Save Rumney Marsh, Saugus MA

The Department of Conservation and Recreation the same group who labelled OUR MARSH an "Area of Critical Environmental Concern" has been meeting with the Saugus Conservation Commission to remove 350,000 cubic yards of sand from the marsh for a beach restoration project in another town. Save the Wildlife who have made homes here!

Rumney Marsh description by Dept of Conservation and Recreation website “Open year-round, dawn to dusk. Rumney Marsh, a 600+ acre reservation, is located within the rich Saugus and Pines River estuary. This expansive saltmarsh provides habitat for an array of wildlife including migratory birds and marine life. The reservation also provides recreational opportunities such as boating, fishing, walking, and bird watching. It is designated as an "Area of Critical Environmental Concern".

OUR PROBLEM

The Department of Conservation and Recreation the same group who labelled this "Area of Critical Environmental Concern" has been meeting with the Saugus Conservation Commission since the summer to work out a plan to remove 350,000 cubic yards of sand from the marsh, which was supposed to be part of a proposed I-95 extension in the 1970s. However, since the project was abandoned nearly 40 years ago, residents have grown attached to the sand pile, they didn’t want it here to begin with, it was deposited in the middle of marshland but since that time in addition to shorebirds and marine life the sandpile has attracted many new animals including deer, rabbits, coyotes, an eagle was spotted perched on an iceburg here just last month. The residents say the sandpile also acts as a barrier from flooding, the stink of the trash incinerator and traffic from adjacent highway. A google search of Save the Rumney Marsh will direct anyone who wants more information to a Facebook page created by residents.

OUR RIGHTS

Article 97 – Massachusetts Constitution

“The people shall have the right to clean air and water, freedom from excessive and unnecessary noise, and the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic qualities of their environment; and the protection of the people in their right to the conservation, development and utilization of the agricultural,
mineral, forest, water, air and other natural resources is hereby declared to
be a public purpose."