Biodiversity+Town+Meeting

= DAMS: = Dams are massive barriers built across rivers and streams to confine and utilize the flow of water for human purposes such as irrigation and generation of hydroelectricity. This confinement of water creates lakes or reservoirs.

The first known dam was built in 2900 B.C. across the Nile River to protect the city of Memphis from flooding. Dam build was continued into the time of the Roman empire, after which dam construction was literally lost until the 1800s. Dams are a structure also seen in nature - beavers build dams to keep the water deep enough to cover the openings to their homes, protecting them from predators.

**Reasons to build a dam:**
 * generation of hydroelectricity
 * irrigation. These are often diversion dams, which stop a river’s natural course so that water can be sent off to a different place.
 * control flooding. These are called detention dams, which are constructed to either stop or slow the amount of water in a river.

According to Patrick McCully, campaigns director of the International Rivers Network, over 800,000 dams have been constructed worldwide for drinking water, flood control, hydropower, irrigation, navigation, and water storage. But since the 1950s, the peak of the big dam era, perceptions of dams and dam building have changed. Excerpted from http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/sijpkes/arch374/winter2001/dbiggs/what.html

**Conducting the town meeting** You and your partner are to decide the answer to the question, “Will the removal of the two dams on the Shawsheen River be a positive action for the Town of Andover”

You and a partner will be assigned a role as a "stake-holer". Based on that description, you will create an identity (you can use your own name) of a person that would believe what the description says. Each parnter will be her/his own character; during the Town Meeting, you will work together to get your point of view across. You do not need to agree 100%, with your partner, but you should agree on fundamentals.
 * I: Creating Your Role**

Use the following questions as a guide to creating your identity.
 * 1) What are the gender, age and education of your assigned stakeholder?
 * 2) What opinion do they have?
 * 3) What data do they have to support this opinion?
 * 4) What data do they have to refute this opinion?
 * 5) Is your stakeholder a member of the Andover community?
 * 6) What is their monetary interest?
 * 7) What is their personal interest?
 * 8) What is their environmental interest?

You and your partner are to prepare a one-minute opening statement responding to the question, “Will the removal of the two dams on the Shawsheen River be a positive action for the Town of Andover?” One member of your group will give your statement at the beginning of the meeting.
 * II: Preparing to Present Your Position (15 minutes)**

In order to prepare your position, you should examine the documents posted to the Wiki and our textbook. You may flesh out the information you learned from these resources, and disagree with any opinions you find; you may not contradict any actual facts.

Listen to each other’s opening statements; take notes on arguments or ideas that your character would particularly agree or disagree with.
 * III: The Town Meeting (40 minutes)**

After all of the opening statements have been made, the discussion will be open. Raise your hand and jump in! It is your job to convince others in the room of your point of view. __Everybody in the group should speak at least once.__

Statements or questions may be addressed to particular individuals in the class in response to either their opening statements or comments made during discussion (Example: “You said that you are in favor of the dam removal, but what about...”). It is acceptable to disagree with ideas expressed but it is not acceptable to attack the person who makes the statement or expresses the idea.

The Town Council will then have 2 minutes to ask relevant clarifying questions to aid in their decision making process. Each member of the council will ask a minimum of 2 questions**.** All member of the council will take notes during the presentation and during the comment period. At the end of all presentations, members of the Town Council will confer and discuss their opinion. They will then post their group decision to the Wiki by 7:45 the next day.
 * IV: The Comment period (10 minutes)**

On day two the Town Council will present their decision based on the prior days discussion. All stakeholders will take notes as the council presents their opinion.
 * V: Town Council Presentation (10 minutes)**

At the end of the presentation, we’ll take a vote on the Council’s statement. The teacher will facilitate the vote. Students who agree with the Council’s opinion should raise their hands first. Students who do **not** agree with the Council’s opinion should raise their hands second. The majority of the votes will determine the decision.
 * VI: The Vote (5 minutes)**

You will write an editorial to //Andover Townsman// or //The Andover Patch// newspapers, or another relevant newspaper. The editorial will express your position on the Council’s decision. You may or may not take the view of your assigned stakeholder. In your editorial, you should use specific evidence from the resources you were provided with and/or found on your own. You should also include why they chose to write to the newspaper they selected. These will be posted to the Wiki by class four.
 * V: After the Vote:**

