In 2016, Boston College (BC) purchased seventeen acres of Webster Woods located at 300 Hammond Pond Parkway for twenty million dollars.  And in September of 2019, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller of Newton announced plans to seize the land by eminent domain following widespread worry that BC would develop the land (Vaughn).  However, there is a more favorable option:  Boston College could donate the land to the City of Newton on the condition that it be preserved indefinitely.

The consequences of developing this land are severe.  A forest such as this removes approximately 510,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year and replaces it with about 374,000 pounds of oxygen (Ray).  Leaving this forest in private hands puts it at risk for development and thus threatens this massive source of carbon sequestration.  In an urban area with ever- increasing population density, this nature haven is mandatory for the continued health of the citizens.  Air pollution causes one-third of all deaths from heart disease, stroke, or lung cancer ("How Air Pollution Is Destroying Our Health").  It is essential that Webster Woods, a resource for removing carbon from the air, remain in safe hands.  In addition to the health and environmental impact of keeping these beautiful woods standing, Webster Woods are a resource for community vitality-- often enjoyed by amateur outdoorsmen, runners, and dog walkers.

However, many community members have expressed concerns with the precedents that seizing the land by eminent domain sets.  BC itself has also expressed concerns about the nature of eminent domain-- in a letter sent to Newton residents, BC's Vice President of Governmental and Community Affairs expressed that "Newton taxpayers deserve better than to be subjected to an ill-advised and expensive eminent domain proposal" (Keady).  Seizure by eminent domain would be expensive-- the City of Newton would foot at least a fifteen million dollar bill (Hilliard).  Given BC's expressed concern about Newton taxpayers handling such a large price tag, Boston College should donate their property at 300 Hammond Pond Parkway to the City of Newton on the condition that it be preserved indefinitely as conservation land.

This would have numerous benefits for the college itself.  With a generation increasingly concerned about the state of the climate entering college, it is excellent image management for the college to make such a visible effort towards conservation.  In addition, it would create a hospitable campus environment for BC's students to enjoy adjacent public conservation land going into the future.  And of course, the impacts of such a large forest continuing to remove carbon from the air would protect the health of Boston College students and surrounding Newton residents.

Boston College should do what they know is best for their student body and the community they occupy and donate their property to the City of Newton as conservation land.

Works Cited

Hilliard, John. "Newton Could Spend Nearly $16 Million to Take Webster Woods from Boston College." Boston Globe, Boston Globe Media Partners, 7 Oct. 2019, www.bostonglobe.com/metro/newton/2019/10/07/newton-could-pay-nearly-million-take-webster-woods-from-boston-college/X9It5Zptkm1iGtujfBu5VN/story

"How Air Pollution Is Destroying Our Health." World Health Organization, United Nations, www.who.int/airpollution/news-and-events/how-air-pollution-is-destroying-our-health Accessed 19 Nov. 2019.

Keady, Thomas J., Jr. Letter. 11 Nov. 2019.

Ray, C. Claiborne. "Tree Power." New York Times, The New York Times Company, 3 Dec. 2012, www.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/science/how-many-pounds-of-carbon-dioxide-does-our-forest-absorb.html Accessed 19 Nov. 2019.

Vaughn, Alyssa. "Newton to Boston College: Give Us Our Woods Back." Boston Magnazine, Metro Corp., 20 Sept. 2019, www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2019/09/20/boston-college-newton-mayor-webster-woods/ Accessed 19 Nov. 2019.