Save White Pond

The shade from the tall shade trees give a fine prospect of the pond on a summer day and provide shade for a pleasant walk down to the pond or back up from the pond after swimming. Furthermore, these trees are mostly oaks which are excellent for wildlife. The large pavilions are not needed. The picnic tables atop the bluff would not be used.

The proposed project will have dramatic impacts to the pond, the water quality, the site, neighbors and townspeople for at least many decades to come. It is imperative that choices are made carefully, openly and with the residents' consensus.

Keep the trees. They are home to beautiful birds and butterflies and little creatures. They smell good. They are one grove.

White Pond is an absolute treasure. The concept of changing it to become known as White Pond Park goes against everything I know and respect about Concord's conservation philosophy. Removing trees that buffer the pond and help protect it from erosion would cause a serious threat to the pond, not only in maintaining its tranquility and privacy, but more more importantly, tainting its water quality. Concord has more open space, recreational fields and parks than most any other town in MA. We don't need another "park", especially one that will further damage White Pond's natural and historic landscape.

Seeking peace I walked the road That took me gently down the hill Until I reached the waters edge And saw it resting there so still. Smooth as glass it showed to me An image of reality Of trees and sky, but upside down It twice reflected peace to me. And now as I with pen in hand Record my feelings of that day, I realize I’m ever blessed Serenity in nature’s way.

White Pond is one of Concord's historical treasures. Others have quoted Thoreau about the pond here. Emerson wrote about the pond as well. He walked there with Ellery Channing in 1848: "We went to White Pond, a pretty little Indian bath, lonely now as Walden once was; we could almost see the sachem in his canoe in a shadowy cove. But making the circuit of the lake on the shore, we came at last to see some marvelous reflections of the colored woods in the water, of such singular beauty and novelty that they held us fast to the spot almost to the going down of the sun. The water was very slightly rippled, which took the proper character from the pines, birches and few oaks which composed the grove." And now the pines and birches and oaks are to be taken down? I believe that the developers of the current "beach area plan" didn't take into account the historical context of the entire pond. I wonder if they "made a circuit of the lake on the shore" as Emerson did or went to Concord's Library to explore its history. And did they go out into the middle of the pond to experience the wonder of it all.? Please proceed carefully.

Please please no new buildings or tree removal in this beautiful rustic beach area.

Many of the so-called improvements are detrimental. Too many trees are being cut and there is no need to add more parking. The only improvements that should be considered are those that make it ADA compliant and protect water quality.

Should not cut down such established, mature trees unless needed for public safety... which is not the case here.

White Pond is Walden Pond's smaller, less protected sibling. Please protect this beautiful place.

I am in favor of the moratorium If the town cannot leave it alone.

I am in favor of a moratorium on this project until more community input can be considered. I think a citizen committee should be formed to help Town staff create a proposal that makes improvements while preserving the character of the recreation space as much as possible. I’m sure there has been a lot of hard work done by the Town to put together a plan that helps improve White Pond’s water quality and ADA compliance—understanding the details of the plan and what alternatives have been considered would be very helpful.

Please don't cut down all of those trees and change a fundamental historical and environmental feature of this unique area.

The proposed changes are far too invasive. Replacing White Pond's lovely, wooded feel with an urban park is in no way an improvement. More community input is needed.

The proposed project is completely inappropriate in scale and should be placed in a moratorium until a more appropriate proposal is presented. Make no mistake, deforestation will be extensive - replantings are NO substitute. The proposal calls also for substantial unnecessary increase in impervious surface, as well as a 20% increase in parking due to multiple cut-ins. The town admits there is sufficient parking already, so this makes no sense. And please remove the playground - people come to White Pond to swim, not to swing. There are enough playgrounds in town already for kids (including ours) to enjoy. Places like White Pond are rare and need to be respected, and not turned into a Disney World.

I would hate to see our precious community gem hastily altered. White Pond is a tranquil historic sanctuary and requires tender care. Community input is essential before considering any proposed changes.

It seems like there definitely should be more public discussion about these proposed changes. I defer to those more expert in sustainability than I am. We shouldn't resist changes just to keep White Pond as we remember it. But any changes should be carefully considered so they support water quality and other criteria of a healthy, attractive environment that won't encourage overuse. Thanks.

I agree that more public education and discussion is needed before moving forward with this plan. In particular, removal of a significant number of large trees is of great concern. It's not clear what alternatives have been considered. Reforestation with large trees takes generations.

Just because you can, does not mean you should. This seems like an over engineered solution. Aside from ADA access, restrooms and appropriate actions to address runoff issues, which could, as Mr Hanson commented, include addressing how the land above is farmed, the less that is done, the better.

Cutting large trees at the site would be a huge mistake as it's the cooling breeze that flows up from the pond under the shade of those trees that makes a visit to the pond so delightful on a hot summer day. The trees also stabilize the slope. I like the idea of a better way to catch storm water. However there's always a large wash down the pond access road during storms. I wonder if 2 or 3 smaller catchments along that access road would be better than what looks like one large catchment nearer the pond. It would help the water quality at the pond to eliminate the use of agricultural chemicals on the fields that are part of this plan. "Conventional" farmers use water soluble fertilizers that contain nitrates, phosphates and potassium as well as water soluble neonicotinoids and round up that leach into the ground water and end up in the pond. Leasing the land to an organic farmer, or converting it to a wildlife meadow should be considered to upgrade the quality of the ground water and reduce damage to pond ecosystem services that help maintain pond water quality. Shell fish in the pond clean the water but are damaged by agricultural chemical runoff.