On this day, October 8, 1995, we attended a Nature Walk in the Fort Devens Sudbury Annex in part as an endorsement of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s first annual Celebration of National Wildlife Refuges and to demonstrate our support for the establishment of a refuge on this former military base.
The Annex has been a long time source of concern and pain for our communities. In 1941, the United States War Department took over 2,500 acres of land by eminent domain for use as a military ammunition depot in support of the United States Army for World War II. While the taking of the land was not popular and caused much hardship for the people of our communities, we were proud to support our country in its time of need.
After the war, the Army retained the land and used it for various purposes over the years, including disposal of hazardous wastes. This disposal of hazardous waste has threatened our drinking water supplies, our environment, and our faith in our federal government. In 1989, the Annex was declared a Superfund Site, and placed on the National Priority List of the most hazardous sites in our country. Since that time, the Army, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the governments of the towns of Maynard, Stow, Sudbury, and Hudson, and the citizens of these towns have come together to work toward the clean up of the Annex. At the request of the local communities and its citizens, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a survey of the Annex and has determined that the natural resources within the Annex are extremely valuable and are worthy of protection. As a result, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has submitted a request that the Annex be transferred to their care for designation as a wildlife refuge.
The communities and their citizens are in agreement with the proposal and have demonstrated their agreement through voting, writing letters, and now signing this petition. We now ask that you act on our behalf and approve this transfer forthwith and without additional study or delay. We have done our best to provide our government with the necessary information and support to act in our best interests: to transfer the Fort Devens Sudbury Training Annex to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as our nation’s newest National Wildlife Refuge.
Thank you for receiving our petition.
We have provided information about how you can help by sending your own letters and email to Secretary Babbit and US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Molly Beattie. Please tell them your opinion!
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