Dam Removal Research
> > >
 * 1) Boston Globe - River Wild
 * 2) Andover Patch - __Warrant Articles Push Balmoral Dam Removal__
 * 3) Andover Patch - TM Approves Dam Removal, Tech Upgrades
 * 4) __Andover Townsman - Learn about dam removal, Shawsheen Restoration Project__
 * 5) Andover Townsman - Experts study Shawsheen's future: Dam removal evaluation begins
 * 6) Andover Townsman - Removing Shawsheen River dams under study Public meeting addresses the pros and cons
 * 7) __Eagle Tribune - Vote could pave way for Balmoral dam removal__
 * 8) Inter-Fluve, Inc. - shawsheen river dams alternatives & feasibility analyses
 * 9) American Rivers - Shawsheen River, MA
 * 10) Mass.gov - River Restoration Priority Projects
 * 11) Shawsheen River Watershed Association -
 * 12) Andover MA.gov - Shawsheen River Restoration
 * 13) MEPA Project Details:
 * 14) DEP - Fact Sheet Dam removal permitting
 * 15) Mass.gov - Dam Removal and wetland regulations
 * 16) Army Corps of Engineers national Inventory of Dams - http://geo.usace.army.mil/pgis/f?p=397:12:
 * 17) Army Corps of Engineers - http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/
 * 18) Association of State Dam Safety - http://www.damsafety.org/
 * 19) Department of Homeland Security - FEMA - http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/damfailure/publications.shtm
 * 20) Wisegeek.com - Why are dams potentially harmful to fish? http://www.wisegeek.com/why-are-dams-potentially-harmful-to-fish.htm

Stake-Holders

 * **Army Corps of Engineers**
 * **New England District** is responsible for managing the Corps' civil works and military program responsibilities in a 66,000-square-mile region encompassing the six New England states east of the Lake Champlain drainage basin.
 * The District employs about 500 professional civilian employees, with several military officers serving in key management positions. Seventy-five percent of the staff is stationed at the Concord, Mass., headquarters, while the others serve at Corps projets and area offices throughout the region.
 * ** The missions of the New England District are many and varied. They include: **
 * Environmental restoration and stewardship
 * Flood damage reduction
 * Natural resource and recreation management
 * Streambank and shoreline protection
 * Navigation improvements and maintenance
 * Disaster assistance
 * Regulatory program
 * Engineering and construction management support to other agencies
 * Support to military
 * http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/

>> >> http://www.shawsheen.org/ >> >> http://www.mass.gov/dep/about/
 * **MA Department of Environmental Protection - Division of Watershed management**
 * Water quality assessment reports are produced periodically for each watershed by the MassDEP Division of Watershed Management (DWM), to:
 * publish data generated by DWM to the public;
 * review available quality-assured data from other sources;
 * determine the use support status of surface water bodies;
 * determine the causes and sources of any impairments to uses; and
 * support reporting to the USEPA on the status of the Commonwealth's surface waters (see the [|Integrated List of Waters] ).http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/wqassess.htm
 * **Shawsheen River Watershed Association**
 * The SRWA is a non-profit, all volunteer organization with a mission to protect, restore, and enjoy the Shawsheen River and its watershed. We host a wide range of events all year round.
 * **MA Department of Environmental Protection**
 * The Department of Environmental Protection is the state agency responsible for [|ensuring clean air] and [|water], the [|safe management of toxics and hazards], the [|recycling of solid and hazardous wastes], the [|timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills], and the [|preservation of wetlands and coastal resources].

