March 29, 2024

Gratitude for the Lorax

Posted

I would like to thank the Lorax in our community who are speaking for our trees and natural places. Marsha Hood's letter on the proposed Camp Buxton solar project was incredibly informative and raised many important questions. Leslie Patterson's column is always a welcome read, but I was particularly grateful for April's message. And, of course, the folks at SaveRehoboth.org deserve a shout out for their hard work.

I concur wholeheartedly that while solar energy projects may be laudable, our green space needs to take priority. I have only lived in Seekonk for 5 years but lived nearby (in Pawtucket) for many years prior. Being able to find lush green farmed fields and thickly wooded areas within biking distance of crowded Pawtucket was wonderful. It is what made Seekonk and Rehoboth different, and special. Sadly, I have watched that change as housing development after housing development has replaced farms and tracts of woodland. Eventually, our towns will be just another suburban sprawl, lacking in character and detrimental to the overall environment.

I realize people need places to live and developers have a right to develop, but we should do what we can to preserve our beautiful natural places. For ourselves, for the plants and animals that inhabit these spaces, for an eco-system we are only beginning to fully understand. If indeed there has been a conservation trust offering to preserve this land, why in the world would that not be the way to go?

By the time I write this, on Earth Day, the Camp Buxton project may be a done deal, but I hope not. I hope the town of Rehoboth finds a way to save this tract of land.

Respectfully,
Rachel Bates
Seekonk, MA

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