Montag
05-30-2009, 09:21 AM
Activist Laurie David Cited For Wetlands Violations
By SAM BUNGEY
http://www.mvgazette.com/article.php?21124
Noted environmental activist and Chilmark seasonal resident Laurie David has been cited and fined by the Chilmark conservation commission for fresh violations of the state Wetlands Protection Act.
The property owned by Ms. David off North Road was the subject of a series of wetlands violations in 2005, when construction of a stone fire pit, barbecue grill area and wooden stage for a children’s theatre with seating was begun in a wetland without a permit.
The new infractions occurred during the construction of a tennis court. Workers installed a makeshift road with boards and stones and drove heavy machinery across the resources area making a path to the tennis court site. Attempts to reach Ms. David were unsuccessful but Bart Thorpe, who said he is the contractor on the job, took full responsibility for the violations yesterday.
“She’s obviously a very busy person and she trusted the contractor, just like last time,” he said. “And I inadvertently made a mistake. It’s something she had no knowledge of and had nothing to do with, and it’s a minor thing.”
Following a site inspection, the Chilmark conservation commission voted to issue an enforcement order at a May 20 meeting.
The resulting order, addressed to a Los Angeles trust which is the owner of record of the property, demanded that all boards and rocks be removed from the area as well as the equipment and that a snow fence be built surrounding the damaged area to prevent future intrusion.
It also called for complete restoration and re-vegetation plan for the wetland areas and surrounding buffer zones.
And since it was a repeat offense, the conservation commission decided to institute a fine.
“Since this site has a history of violations a daily fine of $300 shall be levied starting May 22,” the order reads.
Conservation commission assistant Chuck Hodgkinson said this week that Mr. Thorpe submitted plans to the commission on Tuesday following the Memorial Day weekend, and the commission put a stop on the fine at a total of $900.
Mr. Hodgkinson added that a further site check Wednesday by conservation agent Russell Walton found that equipment had been removed and that the wetlands area had been regraded and fresh vegetation planted.
“From my standpoint it’s a minor infraction cased by an oversight of mine,” said Mr. Thorpe.
“Doing any kind of contract work things certainly happen, and we try and do our best to do things right. I got the ‘good job’ myself from the conservation officer yesterday.”
The repeated offense has unfortunate resonance for the producer of the Oscar-winning climate change documentary An Inconvenient Truth, who is known as an activist who encourages individuals to do their part in protecting the environment.
She recently completed a tour of American universities with singer Sheryl Crow titled the Stop Global Warming College Tour. She is co-author of Stop Global Warming: The Solution Is You! and The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming and a frequent contributor to an environmentally-focused column for the Huffington Post.
The construction on Ms. David’s property has provided a focal point for rancor within the neighborhood.
News of the latest violation reached the commission via a neighborhood whistle-blower who contacted the Gazette yesterday but wished to remain anonymous.
Meanwhile neighbor Jacqueline Mendez-Diez wrote a frank letter, published in today’s paper, regarding the violations at the site. She is also quoted regarding the matter this week in the online environmental publication ecorazzi.com
For his part, Mr. Thorpe blamed Ms. Mendez-Diez for whipping up controversy over the violations.
“She’s not allowed near the property,” he said. “The person dong all this stirring up is on probation for a criminal restraining order.”
Ms. Mendez-Diez denied this, though she acknowledged that she had received a notice from Chilmark police warning her to not to trespass on the property, several years ago.
She maintained that she has in fact never trespassed and meanwhile accused Mr. Thorpe of dishonesty and bullying tactics.
“I don’t trust anything he says,” she said.
By SAM BUNGEY
http://www.mvgazette.com/article.php?21124
Noted environmental activist and Chilmark seasonal resident Laurie David has been cited and fined by the Chilmark conservation commission for fresh violations of the state Wetlands Protection Act.
The property owned by Ms. David off North Road was the subject of a series of wetlands violations in 2005, when construction of a stone fire pit, barbecue grill area and wooden stage for a children’s theatre with seating was begun in a wetland without a permit.
The new infractions occurred during the construction of a tennis court. Workers installed a makeshift road with boards and stones and drove heavy machinery across the resources area making a path to the tennis court site. Attempts to reach Ms. David were unsuccessful but Bart Thorpe, who said he is the contractor on the job, took full responsibility for the violations yesterday.
“She’s obviously a very busy person and she trusted the contractor, just like last time,” he said. “And I inadvertently made a mistake. It’s something she had no knowledge of and had nothing to do with, and it’s a minor thing.”
Following a site inspection, the Chilmark conservation commission voted to issue an enforcement order at a May 20 meeting.
The resulting order, addressed to a Los Angeles trust which is the owner of record of the property, demanded that all boards and rocks be removed from the area as well as the equipment and that a snow fence be built surrounding the damaged area to prevent future intrusion.
It also called for complete restoration and re-vegetation plan for the wetland areas and surrounding buffer zones.
And since it was a repeat offense, the conservation commission decided to institute a fine.
“Since this site has a history of violations a daily fine of $300 shall be levied starting May 22,” the order reads.
Conservation commission assistant Chuck Hodgkinson said this week that Mr. Thorpe submitted plans to the commission on Tuesday following the Memorial Day weekend, and the commission put a stop on the fine at a total of $900.
Mr. Hodgkinson added that a further site check Wednesday by conservation agent Russell Walton found that equipment had been removed and that the wetlands area had been regraded and fresh vegetation planted.
“From my standpoint it’s a minor infraction cased by an oversight of mine,” said Mr. Thorpe.
“Doing any kind of contract work things certainly happen, and we try and do our best to do things right. I got the ‘good job’ myself from the conservation officer yesterday.”
The repeated offense has unfortunate resonance for the producer of the Oscar-winning climate change documentary An Inconvenient Truth, who is known as an activist who encourages individuals to do their part in protecting the environment.
She recently completed a tour of American universities with singer Sheryl Crow titled the Stop Global Warming College Tour. She is co-author of Stop Global Warming: The Solution Is You! and The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming and a frequent contributor to an environmentally-focused column for the Huffington Post.
The construction on Ms. David’s property has provided a focal point for rancor within the neighborhood.
News of the latest violation reached the commission via a neighborhood whistle-blower who contacted the Gazette yesterday but wished to remain anonymous.
Meanwhile neighbor Jacqueline Mendez-Diez wrote a frank letter, published in today’s paper, regarding the violations at the site. She is also quoted regarding the matter this week in the online environmental publication ecorazzi.com
For his part, Mr. Thorpe blamed Ms. Mendez-Diez for whipping up controversy over the violations.
“She’s not allowed near the property,” he said. “The person dong all this stirring up is on probation for a criminal restraining order.”
Ms. Mendez-Diez denied this, though she acknowledged that she had received a notice from Chilmark police warning her to not to trespass on the property, several years ago.
She maintained that she has in fact never trespassed and meanwhile accused Mr. Thorpe of dishonesty and bullying tactics.
“I don’t trust anything he says,” she said.