Professional Documents
Culture Documents
14,
2016
Ms.
Judith
Judson
Commissioner,
DOER
100
Cambridge
St.,
Suite
1020,
Boston,
MA
02114
Delivered
via
email
to:
judith.judson@state.ma.us
Dear
Commissioner
Judson:
A
disgruntled
abutter
to
a
parcel
of
Cowls
timberland
in
Shutesbury
has
joined
forces
with
Environmental
Watch
to
send
your
office
one
or
more
protest
letters
claiming
that
our
lessees
future
solar
renewable
energy
installations
will
destroy
Massachusetts
forests.
The
solar
renewable
energy
installation
to
which
they
refer
will
actually
help
save
Massachusetts
forests
and
will
benefit
the
town
of
Shutesbury.
I
am
the
9th
generation
of
my
family
sustainably
managing
much
of
the
same
timberland
since
1741.
Our
sustainable
forestry
practices
predate
the
Commonwealth
of
Massachusetts
and
the
United
States
of
America.
In
Shutesbury,
Cowls
owns
and
manages
about
3,000
acres
of
timberland.
The
Quabbin
Reservoir
owns
and
manages
about
3,000
additional
acres
for
Bostons
water
supply.
The
remaining
approximately
3,000
acres
in
town
is
owned
by
private
individuals
and
the
town.
Cowls
has
a
long
history
of
partnering
with
communities
to
achieve
mutual
goals.
To
achieve
mutual
goals
with
Shutesbury,
Cowls
has
been
responsive
to
the
towns
requests
that
we
support
land
conservation,
green
energy
production
and
its
Green
Community
status.
Cowls
in
2011,
with
MA
Fish
&
Wildlife,
put
about
800
acres
of
timberland
under
a
Conservation
Restriction,
with
support
from
Shutesbury
town
officials.
In
the
next
calendar
year
we
intend
to
put
over
2,000
more
acres
under
permanent
protection,
ensuring
permanent
public
access
into
the
future.
Of
the
3,000
acres
Cowls
owns
and
manages
and
on
which
we
have
allowed
public
recreation
in
Shutesbury,
we
have
decided
to
improve
the
viability
of
our
timber
business
and
help
Shutesbury
achieve
its
green
community
goals
by
hosting
a
solar
installation
on
30
of
these
acres.
We
have
been
pursuing
this
effort
with
the
town
for
the
past
10
years.
To
underscore
our
perspective
we
are
working
toward
permanently
conserving
over
WD
Cowls,
Inc.
Commissioner
Judson
Letter
re:
Promoting
Alternative
Energy
July
14,
2016
80%
of
Cowls
timberland
in
Shutesbury
and
putting
a
solar
array
on
1%
of
our
property
owned
in
that
community.
Shutesbury
is
a
small
rural
community
with
limited
infrastructure
and
opportunities
to
grow
its
tax
base.
The
town
has
no
broadband
Internet,
no
retail
commerce,
no
large
commercial
buildings
such
as
shopping
malls,
on
which
to
install
large-scale
solar
projects.
About
the
only
place
for
a
substantial
project
in
proximity
to
an
electric
utility
substation
and
three-phase
power
is
this
Cowls
land
in
Shutesbury.
We
are
delighted
to
help.
And
we
are
grateful
for
the
additional
income
to
offset
expenses
of
our
land
business.
By
allowing
solar
renewable
energy
generation
on
forestland
in
rural
communities,
you
enable
small
towns
to
achieve
major
green
community
status
and
increase
tax
revenue
($50,000/year
for
Shutesbury
in
this
case).
By
allowing
property
owners
some
chance
for
return
on
the
low-value
assets
they
hold,
you
are
keeping
land
businesses
viable
with
relatively
temporary
improvements.
These
solar
installations
are
not
permanent,
and
when
they
are
removed
someday
in
the
foreseeable
future,
trees
can
grow
back.
The
same
people
who
are
now
protesting
to
you
have
spent
the
last
year
trying
every
possible
tactic
to
stop
the
Shutesbury
renewable
solar
energy
project.
They
cried,
wetlands
wells
drying
up,
endangered
species,
fracking,
all
of
which
proved
to
be
inaccurate.
Then
they
started
raising
alleged
Native
Burial
Mounds
as
an
issue.
The
Town
of
Shutesbury
mandated
that
our
tenant,
the
solar
developer,
engage
an
archeologist
who
meets
or
exceeds
the
Secretary
of
the
Interiors
standards
of
qualifications
to
identify
and
evaluate
potential
historic
properties.
The
Town
of
Shutesbury
engaged
its
own
consultant
who
meets
these
same
standards
to
review
this
evaluation.
The
developers
team
has
now
completed
its
report
and
it
is
being
submitted
to
the
Planning
Board
this
week.
The
professional
evaluation
is
concluding
that
the
mounds
identified
are
all
from
natural
occurrences.
In
fact,
I
was
on
the
ground
during
the
study,
and
I
saw
that
the
mounds
identified
turned
out
to
be
quite
obviously
the
root
balls
of
storm-
toppled
trees.
The
expert
historical
archeologists
conclude
there
is
no
basis
for
claims
of
cultural
properties.
As
the
Commonwealths
largest
private
landowner,
Cowls
is
proud
to
offer
public
recreation
on
its
timberland,
to
achieve
the
largest
private
conservation
project
in
Massachusetts'
history
(conserving
3,486
acres
in
Leverett
and
Shutesbury
in
2011
with
MA
Fish
&
Game);
and
to
help
Shutesbury
grow
its
Green
Community
Status
by
hosting
a
major
solar
renewable
energy
installation.
You
must
encourage
green
energy
in
rural
communities.
Its
critical
for
energy
independence,
and
its
critical
that
diverse
income
opportunities
are
available
to
farmers
and
foresters
in
Massachusetts
or
else
farms
and
forests
will
not
be
as
sustainable.
We
would
be
well
on
our
way
to
energy
independence
if,
like
Cowls
in
Shutesbury,
one
percent
of
all
forested
land
were
converted
for
solar.
Page
2
of
3
WD
Cowls,
Inc.
Commissioner
Judson
Letter
re:
Promoting
Alternative
Energy
July
14,
2016
Please
dont
pay
attention
to
the
abutters
who
are
aggrieved
by
the
fact
that
they
will
see
a
solar
array
a
mile
into
the
woods
when
they
trespass
on
our
privately
managed
timberland
to
walk
their
dogs.
Please
continue
to
encourage
alternative
energy
in
rural
communities,
while
making
sure
farms
and
forests
have
diverse
options
to
achieve
economic
sustainability.
Thanks
for
your
consideration.
Cinda
Jones
President
&
9th
Generation
WD
Cowls,
Inc.,
North
Amherst,
MA
Cc:
Page 3 of 3