Why do the woods matter to the wildlife?
It may be intuitive: it’s their home! But if this area gets torn down they’ll just move elsewhere, right? Does it matter that much? Unfortunately, it does. In ecology, one of the detrimental consequences of habitat loss is known as ‘edge effects’. When tracts of forest such as Chebacco are broken up, it increases the perimeter of the habitat. If the area on the human side of the border is unnatural and manmade, it compromises the entire ecosystem. When the intrusion is as large and damaging as this one intends to be, wildlife that depend on the depth of the woods can easily be eradicated from the area. From the owls in their deep forest haunts to the salamanders that rely on untouched damp logs decades old, there would be simply nowhere to go.
Why do the woods matter to you?
The evidence is in, and the verdict is conclusive: communities need protected accessible green spaces to thrive. Chebacco provides this essential commodity which, when taken away, can never be replaced. A 2008 Lancet study of 40 million subjects in Britain discovered a powerful link between access to green spaces, income inequality, and life expectancy. Moving along an axis of decreasing access to green space, the difference in life expectancy jumps; a full ten years in the most extreme cases. This is in part due to the variable affordability of these natural spaces (Mair, NHM). The beauty of Chebacco is that it is always open, and open for everyone. Other reservations on the North Shore which have entrance fees or passes just don’t serve the same purpose. Additionally, the implications of green spaces on community mental health are striking. A 2019 Danish study analyzed nearly 35 years of data for a million people, and found that “children who grew up with the lowest levels of green space had up to 55% higher risk of developing a psychiatric disorder independent from effects of other known risk factors. Stronger association between accumulated green space and risk during childhood constitutes evidence that prolonged presence of green space is important” (Engemann, et al., 2019).
The Chebacco trails and woodlands are so much more than another recreational area. They are a unique home to countless flora and fauna, and a gem of the greater Boston area loved and utilized by countless residents and visitors. The wood's benefits for health and wellbeing are as incalculable as the loss of its would-be destruction.