>> http://www.interfluve.com/appliedriverrestoration >> >> The luxurious environment of Atria Marland Place generates a retirement living community of elegance and sophistication. Gorgeous interior rooms work in tandem with beautiful landscaping to create a lovely assisted living setting superior to Massachusetts’ other independent living communities. >> http://www.atriaseniorliving.com/atria-marland-place-andover-ma.aspx?CommunityNumber=10736 >>
 * **AC Inter-Fluve - Feasibility study**
 * Inter-Fluve, Inc. is an environmental engineering firm that specializes in sustainable design, restoration and construction of river, lake, wetland, dam removal, and aquatic ecosystems.
 * Since 1983, we have integrated natural sciences with water resources engineering to create long term sustainable design solutions for stream and river restoration. Our design approach assesses natural and man-made conditions to provide a balance between human use and natural habitat. We assist municipal agencies, non-profit organizations, private land owners, and land developers with watershed scale planning and with design and restoration of urban, rural and wild rivers, streams and floodplains. With planning and analysis, we provide design-build and complete design-bid-build engineering services through construction oversight and performance monitoring.
 * **Marland House**
 * At Atria Marland Place, you’ll find a comfortable and spacious senior living community that's committed to quality. Conveniently located within 45 minutes of Boston, Massachusetts, Atria Marland Place offers residents the enjoyment of the city with the quaintness of a tight-knit community. A full social calendar provides a variety of events and entertainment opportunities, including visits to local attractions, museums, theaters and more, all of which enable a more fulfilling retirement living experience.
 * **Audubon Society**
 * Mass Audubon works to protect the nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife. Together with more than 100,000 members, we care for 34,000 acres of conservation land, provide educational programs for 225,000 children and adults annually, and advocate for sound environmental policies at local, state, and federal levels. Mass Audubon's mission and actions have expanded since our beginning in 1896 when our founders set out to stop the slaughter of birds for use on women's fashions. Today we are the largest conservation organization in New England. Our statewide network of wildlife sanctuaries, in 90 Massachusetts communities, welcomes visitors of all ages and serves as the base for our work. To support these important efforts, call 800-AUDUBON (283-8266) or visit www.massaudubon.org.


 * **Division of Fisheries Wildlife and Law Enforcement - Division of Ecological Restoration**
 * The mission of the Division of Ecological Restoration is to restore and protect the Commonwealth’s rivers, wetlands and watersheds for the benefit of people and the environment
 * http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/

>> >> Biological **assessments** evaluate the condition of a water body using direct measurements of the resident biota in surface waters and integrate the cumulative impacts of chemical, physical, and biological stressors on aquatic life ( [|see Using Biological Data as Indicators of Water Quality (PDF)] (38pp, 237K, About PDF ) . >> http://www.epa.gov/bioiweb1/index.html >>
 * **American Whitewater**
 * In Massachusetts, the public has the right to boat, fish, and fowl in navigable waters.1) Even in non-navigable waters, the public still retains the right to “passage up and down the stream in boats or other craft, for purposes of business, convenience, or pleasure.”2) Navigable waters are those waters where the tide ebbs and flows and non-navigable waters are those waters above the ebbing and flowing of the tide.3)
 * http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Wiki/access:ma
 * **Macro-invertebrate ecologist**
 * The presence, condition, and numbers of the types of fish, insects, algae, plants and other aquatic life provide accurate information about the health of freshwater, coastal and marine waters.
 * **Mrs. H. Citizen land abutter**
 * My property values are dependant on the quality of the river. My land abuts the river currently. The removal of the dam will reduce my property value


 * **Dr. Joe Schmoe the Consultans: Dam Removal and River Restoration Issues**
 * The following is a list of consultants that have some experience with the issue of dam removal. Listed firms have been added at their request or because they have completed a dam removal project known by DES. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list. DES does not intend to imply a certification of those on this list, nor for the work they may perform. This list is meant to provide a resource to dam owners that would like to remove a dam and restore a river to its natural condition. Firms are listed in alphabetical order.http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/dam/damremoval/consultants.htm

>>
 * **Ms. Moneybags the Economist**
 * By the time the United States declared its independence from Britain, dams were already being built in the fledgling nation. Former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt once remarked that since that time "on average, we have constructed one dam every day." (Heinz Center 2002) There are currently more than 76,000 dams with a height of six feet or more in the U.S., with a combined capacity sufficient to hold almost a full year's runoff. Many of these dams have already begun to deteriorate, and are of limited economic value and questionable safety. In the coming decades, the country will face a large number of decisions about the repair, removal, or replacement of aging dams (Heinz Center 2002). http://www.elwhainfo.org/elwha-river-watershed/dam-removal/decisions-remove-dams/economics-dam-removal
 * **Adria Elskus, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences and the USGS Fishery Toxicologist for the Eastern Region**
 * A research team at the University of Maine, US, is evaluating the potential for increased river water toxicity following dam removal http://www.waterpowermagazine.com/story.asp?sc=2034361

Town Council

 * Conservation Commission
 * Finance Committee
 * Town Planner
 * Andover green advisory Board
 * Town Manager