Words

In Your Own Words

We want to share comments from Friends of Rocky Pond which show concern about what is happening to the Pond. Send us yours! We hope these comments give you ideas! Each set represents a different communication.

"Each morning at 7:45 the trundle of trucks and machinery attacks my ears. It clunks, squeaks like a tank on its way to the Front. With a yawning rev of the engine, it raises it poisonous plume like a battle flag and sets to work. Bit by bit, with furious intensity, it tears at rock and soil and tree. The finches and robins fly away from the fury.
For the rest of the day I'll hear no birds only the gnashing of steel on earth. The engine raises its voice, as it rips out a large tree stump or boulder, or some other annoyance to it. In between its piques, it only growls and grunts like a threatening dog that likes nothing on earth.
Soon it will have cleared enough and widened enough so that houses will be built as a memorial to its battle. Nature will recede, beaten down by some strange motivation that is thinly veiled as progress." -- From a Rocky Pond area resident

******

"I have spent 44 years in Boylston and 35 peaceful years here on the shores of Rocky Pond in Boylston. NEFF has certainly turned this bucolic area into a nightmare of litigation, stress for all concerned, not to mention the worst kind of publicity for an organization of your kind. The Boylston Historical Society is documenting this as part of town history. NEFF and Mr. Sydow will live on with more than a black eye as long as there are historians. Fortunately for NEFF this damage can be undone easier than the damage Mr. Sydow is doing to the pond. That will take more years than my wife and I have left." -- From a Rocky Pond area resident to NEFF

******

"It's time to stop the destruction of Rocky Pond. It would also be nice to see NEFF make an honest approach at dealing with the
abutters for what they are. A group of concerned people who are trying to right what was made wrong. Nothing more and
nothing less." -- From a Rocky Pond area resident to NEFF

******

"People who know and spend time at Rocky Pond can tell you personal stories of expected loss if you were to ask. You've already heard and thought about the loss of wildlife and natural growth, no need to hammer that one home-- except to remind you
that you could make a wonderful difference by thinking preservation rather than aiming toward change and industrial growth.You could be remembered as just one person who made a difference." -- A Washington DC resident to Amos Eno of NEFF

******

As the quote from your NEFF Annual Meeting address clearly states:

"[There is] the growing recognition that lawsuits...[are] usually expensive and almost always divisive in ways that reverberate
beyond the immediate issue in dispute.” At the very least, ongoing development should be halted while a confused and contentious situation is clarified. I encourage you to put pressure on Mr. Sydow to that end." -- From a Rocky Pond area resident to NEFF

******

"I would like to add my voice to those urging the preservation of Rocky Pond. Places like Rocky Pond are a national treasure and should not be destroyed by development. I hope the New England Forestry Foundation will do everything in their power to stop the building of houses on the edge of this property." -- From a Haverhill resident's letter to NEFF

******

"I am not a lawyer, but as Enron and many other recent betrayals of trust teach us, the law should not be used to mask practices which may be unethical, unsound and clearly beyond the wishes of a donor...it feels very much like a very dangerous horse is now out of the barn and legalese rather than oversight is being used to justify the status quo and what I believe will be increased confrontation, ecological damage and, perhaps ultimately, a need to undo a lot of damage." -- from an area resident's letter to NEFF

******

"Let's just look forward the future as it is shapes up with every felled tree. We will have 10 news homes on old, but "repaired" septic systems, whatever that means. Each with their own boats and cars and kids and guests, stamping their own footprint of human living that is rarely to the benefit of a fragile ecosystem.How could NEFF do this? Are the people who formulated this deal still
employed at your organization? I must say that something is really rotten in the state of Denmark... In these times of public mistrust of private corporations, as exemplified by Enron and Worldcom, I say today that this betrayal puts NEFF in a dim light. Maybe you stuck to the letter of the law, but I would not trust NEFF one bit based on this debacle." -- Area resident to NEFF

******

"I totally agree with your position on this one. There are just too few unspoiled places left in New England. We have several Ponds in Lancaster where the character of the pond has been "spoiled" by development. Even the most well intentioned conscientious developers who try to move the housing back from the Ponds (in Lancaster) have overpopulated them with well to do,
careless dwellers...(they are typically >$350K homes). -- From a Lancaster resident

******

"When I first heard of Kenny buying the Richardson land and "trading" land with the forestry (land Gert Falby had donated to be
preserved) I was under the assumption that Gert Falby had okayed the transfer. I still was a little confused as to why the Forestry
would trade land that someone else had donated but what did I know? As time has passed and more information has been released,
especially the fact that Gert Falby is very opposed to this, I find the whole deal disgusting. We as a family living on Rocky Pond realize with all the clearing of trees and pounding of ledge that life on the pond will be different and if there is anything we can do to stop this we will try. We urge you to reconsider what has transpired and stop it before it goes any further. Please consider the two main characters in this drama- a woman whose family has preserved this land for years and did what she felt was the way to preserve it forever and a man who has spent many years on the pond and bought land to "save" it from being developed and instead has turned into that developer. Who would you choose?." -- From a Rocky Pond resident to NEFF

******

"NEFF's reputation has taken a nose dive through all this and hiding behind legalese isn't going to help. As a matter of fact it makes it worse. You have an opportunity now to change things to right the terrible wrong that took place. Buy Sydow out. I know he probably wants a lot of money but that may be the price that this lesson will cost. If NEFF steps up to the plate and puts the land back in conservation you will begin to turn your reputation around. After all, this situation did not just happen. NEFF allowed this to happen by trading the land. Now be part of the solution. Back in 1994 when a retired Dorchester minister named Accelyne Williams suffered a fatal heart attack during a mistaken drug raid on his apartment, his lifelong friend and fellow cleric Albert Aymer, made this assessment:

'We all have roles to play. We either do something to prevent situations, or we sit back and do nothing, and by doing nothing we become participants through neglect. The powers-that-be, the people who have the power to change things and refuse to exercise that power, are ultimately as responsible as those who do the victimizing.?'" -- From a Rocky Pond area resident to NEFF

******

"I had a chance to view your Website...It gives a good explanation of the problems involved in preventing the destruction of the Rocky Pond environment. I myself have seen so many examples of similar vandalism by developers in Holden where lovely, typical New England scenery will never be seen by future generations. Don't these people see what they are destroying-or does the prospect of their own profit blind them to everything else of value? I have never visited Rocky Pond myself, but I shall watch future events with interest and hope that this vandalism can be halted." -- From a Holden resident

******

"Upon driving down (to Rocky Pond) yesterday, I read the posting on the tree and checked out your web site. I live in Boylston and for many years have swam, fished, and canoed in the pond. My children now fish there also. I am a little concerned about some of the action(or lack of) by some of the committees in town. I wonder if getting the Historical Society interested would help your cause. Good Luck. The pond is still a place of beauty and calmness in a town that is fast developing."
-- from a Boylston resident

******

"I cannot understand your silence in not responding to your email where it concerns Rocky Pond in Boylston.This silence, at least to me and others that I have spoken with, indicates an unwillingness to address the issues that we have brought forth. Does this unwillingness indicate a lack of concern for the mess that is now Boulder Way and Rocky Pond? Does it indicate an aloofness on your part that our concerns do not count? Does your silence indicate guilt in the Falby matter? By being silent you leave the door to possible erroneous conclusions wide open. Conclusions that some day you will have to account for. Perhaps the conclusions are not so erroneous after all. I feel that you have misrepresented NEFF, brought forth bad publicity that will injure NEFF and that you should resign forthwith." -- mid-August letter to Amos Enos of NEFF from Rocky Pond resident.

******

"I think the way you misused Mrs.G. Falby's land that she gave to you to preserve and protect from developement is shameful and abusive of the powers given to you. The name of your foundation makes it sound like you are people who wish to protect the land, but instead you mislead old ladies with good hearts and enable contractors to destroy what little precious wildlife we have left.
...A once lovely foresty area has been developed into houses hidden behind a small veil of trees in the front yard. Thanks to your foundation Rocky Pond itself will soon disappear.. this lovely land will soon be a precious memory to me and my family, including the ones still living on Boulder Way...The least I would expect from you is that your foundation start answering the questions that people from Boylston and the friends of Boylston have for you. Then your resignation be made with a public apology for misleading the public on the true purpose and deceit of your foundation." -- letter to Amos Enos from Boylston resident

******

Permanently protecting New England's forests through gifts and acquisitions of land for the benefit of
present and future generations.

"This is the First Mission of NEFF as stated on their Mission Statement from their web site. I am wondering if they have ever read it.
Only ones that seem to be benefiting are developers. Should we be surprised by this latest finding about this latest land deal? I
want to know how I can get in on it too. I don't know how much of a tax break Miss Falby got for her generous donation. But I bet she could have got herself a better deal selling it to the developers directly & not have NEFF as a middleman.

How many more of these deals has this alleged Conservation group done over the years?

Guess we can look forward to the Mall of Maine opening real soon on the Pingree land they are allegedly suppose to protect."
-- letter from Boylston resident to NEFF

******

"The truth will out. I read with horror, dismay. and then anger when I found out that you protectors of the forest, sold land to Aspero that was part of the Falby grant to you. You people are really low. The amount of the sale was only $1000. Do you have any land that I can buy for that amount? I wopuld like an acre or two. I am sure that no one would find out. I would like two acres on the far side of the pond. Were can we meet in private to discuss terms? By the way, what did the Asperos have to do for such a
bargain?" -- letter from Rocky Pond area resident to NEFF

******

"As a child growing up on Rocky Pond, I can not think of anything worse than having it devoloped into a yuppie recluse from their tormented little jobs in surrounding cities. FIND ANOTHER WAY TO DEAL WITH IT!!!!! I have known Ms. Falby since I was a young girl growing up on Rocky Pond in the summer months. I understand her passion and am commited to preserving this wonderful area." -- letter to the editor from area resident

******

"It is so ironic that one of the easiest ways for pirates to circumnavigate copyright laws is to invoke the "educational usage" clause. I never thought it would be used by a so-called conservation group in order to maintain some sort of compliance with its own charter. These guys are a complete joke, soon to be hoisted by their own petard." -- Boylston resident to the editor after reviewing Aspero pages

******

"I know that most land conservation organizations sell "trade lands" from time to time, but it seems from the information you sent that in this situation the intent of the gift was permanent protection of the land, not as trade land.

NEFF owns few properties here in Maine, but has done excellent work protecting several hundred thousand acres of land through permanent conservation easements that explicitly prohibit future development. It is unfortunate that the Rocky Pond property did not have an easement held by a third party, as the current situation would have been prevented." -- a leading Maine conservationist to the editor

You'll find many other comments elsewhere on the site...and we'll be updating this page as more arrive.