristol County.

Copicut Hill's topography and the descending height and subtle shape of its ridges creates a dividing line between what flows west and north to the Taunton River and south and east to the Westport River via the Copicut and Shingle Island Rivers and Bread and Cheese Brook. The East Branch is born in sphagnum bogs, cedar swamps and hillside springs deep in the woods.

Wandering back 22 years there wasn't a Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve ...just some city watershed land, some state land, and a large block of privately owned wooded property. Back then rapacious developers and scurrilous schemers coveted those open space parcels for dubious development projects large and small. Some of the proposed projects were truly scary, others laughable. Here's a partial list of some of the more memorable: giant coal gasification refinery with 24/7 coal deliveries via a new rail line across public land into the forest; industrial warehouse park; race horse breeding farm, low-level nuclear waste repository; "Chinese" theme park; mega landfill; adult entertainment zone.

Egregious erosion and brook filled with rocks and gravel

In desperation at the frequency of these proposals and the folly of destroying water supplies, wetlands and forest a few concerned folks from Fall River and Freetown joined together and formed Green Futures, www.greenfutures.org. One of our members dubbed the area the Copicut Greenbelt and we set forth searching for allies. Aware of an early WRWA poster that showed the Westport River watershed extending all the way to the "Copicut Greenbelt" we sought our first ally and immediately found one in WRWA's young and energetic executive director, Gay Gillespie.

Since the beginning of the struggle to drive away those temple destroyers and devotees of ravaging commercialism...notice that nod to John Muir? ...WRWA was there at the start. Over time other environmental groups, individuals, state environmental agencies and local legislators came on board and ...with many starts and stops ...helped turn the Copicut Greenbelt into the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve. Okay, are you still wandering with me... or have you been distracted by something vastly less important? If still with me, it is now 2014 and we have a problem that diminishes, hampers, the full potential of the Bioreserve.

We have wandered north, over the Bioreserve watershed divide to Rattlesnake Brook. Rattlesnake Brook begins at swamps, bogs and springs on the northwest side of Copicut Hill and flows north dumping into the Assonet River at Payne's Cove, just west of Route 24 in Freetown. Two miles downstream, from the confluence of the now tidal Rattlesnake Brook and Assonet River, the Assonet meets the federally designated Wild and Scenic Taunton River.

Person standing where bluff has been worn away from illegal OHV activity

  

Rattlesnake Brook is a lovely brook, similar to West Branch, Westport River's Angeline Brook both in size and character. Historically Rattlesnake Brook hosted anadromous alewife, blueback herring, rainbow smelt and salter brook trout. Unlike Angeline Brook, Rattlesnake Brook has an old, remnant dam at tidewater that prevented fish, except for American eels, from freely moving up and down and in and out the brook. The dam is slated to be removed in the near future and this will hopefully help restore extirpated anadromous species and add to the biodiversity of the Bioreserve.

Unfortunately, the Rattlesnake Brook valley, just upstream of the old dam, has been the site of illegal off-highway vehicle (OHV) activity. This section of the Bioreserve is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). They have failed to monitor OHV activity and there has been scant enforcement of OHV rules, regulations and laws. The damage is egregious.

Not a high profile DCR managed property ...think Horseneck Beach State Reservation, with thousands of patrons and the political interest that brings ...DCR is loath to secure that area of the Bioreserve and restore the brook and land. They need a little nudge.

Big erosion rut and trees that have fallen

Looking for support from those that early on understood the importance of the Bioreserve and its mission we brought this issue to WRWA. Just as in the beginning, support was received. We are also reaching out for support to other regional and statewide groups and organizations. We appreciate the continued support WRWA has provided the Bioreserve. After all, only a slight geological adjustment, back 10,000 or more years ago, might have put the Rattlesnake Brook watershed on the Westport River side of the watershed divide. Yes, we are all in this together.

Hopefully, someday, a protected greenway that we can wander through or meander about on will extend down from the Bioreserve following the Westport River from source to sea. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

Want to wander the Bioreserve?

There's a very comprehensive map of the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve that is available and best of all, free! If you don't have one you can get one at:

·  The Town Farm, 830 Drift Road, Westport

·  Watuppa Reservation Headquarters, 2929 Blossom Road, Fall River

·  Fall River Water Department, 3^rd Floor, Government Center, Fall River

·  Freetown State Forest Headquarters, Slab Bridge Road, Freetown

To read more about Rattlesnake Brook, please visit the Green Futures newsletter archive on their website, and select the October 2013 and February 2014 newsletters.